Study Desk

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor.

The angel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God.

God can do anything!"

She cried out in a loud voice, "God has blessed you more than any other woman, and he has blessed the baby to which you will give birth.

my heart rejoices in God my Savior,

God will show his mercy forever and ever to those who worship and serve him.

Immediately Zechariah could talk again, and he began praising God.

"Let us praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to help his people and has given them freedom.

God promised Abraham, our father,

being holy and good before God as long as we live.

"Now you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God. You will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

With the loving mercy of our God, a new day from heaven will dawn upon us.

Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel, praising God and saying:

"Give glory to God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace among the people who please God."

Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything they had seen and heard. It had been just as the angel had told them.

In Jerusalem lived a man named Simeon who was a good man and godly. He was waiting for the time when God would take away Israel's sorrow, and the Holy Spirit was in him.

Simeon took the baby in his arms and thanked God:

Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, "God has chosen this child to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel. He will be a sign from God that many people will not accept

Then her husband died, and she was a widow for eighty-four years. Anna never left the Temple but worshiped God, going without food and praying day and night.

Standing there at that time, she thanked God and spoke about Jesus to all who were waiting for God to free Jerusalem.