Luke Chapter One: Worship

How They Worshiped

Luke Chapter One—Worship

We find the first signs or mention of worship in Luke 1:10, 13, and 14.

We will start, though, with verse six, which speaks about a priest named Zacharias and his wife, named Elisabeth; we find they both did what was right in God’s sight by living blamelessly according to all the commandments and requirements of the Lord (in the Old Testaments). They seem to be living and serving or worshiping God as the NT Christians or Christ followers were urged to do in Romans 12:1, 2 So, I urge you, brothers, because God is so merciful to us, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, fully dedicated and very pleasing to God. For this is a reasonable or spiritual way for you to worship or serve Him. And you people must not be conformed to the values and standards of this age, but you should become transformed, changed in attitude and action, by having your mind renewed to think in a totally different way. Then you will be able to determine and practice God’s will, the thing that is good, and acceptable and perfect.

Today, many of Christ’s followers are not fully dedicated to practicing God’s will, so they are not very pleasing to God.

In Luke 1:9, as Zacharias, the priest, entered the Temple of the Lord to burn the incense offering (It was to be offered morning and evening (Exodus 30:7, 8)), many people were outside praying. Asking or thanking God for anything is worship to God. The people may have been kneeling or standing while in prayer. (Depending on the space available.) It was the time for burning the incense offering. (verse 10, 11.) Zacharias was offering worship to God through the burning of the special incense. He may have been asking the Lord for a child at that moment. In verses 13 through 18, the angel tells him that the son Elisabeth will have and names him John for them. The angel was bringing him a prophecy from God about John and Jesus.

We will note in verse 14 that it says, “many people will rejoice when he (John) is born.” Rejoicing is excited joy. We can explain this as the “excited joy of the heart shown by bodily actions.” (Watch and listen to the crowd and the players of the winning sports team.)

Because Zacharias didn’t believe but asked for a sign, the angel said he would not be able to talk until the baby was born.

God gave all the angel's statements in verses 13 – 17, but as the angel spoke it, it became the angel’s worship of God.

Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit v, 41

When Mary came to visit Elisabeth, she was already pregnant with Jesus. This caused the yet unborn John to jump with joy, showing worship of Jesus. This appears to be the first human to worship Jesus, and John had not been born yet.

Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied v.42-45

The words of these verses became doctrine of the NT since they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. She, Elisabeth, was thanking God for what He had done. This was worship to God. Her voice was loud and emotional. Prayers should come from the emotions of the heart, demonstrated by the actions of the body, including voice. She may have had her hands raised upward towards God.

Mary 46-55 gives thanks for John 3:16. She prophesies 49-55

The words of Mary were not a planned speech, but the Holy Spirit spoke through her. The facts in her words became part of the TRUTH of the gospel. Her first words, “My soul lifts up the Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God, my Savior,” indicate it is a prayer so it is worship to God.

Obedience to God’s will is worship.

In v. 60, Elizabeth was obeying what the angel had told Zacharias about the child’s name. She said, “No, he will be called John.”

Zacharias is also obedient in v. 63, so he worships here.

His name is John.

In v. 67, Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied 68-79

In verse 68, Zacharias indicates the words that come forth are a prayer or worship to God. He did not have to plan or write out what he would say as it came through the Holy Spirit that was given to him.

Our better prayers are not what we plan and write out but what we let the Holy Spirit give us to say.

John knew, through his father's prayer, that his life was going to be hard, so he needed to experience some “tough living,” so he stayed and lived in the desert until he appeared publicly teaching and preaching to the Israelites. (See v. 80.) also, see Matthew 3:4.

Study finished 2/18/2025

Larry E. Whittington

Other writings appear here: larryewhittington.substack.com