Rachel Workman: 18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 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. 20 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.” I wonder how many times I myself have done this? I would like to
think that if the angel of the Lord appeared to me I'd believe everything he
said to me. However, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have responded the exact same
way. I still do it. I'm getting better though. That's because of God's
faithfulness not my own. I can take credit for nothing.
21 Meanwhile,
the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in
the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them.
They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to
them but remained unable to speak.
23 When
his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After
this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in
seclusion. 25 “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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John Burnett:
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am
an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 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.20 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.” God uses His Living Word to communicate with us today. Every
time I sit down and really study the Bible I see or learn something new as the
Holy Spirit enlightens me on what I missed in prior readings.
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah
and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had
seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained
unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was completed, he
returned home.24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant
and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “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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Tomorrow’s reading for Luke 1:26-33.
26 In the
sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a
town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man
named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The
angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is
with you.”
29 Mary
was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might
be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you
have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth
to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great
and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the
throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s
descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
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