The Scriptures according to...Saint Luke

Here is a Gleaning from St. Luke, chapter one, verses one through ten.........

 " There are many who have undertaken the responsibility of writing an account to this real life story and the chain of events that actually happened in the life of Christ Jesus...and the fulfillment of the promises God has now given to His people, dating back to the most ancient of days and time.
 And like myself, the reports that have been written are eye witness accounts that have circulated from those who had actually seen Him...and were with Him...and saw with their own eyes the very things we hear of in this very day.
 Therefore it seemed good and right for me to investigate and be determined to seek out the things we have heard, and to do so with the utmost diligence. For it is burning within me to write the things that are accurate and true in reference of the Christ...to confirm the fact that Christ Jesus did indeed live among us, and literally became...one of us.
 As a result my dear Theophilus, I now write these accounts of Christ Jesus...to you, that you might consider and really know the truth of what took place while He was here, when He became one of us, and from the reports I gather, it will give you a detailed and objective knowledge of the full truth, a certainty that what you have heard...really did happen! And now, because of these events and the general life of Christ Jesus, we are now able to receive the very salvation plan of God through His Only Son, our Lord Jesus, and to know the doctrines of our very faith are of the utmost accuracy in their nature, being a security against any erroneous reports that may come to you. For may this truth be known, it is He...and He alone that has brought to all of us...our very salvation, and we are now able to become a part of the Kingdom of our Eternal God...because of the Christ...coming to us and choosing to be...one of us.

Allow me to begin......

 In the land of Judea, Herod had been given the title of "king" over this area, the ancient Israel, and had been king for approximately 33 years. Herod added much construction to the city of Jerusalem with the great additions to the Temple itself and to creating an entire city near the shores of Galilee, yet in regards to the building of his personal character, he lacked much. Through the years he had been king over the nation of Israel, he also built for himself a reputation of a cruel leader and quite jealous of anyone who might get in his way.
 It was during this period of time there was a certain priest of the Temple in Jerusalem whose name was Zechariah that came to the forefront of this report. Zechariah was a priest whose very lineage dated back to the priestly order of Abijah, who hailed as a descendant of Aaron.
 Zechariah was a married man whose wife name was Elizabeth. Her lineage as well dated back to the priestly line of Aaron, the very brother of Moses who helped in leading His people out from Egypt and into the Promised Land.
 Since both Zechariah and Elizabeth were both of the tribe of Levi and of priestly order, if they were to have a son, he too could serve as a priest in the Temple at Jerusalem.

 It is said of Zechariah and Elizabeth that both lived honorable lives and were counted righteous through the eyes of the Lord Himself. What stands out among those who knew them was their willingness to obey the commandments God had given to His people, and as a result lived their everyday lives with a clear conscience.
 Yet in all this, Elizabeth was unable to conceive and bear children, and by the time had come for the Messiah to be born, the couple were well advanced in age and way beyond their years in having children.
{NOTE: This had to be certainly hard on Elizabeth in daily life, particularly when out in public,  doing things such as grocery shopping or even more so when attending Temple worship. Often times in that day it was thought that if a couple were unable to have children, it was then looked upon as a punishment from God, and people like Elizabeth were viewed with shame. A person like Elizabeth would simply be considered a "wife of no value".}

 One day as Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for in the group of priests he was joined with, it was now their turn to serve in the Temple for an entire week...something happened.
{NOTE: There were 24 different groups of priests that served in the Temple. Twice a year each group was designated to work in the Temple for one week. Each group would then choose their duties within the Temple by casting lots. One duty was to maintain the incense in the sanctuary of the Temple itself. This particular duty was only performed once by a priest...once in his entire lifetime. As the duty was completed, the priest who had been assigned to maintain the incense in the sanctuary, would then go outside of the Temple and speak blessings to the people, who were awaiting him in a spirit of prayer.}