Close Encounters of the Most Important Kind

We kicked off the Christmas season by looking at a “close encounter of the most important kind”—not with a life form from another planet, but with an angelic messenger who stepped into the everyday world of an ordinary couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth. Their story reminds us that God takes notice of our lives. They were not perfect, yet the Scripture calls them “righteous and blameless,” a way of saying they aimed the compass of their lives toward God and kept walking, even when their deepest desire—children—went unmet for years. God sees, God knows, and God cares, even when the room is quiet and the prayers feel old.

We also faced a truth many of us live with: suffering and delay do not signal divine indifference. Elizabeth carried the ache of barrenness as a public shame in her culture. Yet while the silence lasted, faith lasted too. Jesus said not a sparrow falls without the Father’s knowledge; so you are not invisible. Learn to pray in your finiteness and trust God to answer in His infiniteness. Never interpret God’s seeming lack of action as a lack of concern.

Then came the astonishing moment: God answers better than we ask. Zacharias had prayed for a child; God gave him John—the forerunner who would point to the Lamb of God. Our stories often prove the same pattern. I told of a time we needed hundreds of thousands of dollars for city-required upgrades just to add classroom space. We prayed—and God sent a charter school that offered to fund the entire intersection. When it’s His timing and His purpose, the answers carry a wisdom and scale we could never design.

Finally, God expects us to believe what He says. Gabriel’s response to Zacharias wasn’t petty punishment; it was gracious clarity—helping a faithful man align his heart with God’s word. Faith is not theory; it is trust expressed in action. “Be anxious for nothing” is not a slogan; it’s an invitation to live differently on Monday. God has given us His word to train, correct, and equip us; so in this season, let’s take Him at His word, keep walking in faith, and expect Him to do more than we could ask or imagine.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God notices our everyday lives [34:51] God is not a distant observer; He is a present Father who attends to the details of our days. Zacharias and Elizabeth lived faithfully in the obscurity of long disappointment, and God saw every step. No attempt to honor Him goes unnoticed, even when no one else applauds. Let that quiet you today: the eyes of the Lord are on those whose hearts are His. [34:51]
• 2. God cares about our suffering [50:19] Delay is not neglect; it is often the classroom where trust deepens. Elizabeth named her barrenness a disgrace, yet God counted every tear and received every prayer. Jesus reminds us that the Father numbers our hairs—He is neither inattentive nor indifferent. Learn to pray within your limits and rest in His limitless wisdom. [50:19]
• 3. God answers better than we ask [56:30] We ask for what we can imagine; God answers from what He knows is best. Zacharias prayed for a child; God sent a prophet who would prepare the world for the Savior. When God’s purpose ripens, provision often arrives in surprising ways, beyond budget lines and beyond human timelines. Wait for the better He intends, not just the good you prefer. [56:30]
• 4. Obedience amid fear shapes us [47:16] Following God will place us at the edge of our comfort, not to harm us but to grow us. Each “yes” in scary moments—whether teaching, serving, or stepping into a new calling—becomes a doorway for God’s work in and through us. The world is scary either way; better to walk the valleys with Him than without Him. Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s allegiance to God over fear. [47:16]
• 5. Believe God’s word and live accordingly [01:08:21] Gabriel’s message called Zacharias from probability to promise. God’s commands—“Do not fear,” “Be anxious for nothing”—are invitations to practice trust in real time. Mature faith treats Scripture as truth to be lived, not merely lines to be admired. In this season, act on what God has said and watch assurance rise where anxiety once ruled. [68:21]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [12:48] - Gratitude and the gift of grace
• [13:46] - Focusing our worship on God
• [18:27] - Operation Christmas Child celebration
• [21:12] - Lottie Moon goal and vision
• [31:08] - Pivot to Christmas series
• [32:13] - Close encounters: introducing angels
• [33:24] - Angels in Scripture and in life
• [34:51] - Observation 1: God notices our lives
• [37:22] - Zacharias and Elizabeth’s backstory
• [50:19] - Observation 2: God cares about suffering
• [56:30] - Observation 3: God answers better than we ask
• [64:19] - God’s provision: the intersection story
• [68:21] - Observation 4: Believe what God says
• [75:45] - Closing prayer: trusting God’s ways

Bible Reading

Luke 1:5-25 — In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty and he was serving as priest, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 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. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak to them. And they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

Observation Questions

1. Luke calls Zechariah and Elizabeth “righteous and blameless” though they were not perfect. What concrete behaviors or habits in Luke 1:5–7 show how they “aimed the compass of their lives toward God”? [34:51]
2. Verse 8–10 places Zechariah burning incense while the people pray outside. How does the timing and setting of this scene make God’s notice of Zechariah’s life more striking? What details point to God’s attention? [56:30]
3. Read the angel’s words about the child (vv. 13–17). What three specific roles or marks does Gabriel assign to John, and how do those roles show that God’s answer is “better than we ask”? [56:30]
4. After Zechariah questions the angel, Gabriel silences him until the prophecy’s fulfillment (vv. 18–20). How does the text describe the reason for this response, and what does that reaction teach about believing God’s word? [01:08:21]

Interpretation Questions

1. What does the text’s pairing of faithful ordinary life (vv. 5–7) with an extraordinary announcement imply about how God chooses the stage for his work? (Consider the pastor’s point that “no attempt to honor Him ever misses God’s attention.”) [34:51]
2. In light of Luke 1 and the sermon’s comment that “delay is often the classroom where trust deepens,” what theological reasons might explain why God allows long seasons of unanswered prayer before acting? [50:19]
3. The sermon gave a real-life example where provision arrived in an unexpected, larger way (the charter school/intersection story). How should the church weigh surprising, large-scale provision as God’s action rather than mere coincidence? What signs in the story point to providence? [01:04:19]
4. Gabriel’s punishment to Zechariah functioned as both consequence and clarification. What does this teach about the relationship between human doubt and God’s revealed promises—especially when promises seem impossible? [01:08:21]

Application Questions

1. Think of one area in your life that feels “silent” right now (a long prayer, an unmet desire, a stalled calling). What one specific prayer can you repeat daily for the next four weeks, and what practical act of faith will you pair with that prayer? [50:19]
2. Identify one small, private way you currently honor God (serving, giving, consistent Bible time, listening to someone). How will you keep doing that quietly this week and how will you report back to the group next meeting about what changed because you kept at it? [34:51]
3. Make a short list of two possible “better answers” God might give to a current need of yours (rather than the one outcome you prefer). For each possibility, write one way you would respond in obedience if God provided that better option. Commit to praying through those two possibilities this week. [56:30]
4. Name a recent opportunity you avoided because of fear. What is one specific, small “yes” you can give this week (a phone call, a short teaching, a volunteer shift, a meeting) that would move you forward in obedience despite fear? Set a day and a concrete time. [47:16]
5. Pick a promise from Scripture you want to believe more (for example, “Do not be anxious” or “The Lord hears the voice of my weeping”). What precise action will you take this week to live out that promise (e.g., replace morning worry with a 5-minute written prayer, call a friend for accountability, memorize the verse)? [01:08:21]
6. Who in your circle is in a season of suffering or long delay? What one tangible thing will you do for them this week to show that you, like God, notice and care (visit, bring a meal, pray with them, send an encouraging note)? Commit to doing it and report back next group time. [49:02]