Inspire: Luke & John - Flipbook - Page 8
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For he made this
promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her
own home.
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in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.
“And you, my little son,
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will be called the
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son.
because you will prepare
And when her neighbors and relatives
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heard that the Lord
had been very merciful to her,
everyone rejoiced with her.
When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision cere
mony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But Elizabeth said,
“No! His name is John!”
61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your famil y by that name.” 62 So
they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. 63 He mo
tioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.”
65 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened
spread throughout the Judean hills. 66 Everyone who heard about it reflected on
these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?”
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hand of the Lord
was surely upon him in a special way.
For the
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior
from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors
by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath
to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
the
way for the Lord.
You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.”
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John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until
he began his public ministry to Israel.
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The Birth of Jesus
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be
taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when
Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to reg
ister for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to
go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village
of Nazareth in Galil ee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was
now expecting a child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave
birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him
in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
2
The Shepherds and Angels
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks
of sheep.
9
Suddenly,
an angel of the Lord
appeared among them,
and the
"good
prophet of the Most High, I Bring you
radiance of the Lord’s glory
surrounded them.
They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I
bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The S avior—yes, the
Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And
news
that will
bring
great
to All
joy
people."
Luke 2:10
11
