January 15 | Luke 1:57-80

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DAILY READING

Luke 1:57-80

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REFLECTION

?????

By Kathleen Serio

My mom and I frequently watch TV together and, during the show, I will share some random fact or tidbit of knowledge which gets met with silence. I look at my mom who, with a look of pure bewilderment exclaims, “WHY do you know that?!” In her defense, what I share is often out of context and very strange, but I get a lot of joy out of sharing with her. Now why, after 28 years, she is still surprised by what I know is beyond me.

I have to imagine that Zechariah was met with similar looks of bewilderment when he could suddenly speak after having been silenced for 9 months. Then, on top of that, he surprises everyone by proclaiming that his son’s name was to be John. I can just imagine his neighbors looking at him with pure confusion and thinking that the man had lost his mind. But, in the Bible, there are endless stories of someone shocking those around them because they are following what God told them to do. Jesus Himself was the epitome of surprising people by doing the unexpected.

It was expected that Zechariah would name his son after a relative, so when he does what he was instructed to and surprises those around him, it tells all of the people that something bigger was happening. Recall that the fact that Zechariah and Elizabeth were having a child in the first place was a shock in itself; add to that Zechariah’s silence; and top that with an unexpected name. It was a clear sign to everyone that this child was special.

Sometimes I wish that we got signs like this more in life. Some giant arrow telling us, “Hey this guy is important! Pay attention people!” But something tells me that even when God gives us those signs, we miss them. Or we let doubt cloud what we are being told just as Zechariah did when the Angel first told him about his child. What I take away from this story is that: when we doubt God, He will show us how wrong we are to do so; when we do as God commands, we are rewarded; and when what God asks of us doesn’t make sense, the confusion that comes from doing what we are told to do just might be the very reason we are doing it. God works in unexpected ways.

PRAYER

God help us when we doubt you like Zachariah. Help us to stand by what you ask of us even when it doesn’t make sense. Help us to notice when you are surprising us so that we take time to really pay attention to what is happening. God, thank you for all the ways you work in our lives.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KATHLEEN SERIO

I grew up at UALC and have been blessed to have many role models in this church. They encouraged me to pursue my passions including volunteering with Young Kids’ VBS, HSM, teaching Sunday School, small groups, Operation Christmas Child, mission trips, ushering, and more. It has been a joy to go from participating in ministries as a kid to becoming a leader as an adult.

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January 14 | Luke 1:26-56

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DAILY READING

Luke 1:26-56

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REFLECTION

Promises

By Pam Mann

In a loud voice Elizabeth 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. 

Amazing things are happening in Elizabeth’s life. At her advanced age, beyond belief, she is pregnant! As her belly swells, she knows her barrenness is past. What a marvel. Now her cousin, Mary, comes to visit. Mary has her own marvelous pregnancy story to tell. But Mary barely greets her cousin when Elizabeth exclaims her joy as she already grasps Mary’s situation. Not only does old Elizabeth know Mary’s good news, but also her unborn baby knows and leaps for joy!

Certainly, God’s Spirit is on the move. There are so many details that remain unknown to these two women, but this they know: God is on the move. He is not far off; He is not slow to act. He is present with us, and He is mighty to save. The long-awaited Messiah, the Christ, is coming. This is BIG. They currently don’t know the half of it, but they don’t need to know everything. They rejoice in the promise of what is to come.

Elizabeth continues her exclamation to Mary:

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Ponder this pronouncement for its import to every believer. God has a purpose for each of us. We are workers in His kingdom. Like Mary and Elizabeth, we don’t know how all the details will work out, but we can trust God to fulfill His promises. We, like Mary, can acknowledge our position as God’s servants and hold on for the ride!

This is BIG for us, too! What if we didn’t hold back? What if we opened ourselves to all that God

has for us, to the new ways that the Spirit has been nudging us to trust in God’s provision? What if we let go of the fears and doubts that keep us from our next step?  What if we say yes to God and believe that He will take care of the details unknown to us and fulfill His promises?

PRAYER

Thank You, Lord, for Elizabeth and Mary, for their examples of trust. Give us their bold confidence, their joy in trusting You, and sweet fellowship along the way, such as they relished in each other. We are Your servants. We, too, cherish Your promises. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PAM MANN

I first joined UALC when my husband (then my fiancé) and I were college students involved in youth ministry. God has used UALC to nurture our family’s faith, even in our years outside the U.S. I’ve participated in UALC ministries with kids, art, prayer, exercise, ESL, and Bible teaching. I do all the fun church things.

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January 13 | Luke 1:5-25

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DAILY READING

Luke 1:5-25

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REFLECTION

Weaving Prophecy and Fulfillment

By Dave Mann

In the coming weeks, we will focus on the Gospel of Luke.  The first account that Luke portrays to us is the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist, the one to prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah.

vv. 5-13 -- The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah when he was ministering in the temple. Though John’s parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth were elderly, they would have a child.  The child’s name was to be John, meaning Gift of the Lord.

vv. 14-15 -- Joy and gladness would overwhelm people at John’s birth.  There were at least three reasons for joy.  1) An old couple who had prayed for a child for many years was finally blessed with fertility.  2) Zechariah’s inability to speak would be instantly cured when he announced that the newborn child’s name would be John as the angel had instructed.  3) Many people eagerly anticipated what the Lord had planned to accomplish through this child.

vv. 16-17 -- John would be great in the sight of the Lord (not necessarily in the sight of all people).  Many from Jerusalem and Judea would come to the Jordan River to hear John preach, to repent of their sins, and to be baptized as a sign of their repentance.  John’s preaching was warmly received by many, but not by all.  Herod did not appreciate the public criticism that John gave him concerning his immorality (Mt 14:3-12). 

John would turn the hearts of the sons of Israel back to the Lord.  John’s ministry was announced by the angel to be in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17).  “And [John] will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

This ministry in the same spirit and power as Elijah had already been announced hundreds of

years previously in Malachi 4:5-6 -- “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

If the clear similarity of Gabriel’s words with those of Malachi was not enough to convince us that John is the fulfillment of Elijah, Jesus himself announced that John was indeed the prophesied appearance of Elijah.  See Mark 9:11-13 & Matthew 17:11-12.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for weaving the prophecies of Malachi, the ministry of John, and the Messiahship of Jesus into a coherent tapestry of your will.  By your grace and the power of your Holy Spirit, also weave my life into your plan, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of six. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.

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