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December 15 Lesson 3

ZECHARIAH PROPHESIES ABOUT HIS SON, JOHN

DEVOTIONAL READING: Luke 1:59-66 BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:57-80

LUKE 1:57, 58, 67-79

When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a 58 son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
57

His father !echariah was filled with the Holy "#irit and #ro#hesied$
7 8

Photo: Dorling Kindersle !" # $hinkstock

%&raise be to the Lord, the 'od of (srael, beca)se he has come to his #eo#le and redeemed them. * He has raised )# a horn of salvation for )s in the ho)se of his servant +avid

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-as he said thro)gh his holy #ro#hets of long ago., salvation from o)r enemies and from the hand of all who hate )s0 71 to show mercy to o)r ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 72 the oath he swore to o)r father 3braham$ 74 to resc)e )s from the hand of o)r enemies, and to enable )s to serve him witho)t fear 75 in holiness and righteo)sness before him all o)r days. 7 3nd yo), my child, will be called a #ro#het of the 5ost High6 for yo) will go on before the Lord to #re#are the way for him, 77 to give his #eo#le the 7nowledge of salvation thro)gh the forgiveness of their sins, 78 beca)se of the tender mercy of o)r 'od, by which the rising s)n will come to )s from heaven 7* to shine on those living in dar7ness and in the shadow of death, to g)ide o)r feet into the #ath of #eace.%
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7,

KE* VERSE
"You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins." L)7e /$7 , 77

LESSON AI+S
After participating in this lesson, each student will be able to: 1. Identify key themes of biblical promise in Zechariah's song. 2. elate the key themes to their fulfillment in !hrist. ". #rite a prayer of thanks to $od for the promises in Zechariah's prayer and for how their fulfillment has been a blessing to him or her.

LESSON OUTLINE
%ntroduction
A. %he &rediction 'usiness

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'. (esson 'ackground

%& Promise "ul'illed (LUKE 1:57, 58A. )ohn's 'irth *+. ,-. '. &eople's )oy *+. ,/. ! "e#oicing $hat %ever &ies

%%& Promises !e)''irmed .LUKE 1:67-79A. 0oly 1pirit 2mpowers *+. 3-. '. $od's &romises ecalled *++. 3/4-,. !. )ohn's ole 1tated *++. -34-5. $he 'ind of Light (e %eed

*onclusion
A. A )oyful 1ong '. &rayer !. %hought to emember

Introduction
A. The Prediction Business
0ow many predictions ha+e you heard this past week6 &robably 7uite a few. 829perts8 offer their confident forecasts of where the stock market is headed, what tomorrow's weather will be like, and which team will pre+ail in the big game. :f course, many predictions pro+e to be completely inaccurate. 0owe+er, that does not stop people from making them or us from listening to them. %he human desire to know the future seems insatiable. :f course, only $od knows the future. And only he can gi+e us the kind of future that is truly worthwhile. $od announced his plans for the future through prophets. $od's prophets were more than mere human e9perts who could use personal e9pertise to pro;ect a likely future. $od spoke through them to announce authoritati+ely what he would do to bring his will to reality. $od promised to bring about a future that would bless his people in ways that e9ceeded their hopes. In so doing $od in+ited his people to trust him, to look forward patiently in faith. Alongside the promised blessing came a warning: those who did not submit themsel+es to the $od who controls the future would be ;udged as his enemies. %hough we commonly think of prophets in terms of the :ld %estament, $od continued to speak through prophets in the <ew %estament. At the birth of )ohn the 'aptist, Zechariah *his father. spoke in a way that recalled the great prophets of the :ld %estament. In so doing, Zechariah prophesied that $od was beginning the long4awaited time of fulfillment. )ohn's birth signaled the start an important transition by $od.

B. Lesson Background

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%oday's te9t forms the clima9 to the prophecy of )ohn the 'aptist's birth. Zechariah, an elderly, childless priest, had recei+ed from $od's angel a pledge that he would become the father of a son who would announce the fulfillment of $od's promises. Zechariah responded with disbelief= as a cautionary sign of ;udgment, $od rendered him unable to speak for a time *(uke 1:,422.. Zechariah's ultimate reaction, like >ary's song *(uke 1:?34,,, lesson 2., is a poetic e9pression of praise to $od. 2mploying parallel e9pressions typical of biblical poetry, Zechariah's song echoes key themes of prophetic promise from Israel's 1criptures. As $od had fulfilled his surprising promise that Zechariah would become a father, so $od would fulfill his greatest promises for all.

I. Promise Fulfilled
.LUKE 1:57, 58-

>ary +isited 2li@abeth *wife of Zechariah. in the si9th month of 2li@abeth's pregnancy *(uke 1:23, "5., then departed for home after 8about three months8 *+. ,3, last week's lesson.. 1ince si9 plus three e7uals nine, we wonder if >ary stayed long enough to share the ;oy of the birth of the one who came to be known as )ohn the 'aptist. It seems likely that >ary did so, but the te9t doesn't say.

A. John's Birth (v. 57)

57. When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. (uke has already pointed out that elderly, childless 2li@abeth did indeed become pregnant as promised *(uke 1:2?.. <ow the birth is narrated, and again $od's promise pro+es faithful: the child born is a boy, as the angel had announced *+. 1"..

B. People's Joy (v. 5 )

58. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. %he birth of a child is always a cause for re;oicing, and )ohn's birth, coming so late in his parents' li+es, is especially so. %ime to celebrateA %he celebration is not only for the birth, but also for the merciful gift of $od that the child is. %he situation of Zechariah and 2li@abeth perhaps reminds those present of the situations of Abraham and 1arah, of Isaac and ebekah, and of the parents of 1amson. All had been childless, but to all $od miraculously ga+e sons who ad+anced $od's plan. %hose present can anticipate that $od again is about to do something great.

What Do You Think?

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+h)t ,)s )n occ)sion ,hen ')mil )nd 'riends re-oiced ,ith ou [Link] )n )ns,er to ) /r) er th)t ,)s ) long time in coming0 1o, c)n ou use such occ)sions to ,itness 'or *hrist0

Talking Points for Your Discussion

"or direction in li'e "or ) -ob "or he)ling 2ther

A REJOICING THAT NEVER DIES

0is oyal 0ighness, &rince #illiam of #ales, was born to &rincess Biana and &rince !harles on )une 21, 15/2. %he fact that the royal birth brought an heir into the family was cause for great re;oicing, of course. 2+entually, many 'ritish citi@ens re;oiced for another reason: Biana's popularity and public sympathy for her as a result of !harles's unfaithfulness to his marriage +ows made many hope that occupancy of the throne would bypass !harles and go directly to #illiam. 1uch is the fascination people still hold for those whose royal, titular power is largely symbolic in nature. #ith the birth of )ohn, a far more significant person than any earthly prince came into this world. %he name )ohn *(uke 1:3". means simply 8$od is gracious8Cno fancy royal titles hereA %he task for which he was born was more important than being king of any nation: )ohn was the one to 8prepare the way for the (ord8 *(uke ":?..

HO% TO SA* IT
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4enedictus Deuteronom 56ekiel %s))c %s)i)h Persi)ns !ebek)h

E!-zeek-!!-15 ") E!-zeek-7154 Eye-8194 E7!-zay-124 Per-821'64 R!2-bek-124

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Zechariah

Zek-uh-rye-uh.

The rejoicing of June 21, 1982, died down long ago. The rejoicing for the birth of John the Baptist never should! ur rejoicing !ultiplies when we reali"e that we are privileged to carr# on John$s tas% of announcing Jesus to the world.&'. (. B.

II. Promises Reaffirmed

(LUKE 1:67-79)

)n *u%e 1+,-.,, /not in toda#$s te0t1, John is circu!cised and na!ed. 2hile others e0pect the bo# to be na!ed after his father, 3li"abeth insists that he be na!ed John /vv. 49, ,-1, the na!e that the angel co!!anded be given /v. 151. 6echariah&still without the power of speech& affir!s in writing that the bo# be called John /v. ,51. 2ith that, 6echariah$s speech, lost for nine !onths, is restored /v. ,71. 8o all reali"e that 9od is indeed at wor% /vv. ,4, ,,1. 6echariah$s song of praise follows.

A. Holy Spirit Empowers (v. 67)

67. His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 6echariah$s abilit# to spea% has been !iraculousl# withheld as a sign that 9od$s pro!ise to hi! can be trusted. :ow the !an$s speech is not just restored, but is e!powered b# the Holy Spirit. This !a%es what 6echariah is about to sa# a prophec#, 9od$s !essage as inspired b# 9od$s 8pirit. Throughout *u%e and ;cts, the <ol# 8pirit is portra#ed as e!powering 9od$s people to spea% his word /see *u%e 1+71= 2+24.54= 7+17= 12+12= ;cts 2+7= 7+8, 51= ,+4= 11+28= 15+91. 6echariah$s song is t#pical of such e!power!ent= the song is also e0ceptional as 6echariah witnesses a crucial event in 9od$s plan unfold.

B. God's Promises Recalled (vv. 68 7!)

,8a. >?raise be to the *ord, the 9od of )srael, *i%e @ar#$s song in *u%e 1+7,.44, 6echariah$s song has a long histor# of use in 'hristian worship. )t is widel# %nown b# its first word in the *atin translation, >Benedictus,> which reflects the first two words of this verse, praise be. 3choes of this phrase in )sraelite worship stretch to centuries before 'hrist /see ?sal!s 71+15= A2+18= 1-,+781. )n affir!ing that 9od is to be praised, 6echariah calls on all people to bless and glorif# 9od. The 9od who is worth# of such universal praise is none other than the 9od of )srael, the one who pro!ised the )sraelites that he would use the! to bless all people /9enesis 12+1.5= )saiah 72+,1.

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What Do You Think?

What are some ways you have found for praising God for his goodness to you? Which seems most meaningful, and why?

Talking Points for Your Discussion

With words With music With actions Other

68b. "... because he has come to his people and redeemed them. ; crucial aspect of 9od$s pro!ise is the pledge to once again come to his people to lead the! out of bondage. 'enturies before, 9od had warned )srael that disobedience would !ean a return to the %ind of bondage e0perienced in 3g#pt /Beuterono!# 29+1,.281. )f the people refused to listen after he had liberated the! fro! slaver#, then he would return the! to do!ination b# pagans. That was indeed what 9od did, as he allowed ;ss#ria and Bab#lon to ta%e his people into captivit# in A22 and 48, B', respectivel#. )n %eeping with his pro!ise, 9od restored the people to their land when the ?ersians overtoo% the Bab#lonian 3!pire. But that restoration did not fulfill all that 9od had pro!ised= 9od$s people re!ained under the control of the pagan nations of first 9reece and then (o!e after the decline of ?ersia. 8o the faithful continue to e0pect a future that brings the fullness of 9od$s pro!ise to realit#. 2ith great jo#, 6echariah is now announcing that that ti!e has arrived! 2hat 6echariah and others have #et to learn is that 9od is redee!ing the! in a wa# greater than the# anticipate+ 9od is in the process of freeing his people fro! a bondage greater than that of political oppression. The freedo! he is granting is fro! 8atan and the evil that he inspires /*u%e 7+1.15= 11+2-.22= <ebrews 2+17= 1 John 5+81.

69. "He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant avid The horn is a s#!bol of power and strength /?sal! 18+21. 2hen a horned ani!al lifts its head, it asserts its power to those that threaten it. 6echariah is echoing te0ts such as 2 8a!uel 22+5 and ?sal! 152+1A. Cor 9od$s people, protection co!es not fro! their own horn, but fro! the one that 9od raises for the!. This signifies salvation. 2hile that ter! can !ean a rescue fro! !ortal ene!ies, the stor# of Jesus shows us that 9od$s salvation is greater than that of a political or !ilitar# rescue. The fact that this deliverance is associated with the house of his servant David recalls the pro!ise that 9od would enable Bavid$s descendant to build 9od$s house and establish a throne that would never end /1 'hronicles 1A+11.171. To this point, all Bavid$s %ingl# descendants have

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been disappoint!ents in that regard. But 9od continued to affir! this pro!ise through his prophets /see )saiah 9+,, A= Jere!iah 25+4= 3"e%iel 57+251. :ow, sa#s 6echariah, that pro!ise is co!ing to fulfill!ent. 2hen we re!e!ber that @ar#$s child belongs to Bavid$s house /*u%e 1+2A, 521, we reali"e through who! 9od will fulfill the pro!ise.

7!. "... "as he said throu#h his holy prophets of lon# a#o$% 2hat is happening as 6echariah spea%s is nothing less than the fulfill!ent of the ancient prophets$ !essage. Those prophets were holy because the# were called b# 9od. 9od$s words beca!e their words as 9od directed the! to spea%. The phrase of long ago translates a 9ree% phrase that is literall# >fro! the ages.> 9od$s plan is just that ancient, having been established before the world$s foundation /3phesians 1+71. The birth of John signals so!ething of ut!ost i!portance!

7&. "... salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us' This verse is stri%ingl# si!ilar to ?sal! 1-,+1-, which glorifies 9od for the people$s deliverance at the (ed 8ea. But for 6echariah and other faithful )sraelites, a great deal of their histor# is the stor# of do!ination b# pagan nations /see co!!ents on v. ,8b, above1. 6echariah and his fellow )sraelites have no difficult# identif#ing those ene!ies!

What Do You Think?

What is the difference in your reactions to your physical enemies and to your spiritual enemies as led by Satan? In which area do you need the most improvement?

Talking Points for Your Discussion

Reacting to physical enemies !atthew "#$%&'%( )u*e +#,-& $+. Reacting to spiritual enemies )u*e '#$&/,( 0phesians '#,+, ,-( +#/1&/-( 2ames '#-.

7(. "... to show mercy to our ancestors and to re!e!ber his hol# covenant, 9od had pro!ised that he would one da# do for )srael what he did in the e0odus+ bring the people bac% fro! e0ile to the land that he had pro!ised the!. 9od$s pro!ise eDuates to his holy covenant, the gracious agree!ent that he initiated as ruler of his people. The pro!ise is ancient, !ade to the ancestors of the nation. )t is as old as @oses, of so!e 17 centuries previous. That

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!an had warned that e0ile would be the conseDuence of disobedience, but he also pro!ised that 9od would not abandon the nation to e0ile /Beuterono!# 5-+1.4= co!pare ?sal! 1-,+74, 7,1.

7). "... the oath he swore to our father *braham: The supre!e pro!ise of 9od$s covenant is the pro!ise to bless all nations, the pro!ise that he !ade !ultiple ti!es to ;braha! /9enesis 12+1.5= 18+18= 22+14.181. )srael$s restoration will !ean that people of all nations can co!e to %now 9od and e0perience his blessing. 9od is deter!ined to fulfill his pro!ise to ta%e bac% his world, whether )srael is obedient or not. Through the <ol# 8pirit$s inspiration, 6echariah declares that the ti!e has co!e.

7+. "... to rescue us from the hand of our enemies% and to enable us to serve him without fear 9od sent @oses to deliver the ancient )sraelites fro! bondage in 3g#pt. :ow that deliverance is about to be repeated. But the wa# it will happen&through Jesus$ death and resurrection and the preaching of his na!e to all nations&will astonish even the faithful. ;s 6echariah spea%s, the )sraelites live in fear of their (o!an overlords= the greater fear that 9od will eli!inate, however, is the fear of death /<ebrews 2+141.

What Do You Think?

What was an occasion when God delivered you out of the hand of an enemy in a way you were not e3pecting? 4ow has that e3perience enhanced your witness and praise?

Talking Points for Your Discussion

Regarding a spiritual enemy Regarding a physical enemy Regarding a combination of the two

7,. "... in holiness and ri#hteousness before him all our days." The people who! 9od redee!s fro! bondage belong to hi!. <e purchases their freedo!, so the# are rightfull# his >treasured possession> /30odus 19+41, a clai! that 9od !ade on )srael after he brought the people out of 3g#pt. 8o the Ten 'o!!and!ents begin b# re!inding )srael, >) a! the *ord #our 9od, who brought #ou out of 3g#pt, out of the land of slaver#> /2-+21. Those who! 9od frees owe their lives in obedience to hi!. 2hen 9od restores his people, he enables the! to obe# as the# have not done before /Jere!iah 51+51.571. 2hen 9od fulfills his pro!ises, then his people are to de!onstrate

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holiness, being set apart as his people, as well as righteousness, being obedient to his right wa#. 2e are able to present ourselves in holiness and righteousness before him because Jesus enables us to do so /Titus 2+11.171.

". #o$%'s Role Stated (vv. 76 7&)

76. "*nd you% my child% will be called a prophet of the -ost Hi#h. for you will #o on before the /ord to prepare the way for him% 6echariah now e0ults in what 9od will do through John+ he is to be 9od$s spo%es!an, guided b# 9od$s 8pirit to spea% 9od$s !essage. 6echariah calls 9od the Most High to e!phasi"e that 9od$s authorit# is supre!e. John, when his ti!e arrives, can and will spea% for no one greater. The 9ospels e!phasi"e that John$s calling is to go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him /see @atthew 5+1.5= @ar% 1+1.5= *u%e 5+7.,= A+2A= John 1+251. That idea co!es fro! )saiah 7-+5 and @alachi 5+1, passages that spea% of preparing the wa# or road for 9od to visit his people and ta%e the! out of bondage. ;s the stor# line of the gospel develops, we learn that John the Baptist serves as the forerunner to Jesus in that regard. 2e understand the astonishing wa# that 9od fulfills his pro!ise to visit his people as Jesus is revealed to be 9od in hu!an flesh.

77. "... to #ive his people the 0nowled#e of salvation throu#h the for#iveness of their sins% ;s a product of his ti!e, 6echariah probabl# understands salvation to !ean that 9od is about to rescue )srael fro! (o!an oppression. ;gain, the rest of *u%e$s 9ospel de!onstrates that the salvation people !ost need is that of deliverance fro! the greater evil that oppresses. Cor this to happen, people need to turn to 9od and receive the cleansing forgiveness that he alone can give. This ver# thing is depicted in the baptis! that John will ad!inister >for the forgiveness of sins> /*u%e 5+51 in his role as the forerunner of Jesus /5+141.

78. "... because of the tender mercy of our 1od% by which the risin# sun will come to us from heaven 9od$s gift of salvation co!es to undeserving people. 2e are rebels against 9od. But 9od in his tender mercy gives us better than we deserve. 9od$s !erc# brings so!ething li%e the dawning of a new da#, to which the rising sun refers. The >nor!al> dawn occurs dail# in the eastern s%#, whereas the uniDue dawn in this verse co!es from heaven. That is, 9od hi!self brings this special %ind of dawn. The i!age of 9od$s future blessing as a dawn co!es fro! @alachi 7+2, 5, where the [Link] dawn !eans healing,

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joy, and victory. Early copies of Luke differ as to whether the exact meaning is that the dawn "has come" or "will come," but the point is clear either way: ohn!s birth heralds the arrival of the time for "od to fulfill his promise. #t is a miraculous new morning.

79. "... to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." Darkness is a common image for the state of those who are far from "od $ eremiah %&:'%( etc.). *ut "od promises to shine on those living in darkness, whether they be the pagan nations $#saiah +,:-) or #srael itself $,:%). .echariah extends that promise to the final boundary of death $compare /salm %&:+). *ecause we know the end of the story, we think of esus! resurrection from the dead and anticipate our own resurrection that it promises. .echariah closes his praise song with the image of "od!s guiding his people safely on a lighted path. 0hat path leads to peace, which means not just the absence of hostility but the presence of blessing and wholeness. 0his is the destination that "od promises by his mercy. 0his is the promise about to be fulfilled.

What Do You Think?

What will you do personally this week to shine Christ's light into the life of someone who lives in spiritual darkness?

Talking Points for Your Discussion

Personal testimony Deed of kindness Christlike lifestyle Other

THE KIND OF LIGHT WE NEED

/aul 1ellyer, a former 2anadian 3inister of 4efence, takes a dim view of humanity!s future in his book Light at the End of the Tunnel: A Survival Plan for the Human Species, published in %5'5. 1e asserts that the year %5%5 is the deadline for ending dependence on petroleum for energy. Exotic forms of energy already exist, he claims, but a "shadow government" controls their secret $which was learned from interplanetary visitors) for the benefit of a small number of people. 6ne of 1ellyer!s imperatives is that all people must find ways to work together for the common good. 7ell, 3r. 1ellyer, good luck on that one8 9nless ...

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Visual for Lesson 3. Point to this visual as you ask, "How did someone prepare your heart to receive esus? What did you learn from this e!perience?"
0wo millennia ago, .echariah announced the fact that light was coming. 1is son, ohn the *aptist, came on the scene as a witness to that light, esus 2hrist $ ohn ':-:,). ;rom that heavenly visitor, we discover, among other things, the availability of the power of the 1oly <pirit and the need for all of "od!s children to work together for the common good. 1ellyer!s book focuses on survival( in contrast, our =ew 0estament focuses on salvation. 4o we ever let a focus on the former distract us from the latter>?2. @. *.

Conclusion
A. A Joyful Song
<peechless for nine months, .echariah offered an impressive, memorable song in celebration of ohn!s birth. Layering phrase after phrase from the ancient prophets, he made clear to all that the time of fulfillment had arrived.

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7e are the beneficiaries of those promises and their fulfillment. 7e can know the promises and the gospel story that brings them to reality. 7e experience the salvation, mercy, knowledge, and light that "od gives in esus 2hrist. 6ur expression of joy and thanks ought to be at least as vivid as .echariah!s, if not more so.

B. Prayer
"reat "od, we thank you that by your mercy we have received the fulfillment of your eternal promises in esus. 3ay we live in full confidence of your abiding faithfulness. #n esus! name, amen.

C. Thought to Remember
Live in the light.

INVOLVEMENT LEARNING
Some of the activities belo are also found in the helpful student book, =#A *ible <tudent. "standardlesson"com to Don!t forget to do nload the free reproducible page from enhance #our lesson$

Into the Lesson

"ive three learners $preferably male) slips of paper with the following descriptions, one each. Bsk these three to stand before the group and read the characteriCations. Bs each finishes, ask, "7ho am #>" and wait for responses. '. # was the son of a '55:year:old man and his ,5:year:old wife, who was barren. 3y parents both laughed when hearing the idea that # was on the way, but "od and # got the "last laugh" when # was born. %. # was born to a mother who had been barren for many years. *ut my father prayed, and "od answered. 3y mother became pregnant ... with twins8 # was the younger one. &. # was born to an elderly couple who had no children. 3y father doubted the angel!s prediction and was struck speechless as a conseDuence. $Ans ers: '. #saac, whose name means "laughter"( %. acob( &. ohn the *aptist.) 9se the final "who am #" as a transition to the next segment.

Into the Word

@ecruit a learner to play the role of .echariah for an interview. 9se the following script. Q: .echariah, when the angel announced "od!s plan, you were skeptical. 7hy> A: 3y goodness, man, look at me8 # am old( my wife is old. 1ave a child> #t sounded preposterous.

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Q: *ut "od gave you a reason to believe> A: "od!s kindness in teaching me through my enforced silence was a blessing. ;or nine months # pondered the marvel of his plan. Q: =ormally the father does not know if the child is a girl or a boy, but ... A: $interrupting) # did not have to wonder. "od said a son, and a son he was8 Q: 1ow did your family and friends react> A: Bll of us were preparing for the day of his birth. Bnd my, what a celebration of praise8 Q: 6n the day he was circumcised, how did you surprise everyone> A: 0he family had assumed our son would be named after me, but # hastily scribbled on a tablet, "1is name is ohn8" Everyone was startled. 0hat!s when the Lord gave me the power to speak again, and # began to praise "od. 0alk about surprise8 Q: Eour song of praise is a beautiful one. 1ad you been planning it for months> A: 3ercy, no8 #t was not simply my song. #t was the song of "od!s <pirit. # was overwhelmed in a way # had never been before, and the words simply flowed out. Q: 0he way you began the song?do you see that as particularly important> A: #mportant> ;or hundreds of years we had no word from "od. 1e was silent. @edemption seemed to be nothing more than a hope. =ow that hope was a reality8 Bfter the interview, give each learner a copy of the script. /lace learners into study teams for comparing it with today!s lesson text to identify areas of accuracy and "poetic license."

Into Life
Bsk the class to join you in a time of directed prayer. Eou can repeat some of the following ideas from .echariah!s song to stimulate prayer thoughts: "od came F a redeemed people F salvation in our king F confirmation of "od!s promises F protected from our enemies F recipients of his mercy F serving "od in holiness and righteousness F with a purpose to proclaim. 2lose the prayer with thanks for .echariah!s faith and submission. Alternative: 4istribute copies of the activity " ohn the *aptist and #" from the reproducible page, which you can download. 0his exercise will challenge learners to think about their roles as forerunners of 2hrist today. %ption: 4istribute copies of the "4ivine #llumination" activity from the reproducible page( have learners complete it as indicated. Bsk volunteers to share results, but don!t put anyone on the spot.

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