Announcements, Miracles, and Song

Introduction (3 minutes)

The Hebrew Bible ends differently than our English Bibles, and it matters. [Show graphic comparing Hebrew Bible structure to English Bible]. The Hebrew Bible ends with 2 Chronicles and the expectation that the temple will be rebuilt. It's a cliffhanger—Israel is waiting for God's presence to return to his temple.

But after the last prophet, Malachi, there's silence. Four hundred years of silence. No prophets. No angels. No "thus says the Lord." Israel is waiting, hoping, praying—wondering if God has forgotten his promises.

And then... an angel appears.

Luke 1 is about God breaking the silence with announcements, miracles, and a song that changes everything. And as we'll see throughout this Gospel, Jesus himself becomes the new and greater temple—God's presence dwelling with his people in flesh and blood.

If you have your Bibles would you turn to Luke 1. If you are willing and able, would you stand with me as read portions of chapter 1. We will read vss 8-20; vss.26-38.

This is the word of the Lord. Let us pray. You may be seated.

I. Announcements: God Breaks the Silence (10 minutes)

You have TWO parallel announcements here—compare/contrast them:

A. The Announcement to Zechariah (vv. 5-25)

Setting: Temple, priest, barren couple (echoes of Abraham/Sarah, Hannah/Elkanah)

Message: John will be great, filled with Spirit, turn hearts back to God (v. 16-17)

Response: "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years" (v. 18)

Here's the key distinction: Zechariah's question isn't the problem—it's how he asks it. Look at verse 18: "How can I be sure?" He's demanding proof, asking for guarantees before he'll believe. This isn't holy curiosity; it's a demand for control. He wants to verify God's promise before trusting it.

B. The Announcement to Mary (vv. 26-38)

Setting: Home in Nazareth, virgin, nobody special

Message: Jesus will be great, Son of the Most High, eternal throne (v. 32-33)

Response: "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" (v. 34)

Notice Mary's question: She's not demanding proof—she's asking for clarification. "How will this be?" is the language of holy curiosity. She's trying to understand how God will do what he's promised, not whether he will. She's leaning into the mystery, not demanding control of it.

The difference:

(Mary): "I don't understand how this works, but help me see it. Explain it to me." → Trust with questions: Doubt

(Zechariah): "I need proof before I'll trust you. Convince me this is real." → Skepticism that demands control: Disbelief

Application: God isn't threatened by our questions. He's not offended by our doubts. What matters is how we hold them. Are we bringing our doubts to God with holy curiosity, asking "Help me understand"? Or are we holding them as barriers, demanding "Prove it to me first"? Faith doesn't mean having no questions—it means trusting God while we have questions.

Key Comparison: John is great before the Lord (v. 15), but Jesus IS the Lord (v. 32). John is the forerunner; Jesus is the fulfillment. John prepares the way; Jesus IS the Way.

Application hook: When God breaks into our lives with unexpected news, how do we respond—with Zechariah's doubt or Mary's trust?

II. Miracles: God Does the Impossible (8 minutes)

A. The Miracle of Life from Barrenness (vv. 5-25, 57-66)

Zechariah and Elizabeth: too old, beyond hope

God specializes in bringing life where there is none

John's birth signals: God is faithful to old promises

B. The Miracle of Life from a Virgin (vv. 26-38)

Mary: biologically impossible

"Nothing is impossible with God" (v. 37)

Jesus's birth signals: God is doing something entirely NEW

Bridge these two: Elizabeth represents the forerunner of old covenant promises (like Sarah, Hannah). Mary represents the inauguration of the new covenant. God is both keeping ancient promises AND doing something radically new.

Why does Zechariah get silenced?

Not as punishment for asking questions, but as a gift. Sometimes God silences us not to shame us, but to protect us from our own cynicism. Zechariah couldn't speak words of disbelief anymore. He had nine months of silence to watch God do the impossible—to watch Elizabeth's belly grow, to see the miracle unfold, to move from disbelief to wonder.

And notice what happens when his mouth is finally opened (vv. 67-79): he doesn't speak words of doubt anymore. He speaks prophecy. He speaks worship. He speaks faith. The silence transformed him.

Application: Sometimes our doubts need space to become wonder. Sometimes God invites us into silence—not to punish us, but to let the questions marinate, to watch him work, to move from "prove it" to "praise him."

What "barren" or "impossible" place in your life needs God to break in? The same God who gave Elizabeth a son and Mary the Messiah is still in the business of doing the impossible.

III. Song: Mary's Response (6 minutes)

Focus on the Magnificat (vv. 46-55) as the theological center of the chapter:

A. God Reverses Everything (vv. 51-53)

Scatters the proud, brings down rulers

Lifts up the humble, fills the hungry

THIS is the upside-down kingdom we're going to see throughout Luke

B. God Remembers His Promises (vv. 54-55)

Mercy to Abraham and his descendants forever

Connects back to "echoes" theme—God hasn't forgotten

Why a song? Mary doesn't just acknowledge God's work—she celebrates it. She sees what God is doing and her response is worship. This is the posture Luke invites us into.

Application: When we see God at work, do we respond with celebration? With worship? Or do we stay silent with disbelief?

Conclusion (3 minutes)

Bring it full circle:

In Luke 1, God breaks 400 years of silence with announcements that seem impossible, miracles that demonstrate nothing is too hard for him, and a song that declares the upside-down kingdom has begun.

And here's what I love: God meets both Zechariah and Mary in their questions. He doesn't shame Zechariah for doubting—he gives him space to move from disbelief to worship. He doesn't dismiss Mary's confusion—he explains the mystery to her.

The question for us isn't whether we'll have doubts. We will. Faith doesn't mean having all the answers. Faith means bringing our questions to God with holy curiosity rather than cynical demands.

So as we walk through Luke together, bring your doubts. Bring your questions. Bring your confusion about how God works. But bring them with curiosity, not cynicism. Ask "How will this be?" not "How can I be sure?" And watch as God transforms your doubt into worship, your questions into song, your silence into a prophetic witness.

Will we respond like Zechariah—starting with disbelief but ending in worship? Or like Mary—trusting from the beginning with holy curiosity? Either way, God meets us. Either way, the kingdom comes. Either way, nothing is impossible with God.