Luke 1:68-79 (NRSV)
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Verse 68"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. Verse 69He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, Verse 70as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, Verse 71that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Verse 72Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, Verse 73the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us Verse 74that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, Verse 75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. Verse 76And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, Verse 77to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. Verse 78By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, Verse 79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Devotion
Zechariah's song is an insight into the dreams and hopes of a community embodied in a faithful man who has waited to see the redemption of his people. It is hard for us as temporal creatures to wait, particularly in our age of instant gratification. We want what we want when we want it, on our agenda. Yet we stand upon the testimony and faithful witness of generations. We are not the first to follow Christ and by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit we trust we will not be the last.
We remember Zechariah because he encountered the Jesus child. But his story reminds also of God's faithful who waited for generations to see Emmanuel. In so doing we are invited to commit ourselves to working for justice and peace while we wait in our time. In so doing we recognize not every wrong will be righted but that by God’s grace we will be invited to participate in the coming of the kingdom.
Prayer
Holy Christ, born of Mary, stir our waiting hearts this day. Encourage us to wait patiently while yet working diligently for justice and peace in your world. Through Christ, our Emmanuel. Amen.