Advent 21, 2018: Zechariah’s Praise

Luke 1:56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

By now she was beginning to show in her pregnancy and she would have some explaining to do. First to Joseph, but also to her parents. “Not looking forward to that,” she thought. “Words, Adonai. What words do I use with Joseph? What words do I use with my parents?” she prayed.

As she made her way home, she reflected back on Elizabeth and Zechariah and their beautiful boy John and how happy all her neighbors and relatives had been, including Mary’s parents. Dared she hope her parents would share her joy at her own pregnancy?

Then, there was the miraculous scene at the bris when Zechariah wrote “His name is John” and suddenly Zechariah’s speech was restored. His first words, finally after months of silence, were praise and everyone was filled with awe.

Throughout the hill country of Judea, people were abuzz with good news. Indeed, Luke 1:66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him. 67 His 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. 69 He 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), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76 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, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.””

***

Their Story, Your Story:

The nature of prophecy is curious. The angel prophesied that Zechariah wouldn’t speak and he didn’t until the time foretold. The prophecy first, then fulfillment. Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit’s empowerment and spoke prophecy about God’s faithfulness to come and redeem His people and the praise He is due for this act of grace. Yet, Zechariah was praising God for something that–in the flow of real time–hadn’t happened yet. His son John would pave the way for Messiah. Why would Zechariah praise as if God had already accomplished it?
How is prophecy, genuine prophecy, from God as both “already” and “not yet”? How can it be both?
What is the value of prophecy? For whom is prophecy intended?
What is the value of preparation? Who benefits from preparation?

Self-Reflection topic: Preparation

Prayer: Father God, on this side of the Cross, we can indeed see the prophecy of Zechariah was true and we can praise You as he did. Luke 1:68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 69 He 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), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 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, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Grant that during this season of Advent we would be preparing ourselves as You prepare our hearts to receive the Christ—a Holy Child then, but Whom we now know is our salvation. We thank You, Lord Jesus for coming to save us! In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Just a few days left to receive these Storyteller devotional studies in your email during Advent 2018 by entering your email address on the SeminaryGal.com home page in the space provided in the sidebar. Or “Like” the SeminaryGal Facebook page to access them there. If you like these devotionals, I’d really appreciate your letting others know so I can continue to spread the Good News far and wide. After Advent is over, there will be devotionals from time to time until the next series at Lent. Blessings to you, in Christ always, Barbara <><

===

Acknowledging inquiries about the entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:

Last year’s Advent Devotional Series (2017), Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times. Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence. His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology. They began November 29, 2015.
Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols. You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives. They began November 30, 2014.
The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John. It began December 1, 2013.
The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story. It began December 1, 2012.