The Voice

Luke 1:5-7

It's Christmas time...time to reflect on why we celebrate Christmas. As with many believers, my reflections brought me to the bible and the accounts of the the birth of Jesus. I was reading from Luke's gospel.

Some things in Luke's account got my attention. I've read it before, but this time, as the Holy Spirit does, I was drawn to the story of John the Baptist's parents.

John's dad, Zacharias, was a priest (Luke 1:5 and 1 Chronicles 24). While Zacharias was performing his duties, he walked in where the alter of incense was, there was someone standing there. Some translations of the bible say that Zacharias was gripped with fear (Luke 1:12 NASB).

I used my imagination here. I tried to set the scene as best I could. Here was a priest, a righteous, unassuming man. It's his day to perform the priestly duties as prescribed by Aaron. He walks into the part of the temple where the alter is. Nobody is supposed to be there except the priest. Now, I don't know how well lit the temple was back then. In my imagination, things were kind of dim. Zacharias walks in, and here's this very large figure. Someone standing where no one is supposed to be. Were it me, I would be thinking this can't be good. I don't blame Zacharias for being afraid.

It's an angel. Not just any angel. God sent Gabriel (Luke 1:19).

Gabriel told Zacharias that he was going to have a son, and that he was to be named John. He told him who John would grow up to be.

Zacharias and his wife were older and had no children (Luke 1:7). It struck me that they had this in common with Abraham and Sarah, who asked a similar question (Genesis 17:17).

Gabriel said that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in the womb (Luke 1:15). Wow!

Fast forward to after Joseph and Mary get the news about Jesus, and Mary goes to stay with her cousin Elizabeth. When Mary greets Elizabeth, John leaps in the womb (Luke 1:41)!

This to me was an amazing part of the Christmas story that we often leave out. The part about The Voice(Isaiah 40:3)

God is AWESOME!