TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY

Tonight (Wednesday,12/18, 7:00 p.m.), gather with your Calvary Chapel family in the Holy Grounds Cafe or on our website (www.calvaryinv.com), Facebook, and YouTube (Calvary Inverness) as we look at one of the most significant prophecies ever given, the birth of Jesus Christ and His forerunner, John the Baptist (Luke 1:1-80).

God had not spoken to Israel in four hundred years. Isaiah described this period as a time of “trouble, darkness, and gloom of anguish” (Isaiah 8:19). There was no hope for those alive. Rome had bludgeoned the entire world into submission. Their brutality didn’t end with conquering a nation. Instead, each day reminded those under the Caesars' control that they were utterly hopeless.

In Jerusalem, a couple resided, Zacharias and Elizabeth, who had spent most of their lives under the tyranny of Rome. To make matters worse, though they were both in their twilight, they had not been able to conceive and bear children.

Then, one day, when it was least expected, Zacharias was notified that it was his turn to burn incense in the Temple. This was something that a priest could live his entire life without having the opportunity.

While Zacharias was ministering in the Temple, a small, cramped, dark room was suddenly flooded with a brilliant light! Before his eyes could adjust, he heard the words of the angel Gabriel, who told him that despite his and his wife’s elderly age, she would conceive and bear a son.

Six months after Zacharias' encounter, Gabriel visited a small village to tell a young virgin girl that, through a miracle, she would conceive and bear a Son who would be the world's Savior.

Merry Christmas,

Pastor