At Christmastime, we love to sing traditional carols and hymns, proclaiming that “all is calm, all is bright ’round yon virgin mother and child—holy infant so tender and mild.” With such a peaceful description of Jesus’ birth, it’s easy to forget the bitter cup of God’s wrath which he came to drink in full. In […]

Unique to Luke’s Gospel is the mention of two characters who play a small but profound role in the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. These two saints, Simeon and Anna, had been faithfully committed to serving and worshiping God. They knew that God had promised a Messiah who would come to save and restore his people and […]

The mission of John the Baptist was to prepare the way for the Lord, to announce the coming of the Messiah. But how exactly would this Messiah come? How could a child be born who would be the fulfillment of Isaiah 9:6-7, being both a Davidic king yet also Mighty God and the Everlasting Father? The answer […]

We would imagine Luke’s gospel – an account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus – to begin with the story of Christ’s birth. However, Luke does not start with the announcement of the coming Messiah,  but with the announcement of the coming messenger, John the Baptist: “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare […]

In addition to the promise of a future and a hope for the people of God, we have been seeing promises of a new heart and a new spirit that will be given to them as well. God himself clarifies exactly what this would ultimately entail: “I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and […]