Highlight We don’t know much about the specifics of Joseph and Mary’s courtship, but based on what we know about the Jewish customs of the time we know that they were likely young. Mary was probably in her early teens and Joseph not much older. They would also have come from the same tribe, perhaps related in some way which would have been a normal practice. It’s possible they knew each other well, but their families would have made the match. In the Jewish custom an engagement was a covenantal arrangement between families. It would have begun with a contract presented by Joseph to Mary’s family and would normally last around a year before the marriage was officiated. During this time preparations for an elaborate wedding feast would have been underway and Mary’s family would be preparing her dowry. In other words, this engagement period was significant and public.  Read More

Welcome to Week 3 of the 2023 Christmas with Compassion Reading Plan. This reading plan is designed to partner with Compassion Christian Church’s sermon series of the same name, which you can find information about right here. In this plan, we will take the time to study a few of the Old Testament messianic prophecies, journey through the Christmas story found in the Gospels, and the spiritual description of Jesus’ birth found in Revelation.  Read More

Highlight And so it begins. What has only been whispered as secrets until now between Elizabeth and Mary is revealed in the lifting of Zachariah’s silence. John the Baptist's role in the coming of the Messiah was also prophesied hundreds of years before his birth. He is the “voice of one crying in the wilderness” described by the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 40. John would have been well known at the time of Luke’s writing, not because he was a relative of Jesus, but because he was making serious waves in Israel before Jesus was a household name. In fact many wondered if John was the Messiah, but he was quick to set the record straight (John 1:19-34). John knew his role from the beginning and he was faithful to it just as his parents had been. He was paving the way for one far greater than he would ever be.  Read More

Highlight What a refreshing time this must have been for both Elizabeth and Mary. Two women in very different seasons of life, and yet sharing the most life altering events of their lives together. Can you imagine what those three months must have been like? The conversations, shared fears, hopes, questions, prayers, encouragement. No doubt Mary is gearing up for what faces her at home. And Elizabeth must have welcomed Mary’s company during a time of isolation. What a gift God has given these two women to one another. What kindness He displayed in giving them someone to walk alongside. They don’t have to be alone.  Read More

Highlight It would be impossible to overestimate how transformative this encounter with the angel Gabriel is for Mary. Luke takes the time to point out yet again the fulfillment of prophecy here. Mary is from Nazareth, a place in Galilee which is the same region as Bethlehem where the Messiah is prophesied to be born (Micah 5:2). She is engaged to be married to Joseph, a descendant of David, whose royal line was to produce the Messiah. But Luke is also pointing out that Mary is an unlikely character. She’s an unknown, young girl from an inconsequential village, and no one is more surprised than Mary that God has chosen her for this monumental task.  Read More

Highlight This is the opening act of the gospels. We begin with a miraculous birth, but it’s not the one you’re expecting. Before there was Jesus, there was John. John the Baptist’s parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, receive high praise from Luke. He’s also giving a nod to the parallel of their story with that of Abraham and Sarah, who also suffered years of infertility. These were faithful people, ‘blameless’ even, that carried a heavy burden of grief.  Read More