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Zechariah’s Prophecy
Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant-the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live.
And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” Luke 1:67-79
Luke 1 is chock full of BIG events that we are all very familiar with, I’m sure. First the angel Gabriel visits Zechariah, an old man, and tells him that his wife, Elizabeth, also elderly, will become pregnant and she will bear a son, whom they shall name John. Zechariah is skeptical and because of his disbelief, he is rendered mute until the baby is born. Next, the angel visits Mary and tells her she will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and she will give birth to the Messiah. She then visits Elizabeth, who confirms all the angel has said and Mary responds with her song of praise-the Magnificat! Then John is born and Zechariah gets his voice back and prophecies. It was this section that is part of our reading. This section is not as famous, as the other sections, I don’t think, but it packs a very big punch.
I have made bold the verses that jumped out at me. In verses 76-79, Zechariah speaks to his son, John, telling him he will be the prophet of the Most High, preparing the way for the Lord, telling people how to find salvation through the forgiveness of sins. I am always drawn to verses that have to do with light or peace and verses 78-79 have both: “Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” Zechariah says that the morning light of heaven, Jesus, is coming and his light will save the world; it lights the way to love, joy, hope and most of all (for me) peace.
These verses filled me, at once, with hope, and joy and peace. There is something about darkness and light: at night, in the darkness, strange sounds are scarier, problems seem worse, worries are greater. In the light of day, all is good. During those dark moments, I turn to God and pray. His light and love always surround me. He never disappoints; he is constant and faithful, and I wonder why I was ever scared or discouraged in the first place. The other verse that grabbed me was, “We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live.” I know there are people in the world who cannot serve God openly, without fear; but for me, I took it to mean that we can serve God without fear of losing our own salvation. Our salvation is secure in Jesus Christ. We don’t have to worry about ourselves, so we are free to serve God and focus on others who need to be shown the light of Christ, so they too can be guided to the path of peace. When I go outside at night, the first thing I do is look for the moon. It reminds me of God’s light and love shining down on me. It encourages me! The moon, of course, has no light of its own; it is simply reflecting the sun’s light.
Dear God, May I be the moon for others. With no light of my own, may I reflect your Son’s light to those living in darkness. Amen.
Amy McMullen
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