Today we start a new series with my good friend and teacher Christian Shelton. In this series we will take an in depth look at key characters from the Christmas story and what we can learn about the ways and heart of God through them.
As with many dynamics of the Christmas story, the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth starts with a prophecy. This prophecy is dear to us here at Heart of a Father. It is found in the last two verses of the Old Testament in Malachi 4:5-6. It says, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
Now the angel Gabriel shows up to Zacharias over 400 years later while he is serving in the temple and says that Zacharias and Elizabeth will miraculously have a son, even though they are past the age of childbirth. Gabriel goes on to say this son will be the fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi!
Please watch the video and read Luke 1 to get a much fuller picture of God’s hand at work in this part of the Christmas story.
