Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When He was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while His parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking He was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for Him among their relatives and friends. When they did it find Him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for Him. After three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

“Why were you searching for me?” He asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what He was saying to them.

Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

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He grew in wisdom, stature, and favor. This is the goal of Orange 252 curriculum and it should be the goal of the church. To raise children and help them grow in wisdom…to give them knowledge, not just of life, but more importantly knowledge of the Word of God. To raise children and help them grow in stature…as they grow, helping them to live a life based on the knowledge of His word. To raise children and help them gain favor…to guide them to a life that first pleases God, and then a life that brings respect, love, and inspiration to those around them. This is the goal.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.

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The birth of a Savior. The shepherds were so excited they spread the word to everyone they saw. The people were amazed at what they were told. But then there’s Mary…who pondered these things as she stored them up in her heart. Could it be that Mary had studied the law during her pregnancy? Could it be that she realized that the way in which Jesus would become Savior was through a sacrifice? Could it be that everyone else was selfishly thinking of being save me from Roman rule, Mary realized it was sin that they needed saving from…including herself? Today, remember that this is not just a story. This is the reality of your’s and my sin. The Savior was born…to save us from our wrongdoing. He deserves out praise…and part of our praise is turning away from sin. Remember your life was bought with a price. It’s time for some of us to repent and shift focus back to God. Don’t take this time for granted. Use it to get right with God.

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David (as He said through His holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us-to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember His holy covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, but which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

And the child grew and became strong in the spirit, and he lived in the wilderness until He appeared publicly to Israel.

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John was to be the one to prepare the way. To prepare the hearts and minds of the people so that Jesus could then transform them. You and I are also called to prepare the hearts and minds of people…so that God can transform them. We get to plant the seed and watch God turn that seed into life. We get to place the Gospel on the hearts and minds of others and watch God bring it to life in their life. We have a great responsibility as a Christ follower. Will you accept the challenge?

When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her relatives and neighbors heard that the Lord has shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

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People are not always going to understand when you are faithful to God. Often times it means going against what is normal or comfortable. They couldn’t understand why they would want to name the baby John and kept questioning them on it…because it wasn’t normal. To go against the norm is not always easy. It sometimes takes great faith and strength to stand up against what is normal or customary. But even in those moments remember the last sentence of this passage, “For the Lord’s hand was with him.” When we stand up for God, He stands with us. We don’t have to worry about being comfortable or even liked…as long as we have God. Be different. Stand out. Be a little weird. God’s hand will be with you.

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me-holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and His descendants forever, just as He promised our ancestors.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

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Mary sings a song, giving all glory to God for the gift He has given her in a child. She anticipates what is to come, but remains humble, understanding that He is God and she is not. Sometimes, when success finds us, we can shift our focus off of God and onto self. We can be puffed up and be filled with pride. Mary gives us a great example here of what being a humble servant looks like. Continuously giving praise to God for who He is and remaining fixed on Him. The enemy wants you to believe that you deserve praise and adoration…so keep your eyes always on Him. The success you find, praise Him for. The valleys you walk through…praise Him for His faithfulness to bring you out. It’s not about us…but always about Him.

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy! Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!”

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Why did Mary go visit Elizabeth? Could it be that she questioned if this was real and had to see for herself that she was pregnant? Could it be that she was fearful of the situation and ran to hide from what she knew? In any case, what we must understand is that it is ok to have doubt and to experience fear. What’s not ok is to stay in that doubt and fear. We know that Mary came home…she confronted her fear and her doubt and allowed God to be her compass instead. She understood the calling God has given her and she was obedient. How about you and I? Our mission is to make disciples. That can make us fearful. Remember, it’s ok to be afraid, but it’s not ok to allow that fear to stay. Let God be your compass. Mary eventually came home and faced her fears. How about you?

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and will he called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she willow was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

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One particular line from the angel stood out to me as I read this passage. “For no word from God will ever fail.” It made me think…do we live our lives based on the promises of God? Hasn’t He promised to provide for His children? Hasn’t He promised that tomorrow is in His hands, so we don’t have to worry. Hasn’t He promised eternal life to those who are faithful? Hasn’t He promised forgiveness? So why is it that we often live our lives as if these promises are not truths? We worry about our livelihood; we worry about tomorrow; we live as if eternal life is not obtained; we live as if we can’t be forgiven. The list goes on and on. But I want to encourage you today that the word of God never fails. It’s a truth you can trust above all else. Live by His word today…not yours…not your governments…no your preacher’s…not your parents…but His. His word will never fail.

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the heart of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous-to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. The realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days He has shown His favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

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I can’t help but wonder why Zechariah’s punishment was silence. Could it be that God wanted him to stop talking and getting in his own way so that he could see God work? What about you? I think sometimes we do so much talking and acting that we don’t give ourselves an opportunity to hear God or see God. Could it be, that during this season of life, we should practice being more silent? In your life, family, work, church, etc…try being more silent so that you can hear from God. I promise you His words and actions will always be worth staying silent and patient for.

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

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This introduction sparked a question in me. How many of you have researched for yourself the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus? How many of you have went your whole life leaning on the words and knowledge of another, never studying for yourself? In my experience…the real power of the resurrection became most evident to me when I read it and studied it for myself. You see, when you read it for yourself there is no middle man…just you and God. There’s nothing wrong with a middle man…but I implore you to consider pursuing those moments between the two of you. It is life changing if you allow it to be.

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’”

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

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It’s interesting to note that the angel said to go tell His disciples AND Peter. I believe Peter was hurting. I believe Peter believed he was no longer worthy to be included as one of Jesus’ disciples. He was probably in isolation and tormenting himself over his actions. What that statement says is God’s grace is bigger than your shortcomings Peter. Peter is being told that the death Jesus endured was for him as well. Hey Peter…you’re still mine. He Peter…I took care of it. Hey Peter…you still have work to do. How many of you need that reminder today? You are still His. You are covered by His grace. You still have work to do. Listen to the message of including Peter…because we are all included as well.