Today we start Luke’s Gospel, part 1 of his two-part work of the Gospel and Acts. Look out for the key themes of salvation and Good News. Luke was a historian, notice how he often sets his account in the historical context (e.g. 1:5, 2:1-2, 3:1-2). After his introduction (1:1-4), he tells of the foretelling of John the Baptist’s (5-25), and Jesus’ (26-38) births. The angel Gabriel appears first to the experienced priest Zechariah and then to the teenager Mary, but look at the difference in how they respond. Zechariah: “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” (1:18, NLT) and then Mary: “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” (1:38, NLT). God has called us to serve him too. May we have a response of faith like Mary’s.
In Genesis 47 there is another contrast. The Egyptians come to Joseph for food, and eventually lose everything and become slaves (47:13-21). But, “Meanwhile, the people of Israel settled in the region of Goshen in Egypt
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