Life can easily overwhelm us. Sometimes it seems like things are going just fine, and then we are hit with wave after wave of loss, disappointment, and pain. We’re constantly reminded that we live in a broken world and that we need a Savior.
But our God is bigger than all the brokenness we experience. He has a grand plan of redemption, a plan He began at creation and that He continues to work out today. God displays His power and sovereignty in the ways He works out His plan of redemption for the world and in each of our lives. And, while we can’t always see it, we often have the privilege of seeing how He is working.
In the midst of God’s overarching, all-important plan to bring redemption into the world, He graciously brought redemption to one woman. Elizabeth had experienced great honor as the wife of a priest and being considered righteous in the sight of God. But she also experienced great pain because of her brokenness. Yet, out of all the women in Israel, God chose her. He saw her pain, her longing, and her broken heart. He not only allowed Elizabeth to be part of His universal redemptive plan, but He also redeemed her situation.
Besides the miracle of having a son of her own, Elizabeth experienced another wonder. She was the first person to confess Jesus as the Messiah. Elizabeth not only witnessed God’s incredible power in her own life but she also saw firsthand the coming of the promised Messiah.
At the beginning of the Gospel of Luke, we learn that John was a forerunner to Christ. John was the prophet God promised to send to His people to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Messiah. John was a promise fulfilled by God to the people of Israel, and his birth was the continuation of God’s grand plan of redemption.
The Gospel of Luke is an account of the life of Jesus, written from one friend to another. Luke describes with clarity and conviction who Jesus is: the Son of God and Son of Man, fully God and fully human. He shares how Jesus displayed His power and authority and how He challenged the religious leaders and their oppressive systems.
But within his larger purpose for writing this Gospel, Luke displays the personal ways Jesus sees, knows, and cares for His people. Jesus often stopped what He was doing to heal, care for, and encourage the sick, disabled, and marginalized. The first events Luke recorded show the ways God would bring about His plan of redemption through Jesus, but that He would also redeem and restore His people in very personal ways.
We will see over and over again the deity and humanity of Christ and the way He fulfilled God’s purposes to bring eternal redemption to His people. And as we do, we will also see how God never overlooks us, even in our darkest, most desperate moments. He goes out of His way to heal, redeem, and restore. As we get to know Jesus better through this study, let’s be expectant of the ways He will show His redeeming and restoring power, even in our own lives and circumstances.
Week 1 Challenge:
As we study the Gospel of Luke, we will focus on the deity of Christ, the humanity of Christ, and the way Jesus paid special attention to the marginalized in society, including the sick, the disabled, outcasts, and women. As you read the daily passages, identify these three (deity, humanity, compassion) in your Bible or journal. Highlight or underline each with a different color so you can see the ways Luke displays the character of Jesus throughout his Gospel.
Week 1 Reading Plan
Week 1 Memory Verse
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Wonderful post, Melissa!