Our story is about a group of Shepherds that encounter an Angel that was so glorious that it put their whole life on hold. They were the first to experience the glory of the Christmas story, but they were not meant to be the last!
Because like them, we can still experience the glory of the Christmas story today.
We all encounter evil in our lives. We can see all kinds of things in our world that are broken. We can see the brokenness in governments and in world politics. We can see it in schools and workplaces. We see it in close friendships and family, and we can even see it in our own hearts. Our world is not the way it should be.
Some people see so much brokenness that they just give up and they say there’s no point in trying because they can’t fix the problems. But as Christians I believe we have the best way to respond to brokenness.
So my big question today is: how should we respond to brokenness – the brokenness we see in the world and also in our personal life?
The answer I want to show you today is that we should respond with confidence that Jesus will make things right. Jesus will make things right in our world, and Jesus will make things right in our own personal life.
Sometimes we underestimate preparation, but it can make all the difference, and that theme is fitting today as we begin a series of Christmas/Advent sermons that aims to prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus.
So, my big question today is: how should we prepare when we inevitably face the most important moments in life?
Our Bible story will show us that we need to prepare with everyday faithfulness, and everyday faith. Today our Bible Story takes place a year and half before the birth of Jesus. And it’s about an old priest named Zechariah and the time he meets an angel.