But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

Luke 1:5-7, 11-13

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

Today’s title is “The Son Is Given”

There are so many unknown mysteries about life. I believe there are two main reasons behind it. First, people blinded by sin consciously or unconsciously ignore the truth of life that God has shown to us. So they wander around from darkness to another darkness. Secondly, I believe there are things that God has hidden from us perhaps to keep us humble. That’s what Deuteronomy 29:29 says. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”. How should we live then? I believe Deuteronomy 29:29 already implies how we should live. Repent and turn away from your sin lest sin should blind you. Follow what has been revealed to you by God. Still for the hidden things, leave it to the Lord, trusting and persevering in Him. Life with faith is the best way of life for all men. It gives us salvation by the grace of God and joys and freedom that nothing of the world can give. But it doesn’t guarantee us worldly abundance or carefree life. In fact, many godly people live with huge lack in life. But do you despair for it? Not at all, if you have Christ. If you have the Son of God born of virgin Mary living in you, you have all the reasons to celebrate your life. I believe that is what the first Christmas miracle in Luke’s gospel tells us. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive. and they were both very old. Why were such godly and righteous couples not able to conceive? We don’t know. They must have not known either. But they still loved the Lord and trusted in the Lord. God promised them a son through the angelic announcement. Obviously, that was a great miracle. The godly couple rejoiced in the miracle. But was the son all they had prayed for? And they were all satisfied with the son? I don’t think so. Yes, they must have prayed for a son. But I believe they prayed more for “The Son” who is the messiah. So the truly good news for them is not so much as the birth of John but the birth of Jesus. We can see such a mindset in them when Elizabeth met Mary. Luke 1:42-43 says, “ In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” How about us? Why do we rejoice in Christmas? Why do we celebrate it? Is it because of "a" son or because of "the" Son? That will truly make a huge difference in our life.