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Advent 3 - Wednesday
By Pat Lee | December 17, 2008
Wednesday December 17, 2008
The First Christmas Carol
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:67-79
Scripture Verse “Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy.” Luke 1:67
Zechariah had not spoken for nine months, having become mute when he did not want to name his son John. He was given time to ponder and brood over the miraculous things going on.
Now he was holding his son, undoubtedly full of gratitude that Elizabeth and the baby were healthy after childbirth. Add to this Zechariah’s inspired awareness of the events that would happen after the birth of Mary’s baby, promised to her as the “Son of God.”
Out of all this, Zechariah, filled with the Spirit, sang the first Christmas carol.
Of course, Zechariah could not know the details of what lay ahead—how people would stream to his son, or that John would die a horrific death, that Jesus would proclaim God’s Kingdom and embody what God is like and how we humans should be, and perform miracles to reveal the God is with us. And finally that Jesus would die and rise from death to defeat the power of sin and death to separate us from God’s love.
Nevertheless, we see in Zechariah’s song that he has already glimpsed where all this was heading. He blessed God who redeems his people, who raises up a Saviour so we can “serve him without fear.” John is to give “knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of sins.”
Zechariah concludes, “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Such visions in Advent are the first Christmas carol.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we try to follow your Son Jesus, our Saviour, Lord and Friend, gulde our feet into the way of peace. Amen
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