Luke 1 — Luke begins by addressing his main audience—Theophilus. A priest named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth have no child because Elizabeth is barren. An angel of the Lord speaks to Zechariah and tells him that they will have a child and his name will be John. Zechariah questions what the angel of the Lord told him and then he was unable to speak. Elizabeth becomes pregnant. The angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will have a child through the Holy Spirit and his name will be Jesus. Mary visits Elizabeth and the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaps in her womb. Mary sings a song of praise to the Lord. The baby is born to Zechariah and Elizabeth and Zechariah names him John and then Zechariah could speak. Zechariah prophesies about his son. John grows up and is in the wilderness until his public appearance to Israel.

Luke 2 — Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth, to Judea, to Bethlehem and Mary gives birth to their son. An angel of the Lord appears to some shepherds in a field about the birth of their son. They go to Bethlehem to see Jesus and they tell Joseph and Mary what the angel of the Lord said. Joseph and Mary’s son is circumcised and he’s given the name Jesus. He is presented in the temple and there Simeon sees Jesus and blesses God. Simeon tells Joseph and Mary that Jesus is going to cause the fall and rising of many in Israel. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus return to Nazareth. When Joseph, Mary, and, now the boy, Jesus were at the temple they left but Joseph and Mary don’t realize that Jesus stayed behind to be in his Father’s house.

Luke 3 — The word of God comes to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness and he goes all around proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John calls out many who come to be baptized by him. He instructs those who ask how they should live. People are wondering if John is the Christ—the Messiah—and he tells them that he is not. John baptizes Jesus. Luke gives a genealogy of Jesus beginning from Joseph all the way to Adam.