When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” Luke 1:5-17 NLT

The story of Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John is in itself a miracle and a crucial prelude to Jesus’s first coming. Zechariah and Elizabeth were old and had been childless. Their baby, to be named John, would later be known as John the Baptist. John’s greatest achievement came along the banks of the Jordan River where he baptized Jesus. Whereupon God proclaimed from the Heavens to Jesus, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).

Advent is a season of commemoration of Christ’s first coming and the anticipation of His second coming. Taken from the Latin adventus (coming, arrival, invasion), Advent proclaims the coming of Christ in two ways: it celebrates His long-awaited arrival as Messiah over 2,000 years ago, and it anticipates His imminent return as King of kings and Lord of lords. Christians often speak of Christ’s “first advent” and “second advent”; that is, His first and second comings to earth. His first advent was His birth in Bethlehem (the Incarnation) that we celebrate as Christmas. In 2025, Advent begins on November 30th and runs through Christmas Eve December 24th. This year we focus on supporting players in the Christmas story.