But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. Luke 1:13

“And why is this granted to me [Elizabeth] that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” Luke 1:43-45 ESV

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.” Luke 1:46-47 ESV

The first week in December we talked about waiting for Jesus. The second week we looked at some of the wonders of the birth of Jesus. This week we are going to talk about being a witness to the great things God does.

A witness is someone who sees or experiences something important happening and can tell others about it. Have you ever seen something really neat and couldn’t wait to tell someone about it? Then you were a witness, too!

The witnesses we are going to look at today are Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah, the parents of John the Baptist, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary and Elizabeth were cousins, and God did something great and wonderful for both of them!

Elizabeth and Zechariah had no children, and they were getting old. Zechariah was a priest in the Temple of the Lord when the angel came to speak to him in our first verse. Ask your parents to read what happened to Zechariah when he doubted that he would have a son. (Luke 1:20) He was not a witness until after his son, John, was born!

Our second verse is Elizabeth speaking to Mary who had come to visit her six months after the angel had spoken to Zechariah. Elizabeth’s baby leaped for joy when Mary greeted Elizabeth. And Elizabeth told Mary what had happened; she was a witness.

Our last verse is Mary praising the Lord and rejoicing because of God choosing her to be the mother of Jesus! Remember the verse from last week about the angel, Gabriel, visiting Mary and telling her she was favored by God and would be the mother of Jesus.

This week talk with your parents about some of the great things God has done for you or your family! Can you be a witness and share the greatness of God with others?

Blessings and joy as you are a witness to others!