by Every baby is a miracle, a gift from God. But some stories make it undeniable that God had His hand directly involved. Today, we’re looking at one of those stories, a reminder that the same God responsible for all the miracle births in Scripture is still at work in our lives today.
What’s in a Name?
His name was John, which means “God is gracious.” Every time someone called his name, they were reminded of the God they served. Every time they yelled at him (because let’s be honest, kids will be kids), they had to remember to be gracious too.
But this baby boy was a long time in coming, about 400 years, to be exact.
The final book of prophecy in the Hebrew Bible is Malachi, where God promises: “See, I’m going to send my messenger and he will clear the way before me” (Malachi 3:1). God said He would send someone to prepare the way, someone in the spirit of Elijah, before the great day of the Lord.
A Familiar Story
In Luke chapter 1, we meet a couple named Zechariah and Elizabeth. The description is striking, they’re essentially the new Abraham and Sarah. Both were righteous before God, but Elizabeth couldn’t conceive, and both were well along in years. Sound familiar?
Their names tell the story: Elizabeth means “God is my oath,” her faith firmly planted in God alone. Zechariah means “God remembers,” which becomes significant later when he sings about how God has remembered His people.
The Angel’s Announcement
While Zechariah was performing his priestly duty, burning incense at the altar, an angel appeared. “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you will name him John.”
The angel continued with details that should sound familiar if you’ve been paying attention to Scripture: joy and delight (like Isaac), he’ll never drink wine or beer (like Samson), he’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb, and he’ll come in the spirit and power of Elijah.
Luke is intentionally creating hyperlinks back to these stories. Are you familiar with what God has done? He’s doing it again. God is on the move.
A Question Too Far
Zechariah asked, “How can I know this? For I’m an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
The angel responded: “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. Now you will become silent and unable to speak until these things take place, because you did not believe my words.”
Gabriel, one of the archangels, had appeared to the prophet Daniel centuries before, explaining visions about Israel’s deliverance. This wasn’t just any messenger, and Zechariah should have known better.
Now here’s an interesting thought: Zechariah was a priest. His job required speaking, praying, leading worship, and interceding between people and God. If he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t work. Maybe he was sent home on leave. And one thing led to another with Elizabeth at home…
Faith of the Women
Fast forward. Mary, also visited by Gabriel about her own miraculous pregnancy, travels to visit her relative Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Notice something? This is yet another story where the faith of women is on full display while the doubt of men is amplified. Elizabeth’s baby would be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb, but Elizabeth herself was filled with the Spirit first. She was the first person in the New Testament described this way.
His Name Is John
When the time came for the baby’s birth and circumcision on the eighth day, everyone assumed he’d be named Zechariah after his father. But Elizabeth said, “No, he will be called John.”
They were shocked. That wasn’t how things were done! They motioned to Zechariah for his input. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote: “His name is John.”
Immediately, his mouth was opened, his tongue set free, and he began praising God. Fear came upon everyone in that region, and they asked, “What then will this child become? For indeed the Lord’s hand was with him.”
A Bridge Between Two Worlds
John would become more than anyone expected. He became the bridge between the Old and New Covenants, with one foot firmly rooted in the history of Old Testament prophets and one foot planted in the new kingdom of God.
He was the son of a priest who became a prophet, cutting off that priestly lineage and preparing the way for something entirely new. No more focus on temple sacrifices, God was acting in a whole new way through Jesus.
His Message
People came to John looking for something real, something they couldn’t find at the temple with all its commercialization and corruption. They asked, “What should we do?”
His answer? Give to those in need. Don’t cheat people. Don’t exploit others. Be content with what you have.
Sound familiar? It’s the same message Scrooge had to learn in A Christmas Carol, the same truths John proclaimed 2,000 years earlier.
Greater Than the Greatest
Jesus later said of John: “Truly I tell you, among those born of women, no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.”
John was the greatest prophet of his time, but he belonged to a different era. We get to be part of what John could only dream of, salvation through Christ and the hope of eternal life.
He Must Increase
John’s own words sum up his mission perfectly: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
As we enter this Christmas season, let this be our prayer. We serve the God who is gracious, the same God who worked miracles through Zechariah and Elizabeth, the same God still at work in our lives today.
He must increase, but I must decrease.
LISTEN TO OR WATCH THE FULL SERMON HERE
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Daniel N. Lee 
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