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Speaker 1: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he

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Speaker 1: has visited and redeemed his people. Luke one sixty eight,

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Speaker 1: Dear Heavenly Father, as we prepare our hearts for the

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Speaker 1: celebration of the birth of your son, we are filled

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Speaker 1: with all and gratitude. We praise you for your divine

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Speaker 1: intervention and love so profound that you sent us a savior,

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Speaker 1: the greatest gift humanity has ever received. Let the miracle

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Speaker 1: of Christmas, the birth of Jesus, the fulfillment of your promise,

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Speaker 1: resonate deeply within us. Help us remember and appreciate Christmas's

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Speaker 1: true meaning. Amidst the festive cheer, the lights, and the carols,

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Speaker 1: we praise you for your faithfulness, love that never fails,

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Speaker 1: and the promise of redemption that was beautifully fulfilled on

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Speaker 1: that first Christmas night. Help us to live each day

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Speaker 1: in the light of this truth. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.

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Speaker 1: Will God always allow wickedness to prevail.

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Speaker 2: The captive people of Israel wondered where is the God

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Speaker 2: of Justice? They cried in despair and hurt. God's people

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Speaker 2: wondered if deliverance would ever come. The pain of sin

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Speaker 2: and oppression bit at their hearts. They needed deliverance from

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Speaker 2: the hopeless ashes of Israel. The God of all creation

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Speaker 2: made a promise through the prophet Malachi. He spoke a

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Speaker 2: song of hope. Behold, I will send my messenger to you,

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Speaker 2: he declared, he will prepare the way before me. He

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Speaker 2: will prepare the way of the Lord. Lord. He's coming.

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Speaker 2: The people's hearts ached for the promised deliverer. But before

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Speaker 2: he would come, a voice would cry out to heark

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Speaker 2: in his arrival, the voice of one crying in the wilderness.

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Speaker 2: Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the

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Speaker 2: desert a highway for our God. Before the Savior's arrival,

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Speaker 2: a voice would cry out, he would have the spirit

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Speaker 2: of the Lord. Like the prophet Elijah, he would be

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Speaker 2: the forerunner, the one to prepare the way. Hello.

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Speaker 3: I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible in

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Speaker 3: a Year Podcast. But before we began, I want to

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Speaker 3: let you know about a unique ebook that's yours to

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Speaker 3: download absolutely free today. Is called Breaking Free from Stress,

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Speaker 3: and my prayer is that it will help you conquer

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Speaker 3: the daily task and pressures and burdens that bring stress

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Speaker 3: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free

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Speaker 3: from Stress Today by visiting Jack Graham dot org slash stress.

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Speaker 3: That's Jack Graham dot org slash stress Today. We're continuing

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Speaker 3: the story of Mary. Elizabeth is in the throes of labor,

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Speaker 3: and Mary is about to glimpse her own future. The

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Speaker 3: baby born from Elizabeth and Zachariah is no ordinary child.

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Speaker 3: He's the forerunner for the Messiah, the voice that Malachi

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Speaker 3: and Isaiah prophesied the birth of John the Baptist. Hearkens

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Speaker 3: to the beginning of God's redemptive Gospel. Just as the

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Speaker 3: ministry of John paved the way for the ministry of Jesus,

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Speaker 3: the birth of John paved the way for the birth

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Speaker 3: of Jesus. Without these events, Mary would not have been

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Speaker 3: ready for the struggles ahead. Her time with Elizabeth and

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Speaker 3: Zechariah gave her the strength and courage to face her

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Speaker 3: future with fearlessness. This story is inspired by the Gospel

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Speaker 3: of Luke. These events with Mary, Elizabeabeth, and Zachariah represent

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Speaker 3: a fulcrum between the Old and the New Testaments. The

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Speaker 3: covenant of law, prophets, and the priests is about to

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Speaker 3: transition into the new Covenant of grace, Christ and the

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Speaker 3: Holy Spirit. Elizabeth is an older woman about to give

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Speaker 3: birth to Israel's last prophet. Beside her is Mary, the

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Speaker 3: young Virgin, carrying the promised Messiah. This moment represents the

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Speaker 3: passing of the torch Tewo. Corinthians, Chapter five, verse seventeen

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Speaker 3: tells us that the old has passed and the New

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Speaker 3: has come. This moment encapsulates that idea Elizabeth and Zechariah

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Speaker 3: won't be mentioned again. Their stories serve as a transition

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Speaker 3: from the old to the new. As she beholds all

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Speaker 3: these events, Mary will find the strength to carry out

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Speaker 3: her role in God's magnificent plan. So let's immerse ourselves

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Speaker 3: now in the story, and afterward we'll unpack Christmas trewths

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Speaker 3: to encourage our.

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Speaker 2: Souls under the mantle of the evening stars. Mary pushed

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Speaker 2: open the door to Elizabeth and Zachariah's home. The house

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Speaker 2: was a symphony of chaos in urgency, and at the

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Speaker 2: center was Elizabeth, crampled in the throes of labor.

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Speaker 3: Mary.

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Speaker 2: Elizabeth cried with a nervous smile.

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Speaker 1: It's time for this old woman to see what she's

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Speaker 1: made of. Come by my side.

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Speaker 2: Mary rushed to her side, her hands shaking as she

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Speaker 2: held onto Elizabeth's clammy fingers. The older woman's face was flushed,

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Speaker 2: her eyes brimming with a wild mixture of fear, anticipation,

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Speaker 2: and joy. Zachariah, rendered mute by the angel, paced outside

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Speaker 2: with worry edged across his weathered face. Mary glanced around

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Speaker 2: the room, her heart echoing the tumultuous atmosphere. The walls

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Speaker 2: seemed to pulsate with a life of their own, echoing

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Speaker 2: the rhythmic cries of the laboring woman. The room smelled

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Speaker 2: of sweat and fear. Yet beneath it there was a

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Speaker 2: faint but persistent aroma of hope.

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Speaker 1: You're doing wonderfully, Elizabeth.

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Speaker 2: Mary soothed, brushing the hair off Elizabeth's forehead. He's nearly here.

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Speaker 2: Elizabeth let out a primal cry, her body seized with

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Speaker 2: another contraction. There was a raw of vulnerability in her eyes.

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Speaker 2: It hurts, Elizabeth gasped, squeezing Mary's hand. I know, Mary murmured,

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Speaker 2: the heart aching with sympathy. She saw a glimpse into

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Speaker 2: her own future.

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Speaker 1: But it'll be worth it just a little longer.

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Speaker 2: Finally, the sun began its rise over the hills, painting

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Speaker 2: the sky with hues of orange and pink. Elizabeth gave

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Speaker 2: one last mighty push, and the room was filled with

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Speaker 2: a cry of a newborn. Mary felt a jolt of

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Speaker 2: joy surge as she saw him. As soon as Zachariah

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Speaker 2: heard his son's screams, he burst through the door to

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Speaker 2: cradle his son in his arms, a mixture of awe

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Speaker 2: and disbelief on his face as he beheld the miracle child,

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Speaker 2: a sense of divine realization seeped into the room. There

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Speaker 2: was a sweet stillness and purity to the moment. Mary

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Speaker 2: looked at the new born babe and remembered he was

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Speaker 2: no ordinary child. Mary approached and reached out a finger

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Speaker 2: to the child. He wrapped his tiny hand around her finger.

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Speaker 2: Mary's heart fluttered with hope. This child was going to

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Speaker 2: be the forerunner for hers, A voice crying out from

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Speaker 2: the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. Zachariah

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Speaker 2: held the boy up high, still unable to speak, and

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Speaker 2: mouth to prayer to the Lord. He kissed the son's

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Speaker 2: forehead and gave him to Elizabeth. She caressed his cheek

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Speaker 2: with the back of her hand, and saying a lullaby.

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Speaker 2: Mary's heart melted with affection. She watched Zachariah wrap his

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Speaker 2: arms around Elizabeth and couldn't help but think about Joseph.

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Speaker 2: She had often dreamed about them having children of their own.

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Speaker 2: She imagined him wrapping her in his arms as they

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Speaker 2: beheld their child. Would that even be possible now, she wondered,

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Speaker 2: will Joseph even accept me? Mary's heart ached out of

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Speaker 2: longing for a normal life. But God had other plans.

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Speaker 2: She prayed silently to the Lord again and rededicated herself

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Speaker 2: to his plans. Eight days passed and the newborn was

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Speaker 2: to be circumcised and given a name. According to tradition,

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Speaker 2: everyone gathered around for the occasion. The birth of this

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Speaker 2: child had become famous. They marveled at the baby, wondering

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Speaker 2: what the Lord had in store for him. He should

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Speaker 2: be named Zachariah, after his father, they all suggested, but

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Speaker 2: the Lord had other plans. Zachariah held his child tightly.

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Speaker 2: With a gentle yet resonating voice. Zachariah was finally able

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Speaker 2: to speak. His name is John. His voice rang out

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Speaker 2: clear and certain, slicing through the collective surprise. The air

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Speaker 2: seemed thickened with awe. Zachariah walked with his child and

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Speaker 2: held him up to the Lord. Small tears slowly streaked

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Speaker 2: down his craped cheeks. Beaming with fatherly pride and gratitude,

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Speaker 2: Zachariah spoke a prophecy, saying, Praise be to the Lord,

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Speaker 2: the God of Israel, for his eyes have not turned blind,

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Speaker 2: nor he his heart death to the plight of his people.

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Speaker 2: He has visited us not as a ghost in the night,

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Speaker 2: but as a redeemer cloaked in daylight. Zacharai began his voice,

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Speaker 2: echoing through the people from the lineage of his servant David.

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Speaker 2: He has kindled a beacon, a horne of salvation, as

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Speaker 2: his prophets those holy heralds of old once foretold. His

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Speaker 2: gaze moved across the faces gathered, their eyes, reflecting the

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Speaker 2: radiant hope kindled by his words. Salvation is upon us,

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Speaker 2: not just from our visible adversaries, but also from the

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Speaker 2: unseen enemies of hatred and malice that creep within the

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Speaker 2: hearts of men. His mercy on furls like the petals

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Speaker 2: of a sacred bloom, echoing the promise given to our forefathers,

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Speaker 2: reverberating the holy Covenant he etched in the sands of time.

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Speaker 2: Zacharai's voice took on a reflective timber. The oath he

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Speaker 2: made to our father Abraham has not been forgotten, for

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Speaker 2: his promises are not of the fleeting kind. He has

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Speaker 2: pledged to deliver us from the grasp of our foes,

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Speaker 2: to unshackle us from the chains of fear. In this

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Speaker 2: new found freedom, we are able to serve him our

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Speaker 2: lives as a testament of his grace, steeped in righteousness

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Speaker 2: and sanctity. A tender smile grazed his lips as he

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Speaker 2: gazed into the eyes of his son, And you, my son,

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Speaker 2: will be hailed as a prophet of the most high.

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Speaker 2: Your path is laid before the face of the Lord,

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Speaker 2: a trailblazer, and the divine narrative. Your voice will resonate

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Speaker 2: with the knowledge of salvation, a melody of redemption for

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Speaker 2: his people, a song of sins forgiven. His voice, filled

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Speaker 2: with fatherly pride, continued in the tender of our God.

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Speaker 2: A new day dawns. The morning light from the heavens

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Speaker 2: above will touch us, and a divine hand to heal

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Speaker 2: and guide us. It will shine upon those who dwell

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Speaker 2: in the shadows. A pondos ensnared by the fear of death,

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Speaker 2: a beacon to guide our steps into the path of peace.

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Speaker 2: As Zacharia's voice tapered off, a reverent silence filled the air,

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Speaker 2: Their hearts brimming with hope. They gazed at the baby

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Speaker 2: in Elizabeth's arms, the prophet of the Most High, the

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Speaker 2: voice that would echo in the wilderness, preparing for the

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Speaker 2: way of the Lord. They felt the stirrings of a

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Speaker 2: new dawn, a divine narrative unfolding, the whisper of prophecy

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Speaker 2: dancing in the wind, and they noon the long night

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Speaker 2: was ending, The day of redemption was at hand. As

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Speaker 2: days turned into weeks, Mary watched John grow his every

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Speaker 2: milestone a quiet prelude to her own impending motherhood. Yet

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Speaker 2: amidst the joy, her heart fluttered with a fresh wave

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Speaker 2: of uncertainty. How was she going to tell Joseph? The

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Speaker 2: law regarding adultery was clear about such matters, and the

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Speaker 2: consequences were harsh. How was she going to convince him

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Speaker 2: that she was not unfaithful? How would she convince her

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Speaker 2: own father? On the last night, Mary gazed up at

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Speaker 2: the twinkling tapestry of stars, her heart heavy with silent

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Speaker 2: prayers and unspoken fears. Tomorrow she would return to Nazareth. Tomorrow,

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Speaker 2: she would tell Joseph. Tomorrow her life would change forever.

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Speaker 2: But tonight she was just merry, cradling the promise of

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Speaker 2: salvation in her womb. As she closed her eyes, the

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Speaker 2: whispers of the night seemed to draw her into a

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Speaker 2: dance of destiny, promising a tale of faith, love, and

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Speaker 2: divine miracles. Yet with the promise came a shadow of uncertainty,

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Speaker 2: a mystery that would shape the destiny of humankind.

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Speaker 3: This account of the birth and naming of John the Betaptist,

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Speaker 3: intertwined with the Christmas narrative, is a tale of prophetic

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Speaker 3: fulfillment and new life brimming with potential. Upon the birth

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Speaker 3: and naming of his son, Zechariah is filled with the

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Speaker 3: Holy Spirit and offers a prophetic song now known as

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Speaker 3: the Benedictus. His prophecy reaffirms God's promises to Israel, and specifically,

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Speaker 3: if prophesies the role his son John will play him

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Speaker 3: this divine plan, stating, and you child will be called

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Speaker 3: the prophet of the Most High, for you will go

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Speaker 3: before the Lord to prepare his ways. This prophecy underscores

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Speaker 3: the role of John the Baptist, paving the way for

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Speaker 3: the Messiah the essence of the Christmas story. This story

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Speaker 3: provides one of those moments. When comparing Elijah to John

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Speaker 3: the Baptist, the similarities between John and the prophet Elijah

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Speaker 3: are striking and significant. Both were prophetic voices in their generations,

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Speaker 3: calling people back to godd Both led lives marked by

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Speaker 3: simplicity and separation from societal norms. John, like Elijah, was

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Speaker 3: a fearless preacher confronting the wrongs of his time. Jesus

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Speaker 3: affirmed this parallel when he said in Matthew chapter eleven,

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Speaker 3: for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John,

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Speaker 3: and if you are willing to accept it, he is

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Speaker 3: the Elijah who was to come. As we reflect on

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Speaker 3: the Christmas story, the figure of John akin to Elijah

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Speaker 3: is a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness in sending messengers

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Speaker 3: to prepare his people for his coming. The birth of

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Speaker 3: John the Baptist is a story of new life and potential.

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Speaker 3: Zechariah and Elizabeth, considered too old to have children, were

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Speaker 3: blessed with the son vital to God's salvethic plan. John's

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Speaker 3: life filled with great potential, reminds us that it's never

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Speaker 3: too late for new beginnings with God. The Christmas embodies

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Speaker 3: this message of new life and potential. With the birth

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Speaker 3: of Jesus, new life was given to all who believed

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Speaker 3: in him. This season invites us to see our lives that,

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Speaker 3: no matter are past or present circumstances, as brimming with

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Speaker 3: divine potential. As we reflect on this story, let's be

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Speaker 3: reminded of God's prophetic promises fulfilled in the Christmas story

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Speaker 3: and the beautiful themes of new life and potential. May

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Speaker 3: these reflections inspire us to prepare our hearts for the

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Speaker 3: coming of Christ and to embrace the potential God is

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Speaker 3: placed within each of us, not just during the Christmas season,

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Speaker 3: but all through our lives. Thank you for listening to

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Speaker 3: today's Bible in a Year podcast. Before we Go, I

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Speaker 3: want to let you know about a unique ebook that's

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Speaker 3: that bring stress into your life. Download your free copy

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