Guess Who!
What do you think about when you hear this question, “Guess who’s coming to visit?”
Just a few days ago I got to ask my kids this question. Guess who’s coming to visit? They knew the answer, but I was asking the question to remind them of something they already knew. I wanted them to remember because I knew the answer to that question would excite them and encourage them.
The answer to the question I asked my kids, Guess who’s coming to visit?, was “Nana and Papaw!” Whenever we have family or friends in town to visit, it’s always fun and good and exciting for us! We love it!
And this is a time of year where we look forward to those who are coming to VISIT!
At least, most of us do!
If you’re a parent and you hear that question, Guess who’s coming to VISIT?, those words might excite you or they might worry you. They may even stress you out as you begin to think of all the housework you have to do in order to get ready for visitors.
BUT… if you’re a child, those words excite you!
Why? Because…
You better watch out! You better not cry! You better not pout I’m telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town!
Yes, as parents we use that question… “Guess who’s coming to visit?” to control our kids and make them behave!
Santa is coming to VISIT and he comes bearing gifts!
But the good news of Christmas goes beyond the joy of Santa and the fun grandparents bring. The Good News of Christmas is that someOne has come to visit us, to dwell among us, to become one of us. And His visit has changed the world forever.
A Visit from an Angel
Every year about this time we read and re-read the Christmas story of the birth of Christ. But many times we skip over this part found in Luke 1.
About 6 months before the angel Gabriel came to visit Mary, he came to visit a man by the name of Zechariah.
Zechariah was a priest and it was his turn to serve in the Temple in Jerusalem, something he had no doubt done many times before. But this time was different.
This time, as he was going about his duties in the Temple, an angel appeared to him. It was Gabriel. And Gabriel had good news for Zechariah. You see, Zechariah and his wife had been trying to have kids their whole lives and they had never been able to have children.
As far as they knew, Elizabeth was barren. And to be a woman in ancient times with no children was perhaps even more difficult then than it is today.
The angel Gabriel tells Zechariah, you and Elizabeth are going to have a son. You’re going to name him John. He will be great in the eyes of the Lord, He will be full of the Holy Spirit, and he will lead many people back to God! Even better, he is going to prepare the way for God’s Messiah.
Zechariah couldn’t believe it.
After all, he and Elizabeth are really old, way past their child bearing years! Zechariah expresses his doubts, and Gabriel can’t believe it!
Gabriel is simultaneously standing in the presence of the One True God and he is standing in the presence of Zechariah, yet Zechariah has the nerve to doubt what he’s hearing directly from an angel about what God will do.
By the way, don’t ever doubt what God can do.
Gabriel tells Zechariah, because of his doubt, he won’t be able to talk until his son is born.
For nine months, Elizabeth experiences something she’s never experienced before. The life of a child growing inside her womb.
For nine months, Zechariah can’t speak. He can’t sing. He can’t even hum. Not a sound comes from his mouth. Each day of silence a reminder of the message spoken by Gabriel from God.
His Name is John
Then the day came. Nine months after that initial visit from Gabriel, John was born. Eight days later they gathered with family and friends for the circumcision ceremony. That might sound strange to us, but it’s what they did.
Everyone thought that his his parents would name him Zechariah after his father, but Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”
They couldn’t believe it and they looked at Zechariah to see what he would say. He took out his iPad, or whatever tablet he had laying around, and wrote out… “His name is John.”
As soon as Zechariah wrote those words, his voice returned and he immediately began praising God.
And then, this happened. Luke writes this… and I’m going to just read a few of these verses…
Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has VISITED and redeemed his people.
He has sent us a mighty Savior
from the royal line of his servant David,
just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
“And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.”
Here’s what’s interesting, in verse 78, Zechariah says… Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us…
Here’s another way you could to translate those words, “break upon us,” — “the morning light from heaven is about to VISIT US…”
Guess Who’s Coming to Visit
Here’s the good news maybe you didn’t know about Christmas…
The Good News of Christmas is that someOne has come to VISIT us, to dwell among us, to become one of us. And His VISIT has changed the world forever.
The Good News is that Jesus didn’t just come for a VISIT, He came to stay.
A lot of times we talk about the Christmas story as the birth of Christ. The incarnation. We talk about the Gospel story as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
But the Christmas story really is the Gospel story and the Gospel story is more than we often say.
The full story goes something like this. From before time began, God had a plan to save the world. Before sin entered the story in the Garden of Eden, Jesus was preparing to make the trip from Heaven to Earth. What seemed like it started on Christmas night when the Son of God was born in a manger actually started before the dawn of the first day when God’s redeeming plan was birthed in His own heart because of His love for you and for me.
Because of that love, Christ who took on flesh and became one of us gave up his life sacrificially in love on a cross. But that cross wasn’t the end of the story, it was only the beginning. He was buried for three days. But that tomb couldn’t contain him. On the third day, He rose again. But there’s more. He ascended to Heaven, His disciples watched as He departed. And then, it happened… about 10 days after his ascension the Holy Spirit came in power.
What’s amazing yet mysterious, what’s incredible yet unexplainable, is that the same Christ who came to dwell among us has now come to dwell in our hearts.
Yes! This is the Gospel. The Good News.
Christ in us.
Christ has come to VISIT YOU.
Christ LIVES in YOU.
And because of this truth, this Gospel, we sing,
Glory to God in the Highest.
Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to VISIT US,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.
May we remember the LIGHT OF CHRIST from HEAVEN that has come to VISIT us!
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