scripture
Luke 111 And he saw an angel of the Lord in his place on the right side of the altar. 12 And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear came on him.
13 But the angel said, Have no fear, Zacharias, for your prayer has come to the ears of God, and your wife Elisabeth will have a son, and his name will be John. 14 And you will be glad and have great delight; and numbers of people will have joy at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the eyes of the Lord; he will not take wine or strong drink; and he will be full of the Spirit of God from his birth. 16 And through him great numbers of the children of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, turning the hearts of fathers to their children, and wrongdoers to the way of righteousness; to make ready a people whose hearts have been turned to the Lord.
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin who was to be married to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary. 28 And the angel came in to her and said, Peace be with you, to whom special grace has been given; the Lord is with you. 29 But she was greatly troubled at his words, and said to herself, What may be the purpose of these words? 30 And the angel said to her, Have no fear, Mary, for you have God's approval. 31 And see, you will give birth to a son, and his name will be Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be named the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his father. 33 He will have rule over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
38 And Mary said: I am the servant of the Lord; may it be to me as you say.
observation
Good news Zacharias, your wife is finally pregnant and better yet your son is going to have the power of Elijah and his ministry is going to prepare the way for the Messiah.
Even better news for Mary in that she will give birth to the Son of God.
The moment that the prophets had proclaimed for so long has finally arrived. Was Zacharias ready? Do you think that Mary was? Is any parent ever completely ready for a newborn? All of a sudden there are two very important babies on the way and both families have been caught off guard.
application
Being ready is a requirement the next time that Jesus comes, there will be no excuses for not being prepared. Do not let him catch you off guard.
prayer
Thank you Lord for coming to be our Savior, I wish that we would all be ready for your return.
