When the first Back to the Future movie ended, the words “To Be Continued” popped up on the screen. It was sort of a shock to me back then that a movie was created with the sequel already fully intended. Lord of the Rings was another movie series told in three parts. It felt like such a long time between movies – usually a year or more – but when the story resumed, it was magical.

The Gospels in our Bible are the resumption of the story of redemption which didn’t have a proper ending in the Hebrew Bible (The Old Testament).

Luke picks up very much like an Old Testament writer as he provides us with his thorough account of Christ. We’ll be reading Luke 1:5-25 in our study on Sunday – a section that is traditionally called “The gospel overture”.

What does the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth remind you of from the Old Testament? Why would that be an important connection for Luke to Make?

Read Malachi 3:1 and Malachi 4:5-6 and compare them to what the angel says about John the Baptist’s ministry. What do you think coming in the spirit and power of Elijah might mean? What might the average Israelite have been looking for in the fulfillment of Malachi 4? What can we learn about how God often keeps his promises?

The exchange between Zechariah and Gabriel is intentionally funny. I love how human Zechariah, and all the Bible’s characters for that matter, are.

Zechariah being struck mute served as a sign that Gabriel’s words would come to pass. What else would a sign like that be communicating?

V25 sounds the note which the whole of this Gospel will follow. How would you summarize what v25 is telling us about the nature and purpose of the Good News?

Hope you can join us on Sunday, either in person or online via Facebook or YouTube.

Click here for a pdf of the PowerPoint slideshow for this teaching.