Daily Dose of Good News from Noelle Fox, 

Director of Faith Formation Ministries

Friday, December 3, 2021

A video recording of today’s Daily Dose can be found at https://youtu.be/pt0AY-4Oh9o.

A printer-friendly version can be found at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lCotj-X3hFfNVpatsr8gNEn23AjrGwh1gadnUGIfUVA/edit?usp=sharing

Today’s story is about a priest named Zechariah.  He was a messenger of God’s good news.  For hundreds of years, people heard the message, “God’s Son is coming.”  They waited.  They watched.  When would he come?  What would he do?  How would they know him? 

 

Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, had waited a long time to have a baby.  You can imagine that they were very excited when Elizabeth was pregnant with John.  Zechariah was so excited that he sang about it!

 

Zechariah was a man who actually sang a beautiful song in the temple about two babies- his son, baby John, and his nephew, baby Jesus.  The first part of Zechariah’s song talks about his nephew, Jesus.  Zechariah sings about Jesus before he is even born!  Let’s read Luke 1:68-75:

 

68 

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

    for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.

69 

He has raised up a mighty savior[a] for us

    in the house of his servant David,

70 

as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

71 

    that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.

72 

Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,

    and has remembered his holy covenant,

73 

the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,

    to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,

might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness

    before him all our days.

 

What did he sing about Jesus?  That Jesus was coming and would make all things new.  He would turn enemies into friends.

 

The second part of Zecharia’s story is about John’s role in the story.  Now, let’s read Luke 1:76-79

 

76 

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

77 

to give knowledge of salvation to his people

    by the forgiveness of their sins.

78 

By the tender mercy of our God,

    the dawn from on high will break upon[a] us,

79 

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

    to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

 

What did he sing about John?  John would baptize Jesus and tell others about Jesus.  We all can be messengers of God.

 

Now, I’ll read the passage from Luke 1:68-79 from the Spark story Bible (pages 208-211) so we can hear about Zechariah’s song as a story.

 

Read from the Spark Story Bible.

 

We can join in singing of God’s love, salvation, and peace for all people.  We are called to sing of God’s light and peace because of Jesus.  

 

Now, please pray with me:

Come, Lord Jesus.

Open our ears.

Messages of Advent,

In voice and in song.

News of

God’s love for all people.

 

In Advent, we await the COMING of the Messiah.

 

There is a special Advent devotional book called the Jesse Tree:  God’s Big Advent Story.  There is a devotion for you and your family to read each day from December 1st through December 25th.  If you and your family would like a devotion booklet, please let me know (noelle.fox@engagedbygrace.org).  I will be happy to get a devotion booklet to you.

 

Have a great day!  Happy Advent!