Greater than the prophets, God’s mouthpieces,
Greater than the temple, God’s dwelling place,
Greater than the law, carved by God’s finger,
Greater than the covenants made with men,
Greater than the creation of the world,
Salvation exists
Existing always with God, and as God,
Like son and father, joined in holy love.
He became flesh, though many could not see.
In him did shine salvation’s light for all,
which pierces through the darkness of the world.
During the reign of Herod the Great there was a childless couple, the priest, Zechariah, and his wife Elizabeth, both descendants of Aaron, who were deeply committed to following God’s teachings. The time came for Zechariah to enter the temple and burn incense before God. With everyone else praying outside an angel suddenly appeared in front of Zechariah. He was terrified, so the angel said, “Don’t be afraid. God knows the desire of your heart and has heard your prayers. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son and you are to name him John. He will bring you great joy, indeed, many will celebrate his birth because he will do great things for God. He is never to drink alcohol and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit of God before he is even born. He will be, as Malachi prophesied, like Elijah and turn people’s hearts back towards God, preparing them for the coming of the Lord.”
Zechariah replied, “But my wife and I are so old. How can I be sure this is true?”
The angel said, “I am Gabriel. I stand in God’s presence and have been sent to tell you this good news. From this moment until John’s birth you will be unable to speak because you did not believe my words.”
Zechariah had been in the temple so long that those who had been waiting outside worried for his safety. When he emerged, unable to speak, they realized he had seen a vision from God. Soon after he finished his duties at the temple and returned to his home, Elizabeth became pregnant. When she realized this, she said, “God has blessed me and taken away my disgrace.”
Elizabeth had a relative, Mary, who lived in the town of Nazareth in the region of Galilee and was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph, both of whom were descendants of David. Six months after Elizabeth became pregnant, Gabriel went to Mary and said, “Greetings Mary. Don’t be afraid, for God is with you and, out of all women throughout history, has bestowed great honor upon you, for you will be the mother of the greatest miracle in the history of creation. As was promised to Eve, you will give birth to the savior of humanity, a son who you will name Jesus. And though you will supply his humanity from your body, his spiritual essence will be from God alone. He will be the child of prophecy and the fulfillment of covenants that God had made since the dawn of humanity. As promised to your ancestor, David, and spoken of by Daniel, he will sit on the throne and rule over the people of God forever.”
“How can this be?” Mary asked, “I am not yet married to my fiance Joseph.”
“Though Joseph will adopt Jesus and raise him as his son, this child will have no human father. The Holy Spirit of God will create this miracle within you so that Jesus can truly be called the son of God. No promise of God ever fails. Look to your kinswoman, Elizabeth, who has become pregnant in spite of her old age.”
Mary replied, “I am God’s servant. Let it happen as you have said.”
Soon after this, Mary went to visit Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary enter, the baby leapt inside her and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, saying, “You have been blessed more than any other woman because of the blessed child you are carrying. But who am I that the mother of my savior should visit me? Even the baby I am carrying leapt for joy when I heard the sound of your voice.” Upon hearing Elizabeth speak these words to her, a song arose from Mary’s heart in response:
My spirit rejoices because God, my Savior,
has honored me in spite of my humble state.
Every generation will call me blessed.
My holy God has done great things for me.
God is merciful to those who follow him, in every generation.
God has performed great miracles throughout history.
God has scattered the proud, even kings, but has lifted up the humble.
God has filled those who hunger with goodness, but sent the rich away empty.
God has shown mercy to the descendants of Abraham forever,
Fulfilling every promise made to our ancestors.
A few months after this, Elizabeth gave birth and everyone shared in her joy. Their family said that he should be named after his father, but Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John.”
They replied, “No one in your family has that name.” So they asked Zechariah to write down what he wanted the baby to be named.
He wrote, “His name is John,” and immediately was able to speak again, singing out:
Praise be to the God of Israel, who has come to redeem us,
By bringing us a savior from the house of David,
As was foretold through the prophets long ago,
Who will save us from the enemy who hate us,
Who mercifully fulfills the covenant made to our ancestor, Abraham,
So that we are able to serve and worship without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before God all our days.
And you, my son, will be called a prophet of God Almighty,
For you will go on before our savior and king to prepare the way for him,
to give the people the knowledge of salvation,
which comes through the forgiveness of their sins,
From rising sun which come to us from heaven
and shines on those living in darkness
to guide our feet onto the path of peace.
As he praised God everyone was amazed and word of this soon spread through the land. Everyone who heard the story wondered, “Who is this boy going to grow up to be?”
It wasn’t long before Joseph, and indeed everyone in town who saw her, learned that Mary was pregnant. Because they were not married, Joseph planned to end their engagement, for this is what he believed the law of Moses required. However, he wished to do this quietly so Mary would not be further disgraced in their small town.
But that night an angel appeared to him in a dream and said, “Do not be afraid to make Mary your wife. She has not sinned, indeed, her pregnancy is a miracle from the Holy Spirit of God. She will give birth to a son and you are to name him Jesus because he will save people from their sins. It will be as the prophet Isaiah said, ‘a virgin will give birth to a son.’ Through him the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel will be fulfilled, that through their line the whole world would be blessed.” Then Joseph awoke from his dream committed to obeying the commands spoken to him by Gabriel.
In those days, Augustus Caesar, required that everyone he ruled return to their ancestral town to be counted for the imperial records. So Joseph travelled with Mary from Nazareth to stay with his relatives in Bethlehem, the birthplace of David, in Judea.
While they were there the time came for Jesus to be born. Mary wrapped him in a cloth and nestled him in a hay trough because no guest room was available to them.
That night, in a field outside of Bethlehem, shepherds, who were watching over their flocks were visited by an angel, whose radiant appearance terrified them. The angel said, “Don’t be scared. I have amazing news that will bring great joy to all who receive it. Today, in Bethlehem, your savior has been born. You will find him wrapped in a cloth and sleeping in a hay trough.”
Then suddenly there appeared the great angelic choir who immediately sang out, “Glory to God who rules over heaven and earth. Peace to those who have been blessed by Yahweh.”
When the angels left, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what God had done for ourselves.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby just as the angel had told them. After they left they told everyone who would listen what they had seen and everyone who heard the story was amazed.
Days passed, and the time soon came for Jesus to be dedicated to God at the temple, as was required of all firstborns in the law of Moses. There was an old man, filled with the Holy Spirit of God, named Simeon, who longed for Israel to be rescued. He had received word from God that he would not die until he saw the savior of humanity. When he saw Mary and Joseph approaching with Jesus he took the baby in his arms and said, “My God, you have kept your promise and now I can die in peace. For I have seen the savior you have sent to all nations, not just the Jews, but the gentiles as well.” Then he said to Mary, “This child is destined to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel. They will resist him, and in so doing reveal their true hearts. And a sword will pierce your soul too.”
There was also a prophet named Anna there. She was very old and had been a widow most of her life. She never left the temple, but spent all her days praying. She approached the family, praising God and speaking to anyone who would listen about how the child would be the redemption of Israel.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a star appeared in the sky and was seen by the magi in the east. With the prophecies of Daniel having been passed down through their order over the centuries, they travelled to Jerusalem and started telling people, “While we were searching the night sky we saw a new star suddenly appear which we believe signals the birth of the king of the Jews. Where is he? We want to go and worship him.” This news was upsetting to King Herod, and indeed everyone in Jerusalem who heard it, so he gathered all of his advisors and they poured over the Tanakh until they found the prophecy that stated that he would be born in Bethlehem.
Herod then spoke with the magi and learned the star had appeared almost two years ago. He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “When you find the child, come and tell me so that I can worship him too.”
They set out, still following the star, which led them directly to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. They bowed down and worshipped the child and gave him kingly gifts of gold, incense, and perfume. That night, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so they returned to their homeland by a different route away from the watchful eyes of the king’s men.
After the magi left, an angel again appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Take Mary and Jesus to Egypt until I tell you it is safe to return. Herod is planning to kill him.” Joseph got up and woke Mary and that night they fled to Egypt, fulfilling the words of the prophet.
When Herod realized what the magi had done, he was furious and gave the order to kill all boys in the vicinity of Bethlehem two years old or younger. Then the prophecy of Jeremiah, though true in the age it was spoken became true once more. “Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted because they are no more.”
When Herod the Great died, his kingdom was divided among his sons Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas, Phillip, as well as his sister Salome. After Herod’s death, an angel again appeared to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Return to Israel with Mary and Jesus. Those who wanted to kill him are dead.” When they returned and learned Herod’s son was now ruling in Judea they feared for their safety and settled in Nazareth, fulfilling the words of Isaiah. “God will honor Galilee most among all the land.”
Every year after this, the family would travel to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. In Jesus’ 12th year, Joseph’s family along with many other pilgrims were returning home, but didn’t realize that Jesus was not with them, assuming he was with someone else in the caravan. A day passed and when no one knew where he was, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days, they found him at the temple, sitting with the teachers, asking them questions and listening to them. They were all amazed at his ability to understand their teachings at his age.
Mary asked, “Why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried sick. We’ve been looking for you for days.”
Jesus replied, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know that I would be in my father’s house?” Though Jesus’ identity was spoken to them by Gabriel, at that moment they did not understand what his words meant.
In the years that followed, Augustus Caesar died and was succeeded by his stepson, Tiberius Caesar. The tales of Jesus’ life in this time are not recounted here, but as he grew his family grew with him. Mary and Joseph had children together: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, who, as they grew up alongside Jesus, could see that he was somehow different from them. Jesus learned carpentry like his father and grew in wisdom every day.
Greater than the temple, God’s dwelling place,
Greater than the law, carved by God’s finger,
Greater than the covenants made with men,
Greater than the creation of the world,
Salvation exists
Existing always with God, and as God,
Like son and father, joined in holy love.
He became flesh, though many could not see.
In him did shine salvation’s light for all,
which pierces through the darkness of the world.
During the reign of Herod the Great there was a childless couple, the priest, Zechariah, and his wife Elizabeth, both descendants of Aaron, who were deeply committed to following God’s teachings. The time came for Zechariah to enter the temple and burn incense before God. With everyone else praying outside an angel suddenly appeared in front of Zechariah. He was terrified, so the angel said, “Don’t be afraid. God knows the desire of your heart and has heard your prayers. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son and you are to name him John. He will bring you great joy, indeed, many will celebrate his birth because he will do great things for God. He is never to drink alcohol and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit of God before he is even born. He will be, as Malachi prophesied, like Elijah and turn people’s hearts back towards God, preparing them for the coming of the Lord.”
Zechariah replied, “But my wife and I are so old. How can I be sure this is true?”
The angel said, “I am Gabriel. I stand in God’s presence and have been sent to tell you this good news. From this moment until John’s birth you will be unable to speak because you did not believe my words.”
Zechariah had been in the temple so long that those who had been waiting outside worried for his safety. When he emerged, unable to speak, they realized he had seen a vision from God. Soon after he finished his duties at the temple and returned to his home, Elizabeth became pregnant. When she realized this, she said, “God has blessed me and taken away my disgrace.”
Elizabeth had a relative, Mary, who lived in the town of Nazareth in the region of Galilee and was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph, both of whom were descendants of David. Six months after Elizabeth became pregnant, Gabriel went to Mary and said, “Greetings Mary. Don’t be afraid, for God is with you and, out of all women throughout history, has bestowed great honor upon you, for you will be the mother of the greatest miracle in the history of creation. As was promised to Eve, you will give birth to the savior of humanity, a son who you will name Jesus. And though you will supply his humanity from your body, his spiritual essence will be from God alone. He will be the child of prophecy and the fulfillment of covenants that God had made since the dawn of humanity. As promised to your ancestor, David, and spoken of by Daniel, he will sit on the throne and rule over the people of God forever.”
“How can this be?” Mary asked, “I am not yet married to my fiance Joseph.”
“Though Joseph will adopt Jesus and raise him as his son, this child will have no human father. The Holy Spirit of God will create this miracle within you so that Jesus can truly be called the son of God. No promise of God ever fails. Look to your kinswoman, Elizabeth, who has become pregnant in spite of her old age.”
Mary replied, “I am God’s servant. Let it happen as you have said.”
Soon after this, Mary went to visit Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary enter, the baby leapt inside her and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, saying, “You have been blessed more than any other woman because of the blessed child you are carrying. But who am I that the mother of my savior should visit me? Even the baby I am carrying leapt for joy when I heard the sound of your voice.” Upon hearing Elizabeth speak these words to her, a song arose from Mary’s heart in response:
My spirit rejoices because God, my Savior,
has honored me in spite of my humble state.
Every generation will call me blessed.
My holy God has done great things for me.
God is merciful to those who follow him, in every generation.
God has performed great miracles throughout history.
God has scattered the proud, even kings, but has lifted up the humble.
God has filled those who hunger with goodness, but sent the rich away empty.
God has shown mercy to the descendants of Abraham forever,
Fulfilling every promise made to our ancestors.
A few months after this, Elizabeth gave birth and everyone shared in her joy. Their family said that he should be named after his father, but Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John.”
They replied, “No one in your family has that name.” So they asked Zechariah to write down what he wanted the baby to be named.
He wrote, “His name is John,” and immediately was able to speak again, singing out:
Praise be to the God of Israel, who has come to redeem us,
By bringing us a savior from the house of David,
As was foretold through the prophets long ago,
Who will save us from the enemy who hate us,
Who mercifully fulfills the covenant made to our ancestor, Abraham,
So that we are able to serve and worship without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before God all our days.
And you, my son, will be called a prophet of God Almighty,
For you will go on before our savior and king to prepare the way for him,
to give the people the knowledge of salvation,
which comes through the forgiveness of their sins,
From rising sun which come to us from heaven
and shines on those living in darkness
to guide our feet onto the path of peace.
As he praised God everyone was amazed and word of this soon spread through the land. Everyone who heard the story wondered, “Who is this boy going to grow up to be?”
It wasn’t long before Joseph, and indeed everyone in town who saw her, learned that Mary was pregnant. Because they were not married, Joseph planned to end their engagement, for this is what he believed the law of Moses required. However, he wished to do this quietly so Mary would not be further disgraced in their small town.
But that night an angel appeared to him in a dream and said, “Do not be afraid to make Mary your wife. She has not sinned, indeed, her pregnancy is a miracle from the Holy Spirit of God. She will give birth to a son and you are to name him Jesus because he will save people from their sins. It will be as the prophet Isaiah said, ‘a virgin will give birth to a son.’ Through him the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel will be fulfilled, that through their line the whole world would be blessed.” Then Joseph awoke from his dream committed to obeying the commands spoken to him by Gabriel.
In those days, Augustus Caesar, required that everyone he ruled return to their ancestral town to be counted for the imperial records. So Joseph travelled with Mary from Nazareth to stay with his relatives in Bethlehem, the birthplace of David, in Judea.
While they were there the time came for Jesus to be born. Mary wrapped him in a cloth and nestled him in a hay trough because no guest room was available to them.
That night, in a field outside of Bethlehem, shepherds, who were watching over their flocks were visited by an angel, whose radiant appearance terrified them. The angel said, “Don’t be scared. I have amazing news that will bring great joy to all who receive it. Today, in Bethlehem, your savior has been born. You will find him wrapped in a cloth and sleeping in a hay trough.”
Then suddenly there appeared the great angelic choir who immediately sang out, “Glory to God who rules over heaven and earth. Peace to those who have been blessed by Yahweh.”
When the angels left, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what God had done for ourselves.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby just as the angel had told them. After they left they told everyone who would listen what they had seen and everyone who heard the story was amazed.
Days passed, and the time soon came for Jesus to be dedicated to God at the temple, as was required of all firstborns in the law of Moses. There was an old man, filled with the Holy Spirit of God, named Simeon, who longed for Israel to be rescued. He had received word from God that he would not die until he saw the savior of humanity. When he saw Mary and Joseph approaching with Jesus he took the baby in his arms and said, “My God, you have kept your promise and now I can die in peace. For I have seen the savior you have sent to all nations, not just the Jews, but the gentiles as well.” Then he said to Mary, “This child is destined to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel. They will resist him, and in so doing reveal their true hearts. And a sword will pierce your soul too.”
There was also a prophet named Anna there. She was very old and had been a widow most of her life. She never left the temple, but spent all her days praying. She approached the family, praising God and speaking to anyone who would listen about how the child would be the redemption of Israel.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a star appeared in the sky and was seen by the magi in the east. With the prophecies of Daniel having been passed down through their order over the centuries, they travelled to Jerusalem and started telling people, “While we were searching the night sky we saw a new star suddenly appear which we believe signals the birth of the king of the Jews. Where is he? We want to go and worship him.” This news was upsetting to King Herod, and indeed everyone in Jerusalem who heard it, so he gathered all of his advisors and they poured over the Tanakh until they found the prophecy that stated that he would be born in Bethlehem.
Herod then spoke with the magi and learned the star had appeared almost two years ago. He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “When you find the child, come and tell me so that I can worship him too.”
They set out, still following the star, which led them directly to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. They bowed down and worshipped the child and gave him kingly gifts of gold, incense, and perfume. That night, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so they returned to their homeland by a different route away from the watchful eyes of the king’s men.
After the magi left, an angel again appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Take Mary and Jesus to Egypt until I tell you it is safe to return. Herod is planning to kill him.” Joseph got up and woke Mary and that night they fled to Egypt, fulfilling the words of the prophet.
When Herod realized what the magi had done, he was furious and gave the order to kill all boys in the vicinity of Bethlehem two years old or younger. Then the prophecy of Jeremiah, though true in the age it was spoken became true once more. “Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted because they are no more.”
When Herod the Great died, his kingdom was divided among his sons Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas, Phillip, as well as his sister Salome. After Herod’s death, an angel again appeared to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Return to Israel with Mary and Jesus. Those who wanted to kill him are dead.” When they returned and learned Herod’s son was now ruling in Judea they feared for their safety and settled in Nazareth, fulfilling the words of Isaiah. “God will honor Galilee most among all the land.”
Every year after this, the family would travel to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. In Jesus’ 12th year, Joseph’s family along with many other pilgrims were returning home, but didn’t realize that Jesus was not with them, assuming he was with someone else in the caravan. A day passed and when no one knew where he was, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days, they found him at the temple, sitting with the teachers, asking them questions and listening to them. They were all amazed at his ability to understand their teachings at his age.
Mary asked, “Why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried sick. We’ve been looking for you for days.”
Jesus replied, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know that I would be in my father’s house?” Though Jesus’ identity was spoken to them by Gabriel, at that moment they did not understand what his words meant.
In the years that followed, Augustus Caesar died and was succeeded by his stepson, Tiberius Caesar. The tales of Jesus’ life in this time are not recounted here, but as he grew his family grew with him. Mary and Joseph had children together: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, who, as they grew up alongside Jesus, could see that he was somehow different from them. Jesus learned carpentry like his father and grew in wisdom every day.
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