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8 December 2007
An Advent Special to mark the start of Advent
Word on the Web
Luke 1:11-17
All at once an angel from the Lord appeared to Zechariah at the right side of the altar. Zechariah was confused and afraid when he saw the angel. But the angel told him:
Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayers. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you must name him John. His birth will make you very happy, and many people will be glad. Your son will be a great servant of the Lord. He must never drink wine or beer, and the power of the Holy Spirit will be with him from the time he is born.
John will lead many people in Israel to turn back to the Lord their God. He will go ahead of the Lord with the same power and spirit that Elijah had. And because of John, parents will be more thoughtful of their children. And people who now disobey God will begin to think as they ought to. That is how John will get people ready for the Lord.
The John in this passage would later be known as John the Baptist, he was set aside from birth by God to bring his people back to him. To go before Jesus and prepare the way for his ministry.
Our parents might not have our births foretold by the angel Gabriel. We may not be set aside with fancy titles. But God does have a plan for us. We do have a role to play. We live in a generation that is largely ignorant of Jesus and largely goes against God's ways. Maybe we are being called to become an army of John the Baptists, maybe we need to start bringing people back to God, to prepare the way for them to accept Jesus' ministry.
Lord, I thank you for all of the people who prepare the way for Jesus in this world. I thank you especially for those who risk their lives everyday for you in hostile countries. Speak to us today, show us your plan for us and show us how we might bring more of your people back to you. Amen.
Written by Matt Grady of alternativity.org.uk
An Advent Special to mark the start of Advent
Word on the Web
Luke 1:11-17
All at once an angel from the Lord appeared to Zechariah at the right side of the altar. Zechariah was confused and afraid when he saw the angel. But the angel told him:
Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayers. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you must name him John. His birth will make you very happy, and many people will be glad. Your son will be a great servant of the Lord. He must never drink wine or beer, and the power of the Holy Spirit will be with him from the time he is born.
John will lead many people in Israel to turn back to the Lord their God. He will go ahead of the Lord with the same power and spirit that Elijah had. And because of John, parents will be more thoughtful of their children. And people who now disobey God will begin to think as they ought to. That is how John will get people ready for the Lord.
The John in this passage would later be known as John the Baptist, he was set aside from birth by God to bring his people back to him. To go before Jesus and prepare the way for his ministry.
Our parents might not have our births foretold by the angel Gabriel. We may not be set aside with fancy titles. But God does have a plan for us. We do have a role to play. We live in a generation that is largely ignorant of Jesus and largely goes against God's ways. Maybe we are being called to become an army of John the Baptists, maybe we need to start bringing people back to God, to prepare the way for them to accept Jesus' ministry.
Lord, I thank you for all of the people who prepare the way for Jesus in this world. I thank you especially for those who risk their lives everyday for you in hostile countries. Speak to us today, show us your plan for us and show us how we might bring more of your people back to you. Amen.
Written by Matt Grady of alternativity.org.uk
