Archive for December 2020

I hope you had an incredible Christmas! But just because Christmas is over doesn’t mean the celebration is over! See, sometime after Jesus was born, he was visited by a band of wise men from the east. They followed a star that led them to Bethlehem. They offered him gold, frankincense, and myrrh – gifts fit for a king! They recognized that this little boy was worthy of their worship.

Merry Christmas! We’ve been looking forward to this day all year long! Can you believe it’s here? Mary and Joseph couldn’t either. See, the Jewish people had been looking forward to the day when God would finally send His Rescuer. But can you imagine Mary’s shock when she found out that she would be Jesus’ mother? And Joseph’s shock when he found out his soon-to-be wife was pregnant with God’s Son? It would have been hard to believe! Can you imagine the shepherd’s shock when a chorus of angels appeared to announce that the Rescuer had been born? They had been looking forward to this day for hundreds of years – and it was finally here.

Christmas is coming! But how do we know it’s coming? It may seem like a silly question but think about it. We know because, probably when we were little, someone told us about Christmas. They may not have told us the whole story or why it matters, but we at least heard about it. Well, in the first century, nobody knew Jesus was coming! They needed someone to tell them! That’s why God sent John. He came to proclaim the good news that Jesus was coming and encouraged everyone to prepare their hearts for His arrival.

Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed God would bless them with a child for decades. But as the years passed by their hope began to run dry. They were far too old. It would take a miracle.