Luke 1:67-79 67His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 69He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76And 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, 77to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
An elderly priest named Zechariah had a dream, a vision, in the Temple. He was told that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would give birth to one who would help Israel’s dream about the good life God would give them come true. Zechariah’s voice was frozen in disbelief and he could not speak until after his wife gave birth to a boy, whom they named John, which means gift from God.
When the boy was born the frozen voice of Zechariah melted into gratitude and praise to God. The dream was coming true. God was redeeming His people. To redeem means to “buy back.” Among the Gentiles redemption was the way a slave bought back freedom. Among the Jews redemption had to do with the way God had delivered the people from oppression and given them back their freedom. Now God would redeem His people in a more personal way, in the sending of the Messiah, and John would have a part to play in the dream coming true. Zechariah would be the parent of one who would go before the Lord to prepare His way.
As we enter this Christmas season, what kind of dreams fill your mind and heart, in the daytime as well as in the night? Some of us are simply dreaming for Christmas to be over. Some of us are dreaming of surviving the hassle and stress of this season.
But do any of us dream of being delivered from some of the current forms of slavery? The expectation that others have of us? The demands of life? Loneliness? Do we dream of being delivered from these various kinds of slavery to a life of holiness and righteousness before God…and to have God guide us in the way of peace? This is a life lived in harmony with God’s will for us and in fulfillment of God’s plan for us.
Can you feel the heartbeat of Zechariah’s praise? Blessed be the God of Israel for He has visited and redeemed His people. Do we still dream of God’s fulfillment for our life or have we settled for being happy slaves? Christmas is the announcement of a dream come true, and Christmas is a promise that you and I can make a difference. God does not deliver Israel by magic or through some mighty act disconnected from the people. He delivers through the co-operation of people like Elizabeth and Zechariah, Mary and Joseph, you and me.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell
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