Luke 1:8-17 ~ "Anticipating the Unexpected" ~ Pastor Bill Slabaugh

Beholding His Glory ~ Pastor Bill Slabaugh

Someone has said that God is predictable in His unpredictability. This is a pattern that we see in the pages of the Gospel of Luke as he writes the account of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus. God shows up as it were in unexpected places. In Luke 1:8-17, the aged priest Zacharias was fulfilling his priestly duty of burning incense in the Holy Place of the Temple. The incense represented the prayers of the people ascending to God. Zacharias fully intended to burn the incense and leave the Holy Place where outside he and the other priests would pronounce the Aaronic Blessing and everyone would be on their way home. But suddenly, before he could leave the Holy Place, an angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias and told him that his petition to God had been heard. Unexpectedly, God answered his long standing prayer.