'And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.'
Luke 1:80
Christmas seems to have come quickly this year. Time doesn’t always fly, though. Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years before God’s promise of a child was fulfilled. Israel waited hundreds of years for the Messiah to come in Jesus. Today we read about John waiting for his ministry to begin: not yet John the Baptist, just John the youth, growing and becoming strong in spirit in the wilderness for over two decades.
Our wait for Christmas is not long now (although children may disagree!). But there are likely other things we are waiting for, as individuals, families or as a church community.
I encourage us to learn from John: to see our time of waiting not as neutral or wasted time, but as preparation time in which we grow and become mature in Christ, the people God has called us to become.
How do we prepare? We’ve explored a few ways this Advent, such as repentance, prayer, supporting each other, believing God’s promises and proclaiming the gospel. But today’s passage emphasises that, as important as our preparation is, God is at work preparing us too. John’s growth, like a seed sprouting and ripening, took place in its own time and way. So too, our own discipleship is a miracle, something God ultimately brings about.
Behind all our activity, effort and limitations, God is the main character working in our lives, in the church and in the world to fulfil his promises for all creation. Our main task is to accept God’s love and cooperate with him as he guides us.
Tomorrow we celebrate Jesus, whose coming ended the night of sin and evil, signalling the new day of salvation still to come. Let’s give thanks for this gift and wait with hope for his return. And as we wait, let’s take comfort that he is with us even now, preparing us for something we do not yet know, but something amazing.
‘His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
‘”Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us –
to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”’
Luke 1:67-79
At this moment, just before I email today’s reflection, it is dawn: the sun has not yet risen, but the sky will soon hold the beginnings of light while everything prepares for the coming day.
At last, Zechariah’s lips have opened and he sings a song about the coming dawn. He looks forward to the birth of Jesus, the ‘horn of salvation for us’ from the house of David. He praises the coming king, who will begin the new day when God’s people are free from their enemies and they can serve God 'without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.’
What bold lyrics! They are sung when Israel is occupied by one of the mightiest empires the world has known. By the time Luke records the song, Rome is persecuting disciples of Jesus. If anything, Jesus has intensified Rome’s hatred for God’s people. Where is this new day?
In the two millennia since Zechariah sang this song, the church has had various enemies and fears. Like Zechariah and Luke, we live in perilous times today. In the news we hear a crescendo of threats to dismantle our societies and destabilise our world. Even within our own families and communities we know first-hand the effects of sin and evil. How is Zechariah’s song true?
It is true because it is a song about the dawn. Jesus has come and the night has ended. Jesus has won the crucial victory over sin and evil. And because the dawn has come, we know that morning is coming. We see glimpses of God’s kingdom, signs of mercy, justice and peace, and we keep on singing Zechariah’s song, this time not for the dawn, but for the sunrise, for the day of full salvation for the whole world.
I encourage us to pray Zechariah’s song as a promise of God’s blessing through Jesus, the dawn who came to save us from our sins, and the new day who is coming soon to guide our feet into the path of peace.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
‘When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
‘On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
‘They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
‘Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. All the neighbours were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.’
Luke 1:57-66
We are coming to the end of Advent and the arrival of Christmas. In today’s passage we see the fulfilment of the promise to Zechariah and Elizabeth: their prayer has been heard, and after their period of waiting, their son is born.
But what should they name him? And who should decide? Their neighbours and relatives take a vote and decide to name him Zechariah Jr., but Zechariah and Elizabeth know that God has already given this boy a different name. Elizabeth says ‘No!’ to the crowd’s idea, but they persist and ask Zechariah, who confirms in writing that the boy’s name is John. In this way they support each other: Elizabeth supports the message Zechariah received from Gabriel, and Zechariah supports Elizabeth’s standing up to the crowd.
We too need support from other people in living faithfully as Christ’s disciples. This support may look like keeping each other accountable in our actions and habits. It may look like standing up for each other when people doubt us.
Who are the people who support you in your discipleship, who encourage you and nurture the life of Christ in you, who are able to say ‘No!’ like Elizabeth does to things contrary to God, and say 'Yes' to God's movements? Let's thank God for such people in our lives.
Who could use our own support in following God's ways? Let's pray for them and think of how we can stand with them against pressures they may face to do otherwise.
‘Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.’
Luke 1:56
We have been exploring how Mary gets ready for the coming of Jesus by proclaiming the gospel to Elizabeth. She does this by visiting Elizabeth, which occurs in three parts. The first part is Mary’s greeting, the second is Mary’s song and today we look at the third: Mary’s stay for about three months.
We don’t know what Mary and Elizabeth do in this time, but we might guess that they laugh, tell stories, work and eat with Zechariah, sing and share each other’s pain. In short, they spend time together.
Spending time with people is an important part of sharing the gospel with them. The gospel is not merely a news blurb that we can transfer via text message or flyer (although these are important forms of communication through which we build relationships). The gospel is Christ living in us, and we are the medium of the message. Our very lives – our presence, our personalities, our strengths and weaknesses – form the material through which Christ makes himself known to the world.
Our stay with people with whom we share the gospel may last a lifetime. It may be only a few years. It may be one conversation with them. However long we are given, what matters is our presence with them in the presence of God.
I think of our night shelter. Its purpose is to help look after the physical needs of destitute asylum seekers and refugees, but equally important is the time we spend with them, the relationships we build week after week, waiting with them for a Home Office decision or for stable housing. As we share our lives with them and learn their stories, we communicate the love of God, restoring some dignity in a time of alienation. Both we and they transform from strangers into neighbours. While not the only element of proclaiming the gospel, spending time with people is essential.
Who are the people we share our lives with today, this week, this season? Let’s pray that our time with them becomes gospel time.
‘And Mary said:
‘”My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me –
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants for ever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”’
Luke 1:46-55
The Holy Spirit must love music, because throughout scripture we read about people singing songs through God’s inspiration.
Today we read the lyrics to Mary’s song. We see Mary’s involvement in proclaiming the gospel, in contrast to two days ago when we saw the Holy Spirit as the active character, informing and filling Elizabeth when Mary greeted her. Here are a few observations about Mary’s song.
First, the song comes from Mary yet speaks to a wider audience. On one hand, it is deeply personal. ‘My soul glorifies the LORD. . . all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me.’ No one else can sing Mary’s song like this. On the other hand, it is based on Hannah’s song as found in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. Inspired by Mary’s experience, it also remembers God’s activity in Israel’s history. ‘He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants for ever, just as he promised our ancestors.’ While belonging to Mary, the song is also ours.
Second, Mary’s song speaks prophetically of God’s justice and mercy, comforting the afflicted and challenging the self-sufficient: ‘He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.’ The song comes from the coming kingdom of God, pointing out signs of the kingdom among us even today.
Third, it is a song of worship to the Lord.
Let’s learn from Mary how to proclaim the gospel. Her sermon is a song, telling with gladness what God has done and what God is doing, praising God for his love and faithfulness.
Now it’s our turn. What are the lyrics to the songs we will sing?
