Zechariah and Elizabeth

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

 ¹⁹ The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. ²⁰ And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”

 ²¹ Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. ²² When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

 ²³ When his time of service was completed, he returned home. ²⁴ After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. ²⁵ “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”  Luke 1:18-25

Zechariah asked, "How can I know for sure?"

Elizabeth, his wife, said, "The Lord has done this for me!"

Have you ever found yourself in a place where faith was hard to find?  An abiding belief that anything good would be yours for free, no strings attached?  Advent is for you.

Do you find yourself relieved from some mistake you made or some shame you carry?  The good news that starts here in the first chapter of Luke with people beyond childbearing years is for you!