“He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.” Luke 1:14-16

When we think of the Christmas story, we tend to focus on the finale. The birth of Jesus. After all, that is what the Christmas story is all about. I recently opened my Bible and started reading in Luke 1, the beginning of the Christmas story, and I read Elizabeth’s story with fresh eyes. I suddenly realized that her story is almost just as miraculous as Mary’s.

Elizabeth was a baron woman of old age, but her and her husband, Zechariah, were faithful servants of the Lord. One evening an angel appeared to Zechariah to tell him that his prayers had been answered and his wife was to give birth to a son and they were to call him John.

The angel, Gabriel, goes on to say that many will rejoice because of his birth. He will be great in the eyes of the Lord and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born! That just boggles my mind. I cannot imagine being pregnant with one of my daughters and an angel telling me that my baby was great in the eyes of the Lord and that she was already filled with the Holy Spirit in the womb! What a gift!

Also, I can’t imagine the pressure that Zechariah and Elizabeth must have felt to lead and guide a child with such a prophecy on him. As parents, we often feel unworthy of the gift of raising the children we’ve been given but can you imagine raising a child whose job it is to bring the people of Israel back to the Lord?

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, “to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:76-77 NIV

The above verse is what Zechariah sings over his son, John. In his case, Zechariah was prophesying actual events that would happen with his son. John was literally going to prepare the way for Jesus, the Lord, telling people about him and getting their hearts and minds ready to receive him.

Our children will most likely not be prophets. Just sayin. However, we have no idea what the Lord of the universe has in store for our little babies. I like to stop and think of people we learn about throughout history who have lived their lives to bring change to this world. People like Martin Luther King Jr, Corrie Ten Boom, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa. I bet that when they were babies, their parents had no idea of the impact they would make on this planet and the legacies they would leave behind.

We go through our day to day lives merely surviving each day. We get through the school pick up line, go to soccer, swing through the CFA drive thru for dinner; and if everyone is fed, has done their homework, and in bed before 9:00, we feel we deserve a gold star. How differently do you think we parent if we knew that the child (children) we were raising had a prophecy on them to grow to be movers and shakers in this world? If God’s plan for my daughter is to be involved in government, I would want to do all I could while she’s little to teach her about equality and leading with love.

We have no idea who our kids will grow up to be or what they will grow up to do. What are we as parents doing to foster their young hearts and mold them into admirable, accomplished, loving people who will do great things?

Lord, help us as parents to see our children the way you see them. Help us to be mindful that it is our duty to teach them the things of you and help us to lead by example. Whatever their futures hold, please help us to be instruments to lead and guide them to the things you have in store for them.

Amen.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.