Joy To Your World - Children's Advent DevotionalSample

Mary and Elizabeth were relatives. Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, served as a priest in the temple. It was Zechariah’s job to go into the temple and light the incense at the altar while all the rest of the people waited outside and prayed. One day, while he was going about that task, an angel appeared to him and his life was changed forever.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were old, and they had given up hope they would ever become parents. The angel Gabriel shocked Zechariah when he told him he was going to have a son and he should name him John. Gabriel said this son would bring them joy and be “great before the Lord” (Luke 1:13–15).

At first, Zechariah wouldn’t believe the angel because his words didn’t seem possible— but anything is possible for God. Because Zechariah had doubts, the angel said that he wouldn’t be able to speak anymore. Zechariah and Elizabeth did have a son. The first words Zechariah spoke, after many months, occurred after he wrote down his decision to name his son John. We know that baby best as “John the Baptist.”

The Christmas story is full of miracles, and a lot of people are like Zechariah. They don’t believe the story because it doesn’t seem possible. A lot of people miss knowing the real meaning of Christmas because they have doubts.

Are there parts of the Christmas story that don’t “seem possible” to you? It’s always a mistake to doubt what God has told us in the Bible. Just like everything the angel Gabriel said came true, everything God tells us in the Bible is true as well. All things are possible with God.

John the Baptist was born. Jesus was born soon after. The Christmas story is true and so is the rest of the Bible. Jesus came to the world that first Christmas, and He has promised that one day He will come back. If the angel Gabriel came to you today, would you believe him? The next time you read the Bible, remind yourself that every word is true. Be joyful today because we have a great God who can do the impossible!