Jesus came into this world in a way that was deemed as sinful; he wasn’t born into a perfect family or situation. Mary was looked down upon because society had placed a stigma on her for being with child before marriage.

I spend a lot of my time waiting lately. Waiting in doctors’ offices. Waiting for test results. Waiting to get treatments done. I have actually gotten very good at waiting. I have several games on my phone that I play while I am waiting hoping to make the time go faster. I have acquired the ability to talk to other people who are also waiting and learn their stories. If I take my iPad I can read or check Facebook. All of these things I do in order to distract myself and make the time pass more quickly. The longest I have had to wait was probably two hours. Imagine waiting over 700 years!

This scripture always hits me “right in the feels” when I read it. I remember getting pregnant with our second child very soon after the birth of our first. I had no idea how we would do it, I just knew that we were going to do it! We were just figuring out how to be parents, and now we had to try to do it with two of them! It was overwhelming to say the least

Whenever I read this passage, my first impulse is to ask why God had muted Zechariah, and what purpose it could have served. Was it strictly a punishment? A way to convince the other priests that he had really experienced God’s power? An opportunity to make him a better husband and give his pregnant wife a listening ear? We can’t know for sure.

When I read this scripture in Luke, it always reminds me that prayer truly is so powerful. I have a prayer journal that I write in. Every few months I go back and read old entries. It’s so interesting to see how God has answered many of my prayers in ways that I never would have anticipated (and sometimes in ways I don’t want, too).

Are you in a season of waiting? Many of us are right now. Waiting in shopping lines, waiting for the next holiday, waiting for a job change, the new year. Whatever it may be, you’re in anticipation. Zachariah and Elizabeth can relate to this feeling!

Jeremiah prophesied (or shared something that was happening in the future) about the coming of the Messiah. This prophecy was spoken some six hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ.

But, it’s important to know who this prophecy was given to and the history behind why it was given. The Babylonian army was surrounding the city of Jerusalem, the destruction of the city and its temple was imminent.

The dark days of December can be challenging. Over 14 hours a day is consumed with darkness. It’s no wonder that December – February are ranked highest for those being diagnosed with depression. Of course there is scientific evidence behind all of this and the vitamin deficiencies that come with the lack of sunlight. Science or not, most of us “feel” the impact of the dark days.

January is a time of new goals and fresh starts. And after the past two years we’ve had, we’re ready for a fresh start! Here’s a list of 5 books (and maye a few extras) that I think are essentials for your 2022 reading list.

Merry Christmas! Today’s scripture is taken from the Message Bible. I love the opening sentence, “The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.” Jesus literally moved into the neighborhood.