Day 21: Luke 1-2
After hundreds of years of apparent silence from God, the birth of two baby boys was foretold by angels. The first pronouncement was to an old, barren couple who would give birth to John the Baptist. His ministry would pave the way for Jesus; “many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God” (1:16). The second pronouncement was to a skeptical young virgin who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, would give birth to the long-awaited Messiah.The angel’s announcement to Mary was one of tremendous significance: “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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (1:32-33). Many of the themes and promises that we saw throughout the Old Testament are here fulfilled. Not only would he be the promised Messiah, but he would also be the Son of God himself. Furthermore, he would ascend to the throne once promised to David (2 Samuel 7:13,16; see reading from Day 12) and would reign forevermore (Isaiah 9:6-7; see reading from Day 19). Even Zechariah’s song picks up on the promises to both Abraham and David.
This wonderful and miraculous Christmas story is rightly precious to us. But it goes so much deeper than children in bathrobes at pageants or quaint Nativity scenes on mantles. This was what the people had been waiting for. This was God’s answer to the problems of mankind begun all the way back in Genesis 3. This was the fulfillment of everything that had come before. Later, the apostle Paul would put it this way: “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).
So as shepherds sang in the fields and wise men traveled from the east, we know that all of heaven joined with Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Zechariah in rejoicing that it was time. The redemption of Israel, and of all of humanity, had begun.
Questions for reflection and discussion: How does the Christmas story have new meaning for you after the readings in the Old Testament? What themes, types, or prophecies in the Old Testament did the birth of Jesus fulfill? What elements of this familiar story are most precious to you, and why?
