Guess What?

Yesterday the devotion was for parents.  Today it is for children.

What do God's Messangers Look Like?

Read:  Luke 1:5-25

This is a story about a man, Zechariah.  He was a priest.  On this day, he had a very special job to do.  He was going to the holiest place he knew, to the holiest place that the people of Israel knew.  He was going into the heart of the temple to make a sacrifice and pray to God.  This was a special opportunity for Zechariah.  Zechariah expected to meet God in the heart of the temple.  Zechariah expected to talk with God there.

Where do you expect to meet God?  Where do you expect to talk with God?  What would you expect God to say to you? 

While Zechariah was in the heart of God's temple in Jerusalem, the ange Gabriel appeared to him.  The angel could see that he had frightened Zechariah, so he said, "Don't be afraid.  I am a messenger from God.  I have come to you to tell you that your prayers have been answered."  You see, Zechariah had been praying for a long time, not just here in the heart of the temple, but at home and in his local synagogue (church).  Zechariah had been praying for his family and for his community.  He had been praying that God would give him a child.  For his community he had been praying that God would save them from the difficult lives they led under the rule of the Romans, that God would show the people how to live peacefully with one another.

The angel came to tell Zechariah that his prayers had been answered.  That Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth would indeed have a son! And that their son would help to bring about the changes that Zechariah had been praying for.

Zechariah thought this news was pretty funny, since he had nearly lost hope that God would answer his prayers.  You see, Zechariah and Elizabeth were quite old.  Way too old to have a child.  When Gabriel, the angel heard that  Zechariah did not believe, the angel made it so that he could not speak until the child was born. 

Now, you know, this child was not Jesus... he would be John, the one who would come before Jesus, telling everyone that Jesus was on the way. 

The angel brought Zechariah the good news!  The son that would be born to Zechariah and Elizabeth would bring the best news of all, that Jesus the Savior, is coming!  God's messengers can be angels or babies!

What do you think that angel looked like?  Can you draw a picture of the angel that came to Zechariah? 

The picture above is from a book illustrated by Julie Vivas called The Nativity.  It may not be what you thought an angel would look like.  But I think it shows that messengers of good news can come in lots of shapes and sizes.  They may even look like you... or me. 

Can you think of someone who needs to hear the good news of Jesus' coming today?  Maybe you could take the picture you drew and add a message of good news for the person you just thought of.

Prayer:
Dear God,
Zechariah met you in the heart of the temple.  Let me meet you today, in my own heart and in the heart of all whom I meet.  Let us surprize one another with the good news that your kingdom is coming!  Be with all those praying for good news.
Amen.