Podcasts about but zechariah

Read OnlineImmediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.  Luke 1:64This line reveals the happy conclusion to Zechariah's initial failure to believe in what God revealed to him. Recall that nine months earlier, as Zechariah was fulfilling his priestly duty of offering sacrifice within the Holy of Holies in the Temple, he received a visit from the glorious Archangel Gabriel, who stands before God. Gabriel revealed to Zechariah the good news that his wife would conceive in her old age and that this child would be the one to prepare the people of Israel for the coming Messiah. What an incredible privilege that would have been! But Zechariah disbelieved. And as a result, the Archangel struck him mute for the nine months of his wife's pregnancy.The punishments of the Lord are always gifts of His grace. Zechariah was not punished out of spite, or for punitive reasons. Instead, this punishment was more like a penance. He was given the humbling penance of losing his ability to speak for nine months for a good reason. It appears as if God knew that Zechariah needed nine months to silently reflect upon what the Archangel had said. He needed nine months to ponder his wife's miraculous pregnancy. And he needed nine months to ponder who this child would be. And those nine months produced the desired effect of a full conversion of heart.After the child was born, it was expected that this firstborn son would be named after the father, Zechariah. But the Archangel had told Zechariah that the child was to be named John. Therefore, on the eighth day, the day of his son's circumcision when he was presented to the Lord, Zechariah wrote on a tablet that the baby's name was John. This was an act of faith and a sign that he had fully turned from disbelief to belief. And it was this act of faith that undid his prior doubt.Every one of our lives will be marked by failures to believe on the deepest level of faith. For that reason, Zechariah is a model for us of how we are to deal with our failures. We deal with them by allowing the consequences of past failures to change us for the good. We learn from our mistakes and move forward with new resolutions. This is what Zechariah did, and this is what we must do if we wish to learn from his good example.Reflect, today, upon any sin you have committed that has had painful consequences in your life. As you ponder that sin, the real question is where you go from here. Do you allow that past sin, or lack of faith, to dominate and control your life? Or do you use your past failures to make new resolutions and decisions for the future so as to learn from your mistakes? It takes courage, humility and strength to imitate the example of Zechariah. Seek to bring these virtues into your life this day.Lord, I know I lack faith in my life.  I fail to believe all that You speak to me.  As a result, I often fail to put Your words into action.  Dear Lord, when I suffer as a result of my weakness, help me to know that this and all suffering can result in giving glory to You if I renew my faith.  Help me, like Zechariah, to return to You always, and use me as an instrument of Your manifest glory.  Jesus, I trust in You.  Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: The Birth and Naming of St John the Baptist by Barent Fabritius, via Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Your words have tremendous power to influence the course of your life.    Jesus teaches it this way. In Matthew 15, the Pharisees are arguing with Jesus because he and his disciples eat food that is considered “unclean” by Jewish law.  Jesus explains to them, “What goes into a man's mouth does not make him ‘unclean'... But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.'  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.  These are what make a man ‘unclean'” (Matt 15:11-19).   Jesus has connected three things here: thoughts, words, and actions.  They go in that order: your thoughts are seeds, and they get planted in the “soil” of your heart.  They don't necessarily change the environment right away, but when that seed has been planted, it will germinate, and will spring up and become a tree, which will eventually bear fruit.  So you'd better be careful what you're planting.   Round and Round We Go   When I was in my early 20s, I realized my life was on a merry-go-round.  I was living essentially the same story over and over again.  The names and details might change, but the characters and circumstances were basically consistent.  I wrestled with this for years; I had an intuitive sense that it was a spiritual principle somehow (because everyone's story seemed to repeat itself, not just mine!), but I could not for the life of me figure out why.    I was 25 when I finally understood (and wondered why it had taken me so long, because it seemed so blatantly obvious in retrospect).  In all of those iterations of the same story, there was only one common denominator: me.  I realized that my beliefs were essentially, “My life will always be this way.  I will never get out of this cycle.  I will always repeat this pattern.”  I bitterly said something to this effect every time I told my tale of woe to a sympathetic friend.  I wrote about it every day in my journal.  I prayed about it every day to God - but despite the biblical promises that God had something better for me, I never actually believed what God said my future held.  Instead, I told Him that my future would be exactly the same as my past.  I gained a twisted sense of satisfaction by complaining, little knowing that my words were actually prophetic. I was planting seeds, and those seeds were bearing fruit - unfortunately, the fruit they bore was exactly the same fruit I was already harvesting in my life.  Instead of recognizing this and changing what I planted, I'd cut open that fruit, pull out the seeds, and plant them right back in the soil of my heart.  For years.   Jesus compares the Word of God to a seed in the Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:1-23).  When it falls on good soil and isn't choked out by the cares of this life and deceitfulness of wealth, Jesus said that seed will germinate, sprout and bear fruit - thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold.  But this process is indifferent: your heart will grow whatever you plant in it, whether the seed is good or bad. “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit... For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt 12:33-34; Luke 6:43-45).   Guard Your Heart   The first five books of the Bible contain extremely detailed laws that the Jews had to abide by in order to be “right” with God.  The Pharisees had even added hundreds of additional laws of their own by the time Jesus showed up.  But their laws were all about external actions.  Jesus' laws went much deeper - his dealt not just with wrong actions, but with the wrong thinking that eventually produced wrong actions (Matt 5).  Jesus said it's not enough to not commit murder - don't even think about murder.  It's not enough not to commit adultery - don't even look at a woman lustfully.  What's he saying?  Guard your heart.  He knows that the heart will grow whatever you plant in it.  The thought will eventually produce the words, and the words will eventually produce the actions.   Because the heart grows whatever you plant in it, before anything else you have to start with Solomon's famous advice: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov 4:23).    So be vigilant about what you plant in your heart.  Solomon talks about this a lot:   “Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.  Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart” (Prov 7:1-3). “A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction” (Prov 16:23). “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out” (Prov 18:15). “Apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips” (Prov 22:17-18). “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov 23:7).   Guard Your Mouth   If your thinking is right, then your speaking will be right automatically. But what if both your thinking and your speaking are already wrong?   In the midst of my “merry-go-round,” I don't know if I could have changed what I said about my future.  The habit was too entrenched by then... but at least I could have kept my mouth shut!   In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel visits Zechariah and tells him that his elderly and barren wife Elizabeth would bear him a son (who would become John the Baptist).  But Zechariah did not respond to this statement in faith (as Mary did when she received a similar prophecy that she would become pregnant with Jesus, even though she was a virgin). Instead, Zechariah said, “How can I be sure of this?  I am an old man and my wife is well along in years” (Luke 1:18).  The angel's reply is disapproving: “I am Gabriel.  I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.”  But then he adds something interesting: “And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time” (Luke 1:20).    This wasn't just a punishment; the angel said this for a very good reason.  Zechariah didn't believe God's word, and the angel knew that he would continue to speak his doubts, for nine months.  Could that have stopped John's birth, had Zechariah's mouth gone unchecked?  Another story from the Old Testament suggests that it might have.   An Evil Report    The Israelite spies told the rest of the Israelites after exploring Canaan, “We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are... We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” (Numbers 13:31-33).  Objectively, this report was true: the spies reported what they saw.  There were giants in the land, and their cities were fortified and very powerful.  The Israelites, on the other hand, were a nomadic band of former slaves who had never fought a battle in their lives, and apparently they were a lot smaller than the Canaanites.  But God called this an “evil report” (13:32), because it disagreed with what He said.  He told the Israelites that He was giving them the land (Deuteronomy 1:29-31), so the size and might of the inhabitants was irrelevant.    What happened?  The Israelites had been complaining ever since Moses had led them out of Egypt and out of slavery that they would die in the wilderness.  After their disobedience and unbelief, God says, “I will do to you the very things I heard you say: In this desert your bodies will fall” (Numbers 14:28-29).  Not one of those Israelites who spread that evil report got to experience God's Promised Land.   So an evil report is anything that disagrees with what God says, even when it accurately describes the current situation.  When you're tempted to say what you see instead of what God says, Solomon advises you to hold your tongue. Speak only what agrees with God's word, and if you can't do that, then at least keep your mouth shut!   “A man of knowledge uses words with restraint” (Prov 17:27). “Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue” (Prov 17:28). “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin” (Prov 13:3). “Do you see a man who speaks in haste?  There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Prov 29:20). “A chattering fool comes to ruin” (Prov 10:10). “A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul” (Prov 18:7). “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity” (Prov 21:23).   Speak Life, Not Death   If the best you can do is hold your tongue, you do well.  But if instead you use your tongue to say what God says about the situation, you do much better!  We can plant the Word of God in our hearts as a seed, instead of a faithless, evil report.  It won't change the way we think overnight, but eventually that seed will become a tree, and the tree will bear fruit, and the fruit will influence the direction of our lives.  We can “be transformed by the renewing of [our] mind[s]” (Romans 12:2).   “The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them” (Prov 12:6). “From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him” (Prov 12:14). “From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things” (Prov 13:2). “From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied” (Prov 18:20). “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt 12:37). “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Prov 18:21).   Back to the story of the Israelite spies: all of the Israelites spread an evil report except two, Joshua and Caleb.  After the rest of the spies' resoundingly negative report, Caleb countered them and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30).  In response, God said, “Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun” (Numbers 14:30).  Joshua went on to become Moses' successor, and Caleb was the only other member of the Israelite community over the age of 20 at the time of the exploration who got to go in to the Promised Land.  They got what they said.   Solomon said the tongue has the power of life and death.  Another famous place in the Bible that uses this same phrase is Deuteronomy 30.  Here, God says, “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him” (Deut 30:19-20).    Our tongues have the power of blessing us by speaking God's word (leading to life), or of cursing us by speaking what is contrary to God's word (leading to death).  God says the choice is up to us - but He recommends that we choose life. 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Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Luke 1:64This line reveals the happy conclusion to Zechariah's initial failure to believe in what God revealed to him. Recall that nine months earlier, as Zechariah was fulfilling his priestly duty of offering sacrifice within the Holy of Holies in the Temple, he received a visit from the glorious Archangel Gabriel, who stands before God. Gabriel revealed to Zechariah the good news that his wife would conceive in her old age and that this child would be the one to prepare the people of Israel for the coming Messiah. What an incredible privilege that would have been! But Zechariah disbelieved. And as a result, the Archangel struck him mute for the nine months of his wife's pregnancy.The punishments of the Lord are always gifts of His grace. Zechariah was not punished out of spite, or for punitive reasons. Instead, this punishment was more like a penance. He was given the humbling penance of losing his ability to speak for nine months for a good reason. It appears as if God knew that Zechariah needed nine months to silently reflect upon what the Archangel had said. He needed nine months to ponder his wife's miraculous pregnancy. And he needed nine months to ponder who this child would be. And those nine months produced the desired effect of a full conversion of heart.After the child was born, it was expected that this firstborn son would be named after the father, Zechariah. But the Archangel had told Zechariah that the child was to be named John. Therefore, on the eighth day, the day of his son's circumcision when he was presented to the Lord, Zechariah wrote on a tablet that the baby's name was John. This was an act of faith and a sign that he had fully turned from disbelief to belief. And it was this act of faith that undid his prior doubt.Every one of our lives will be marked by failures to believe on the deepest level of faith. For that reason, Zechariah is a model for us of how we are to deal with our failures. We deal with them by allowing the consequences of past failures to change us for the good. We learn from our mistakes and move forward with new resolutions. This is what Zechariah did, and this is what we must do if we wish to learn from his good example.Reflect, today, upon any sin you have committed that has had painful consequences in your life. As you ponder that sin, the real question is where you go from here. Do you allow that past sin, or lack of faith, to dominate and control your life? Or do you use your past failures to make new resolutions and decisions for the future so as to learn from your mistakes? It takes courage, humility and strength to imitate the example of Zechariah. Seek to bring these virtues into your life this day.Lord, I know I lack faith in my life. I fail to believe all that You speak to me. As a result, I often fail to put Your words into action. Dear Lord, when I suffer as a result of my weakness, help me to know that this and all suffering can result in giving glory to You if I renew my faith. Help me, like Zechariah, to return to You always, and use me as an instrument of Your manifest glory. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Zechariah wrote, “His name is John.”  Immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God (Luke 1:63-64). We left Zechariah speechless at the temple. When the birth of John was announced to him, he could not believe it, so the Lord gave him a sign for reflection: He would be unable to speak until all was fulfilled. Then he would know that God does what God says. Our text picks up the story some nine months later. Much has changed. Zechariah has changed. As a righteous man, he has learned from his mistake. Through the pain of the discipline, he emerges a stronger man of God. He testifies to God's grace. Those who are arrogant, thinking they know it all, have no need for God or for instruction. Zechariah is not one of those. While Mary and Elizabeth have much to teach us about faith in God, so does Zechariah. He is portrayed as a mature and pious man who still has much to learn about trusting God. He is a spiritual man who discovers we can never coast on past spirituality. Often, we are tempted to put our spiritual well-being on cruise control. Christians can get to a place where they do not expect anything new from God, no new calling, no new spiritual insights, no more maturation.  It is a joy to see an elderly saint who lives in expectation of knowing the Lord more fully and serving Him more deeply. What an encouragement such a person is to a younger saint. How thrilling to meet those who see their walk with God as a challenge and that the thrill of divine involvement in life has not waned. It causes one to desire to keep on keeping on. Zechariah reveals that even good old saints can still grow up and learn to walk in deeper trust with God. That simple lesson comes to the fore in his naming his child John even though others want to name him something else. The whole family and the whole neighbourhood have come for the event. As Luke tells the story, they have taken charge. They want the boy named after his father. But Elizabeth objects. However, but she is just a batty old woman. That is not the way we do things around here. So, they turn to the boy's father, the whole crowd of them, “Zechariah, junior, right?” Nope. His whole family (and his in-laws) and his whole village are standing in his way. But Zechariah will walk where God tells him to walk. The pressure of custom will not become a reason to disobey God. Peer pressure and the attitudes of the world can often make us act in ways that differ from where God would take us. Whether in values, entertainment, or the way we do business, the world's ways are not God's ways. Zechariah has learned to hear God and not the customs of the world. During the months of Elizabeth's pregnancy, while God's promise was slowly coming to pass, Zechariah was learning that God makes good on his promise in his own timing and in his own way. He has learned this lesson, and his obedience becomes public, “His name is John” which means, “graced by God.” Zechariah has been graced by God. And he is delighted. Though you walk in darkness, may you see the great light. Though you live in a land of deep shadows—may you see light! sunbursts of light! May God increase your life, expand your joy. May you be glad in his presence! May God give you the joy of a great celebration, sharing rich gifts and warm greetings (cf. Isaiah 9:2-3 MSG).

The First Sunday in Advent: Jesus Changes Everything Romans 13:8-14 and St. Matthew 21:1-13 by William Klock Advent reminds us that Jesus has changed everything.  The world around us celebrates the beginning of the new year on January 1st, but for the Church the new year begins today, the First Sunday in Advent.  Again, because Jesus has changed everything.  As we approach Christmas, when we recall and celebrate Jesus' birth, Advent calls us to reflect on what Jesus has done: in his incarnation, in his death, in his resurrection, in his ascension.  Advent calls us to count the cost of discipleship, of following King Jesus.  Advent comes, like John the Baptist, and calls out to us: Repent, for the kingdom of God has come.  Let go of everything that is not Jesus, then take hold of him in faith with both hands and follow him into God's new creation.  Let him set you to rights so that you can be part of this new age in which he—through the gospel, through the gospel, through the Spirit—is setting the world itself to rights. The Gospel this morning stands as a signpost to the kingdom.  St. Matthew shows us Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the King, and he gives us a glimpse of his kingdom.  Look at Matthew 21:1-6.   When they came near to Jerusalem, and arrived at Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of the disciples on ahead.  “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied up, and a foal with it.  Untie them and bring them to me.  And if anyone says anything to you, say, “The Lord needs them needs them and he'll send them back straightaway.”   This happened so that the prophet's words might be fulfilled: “Tell this to Zion's daughter: Look now!  Your king is coming to you; Humble and mounted on a donkey, And on a colt, a donkey's foal.”   So the disciples went and did as Jesus had told them.  They brought the donkey and its foal, and put their coats on them, and Jesus sat on them.   Matthew draws on the scriptures and on Israel's story to give depth to what he writes.  Specifically, here, he draws on Zechariah's prophecies that look forward to the Messiah and to the day when the Lord would come in judgement on Israel's enemies.  When Matthew says that Jesus came to the Mount of Olives, this isn't just a casual geographical reference.  Jesus' ministry was full of acted out prophecies and here he chooses this spot knowing that it was the spot, according to Zechariah, where the Lord would stand when he brought judgement.  And Matthew draws on Zechariah again to explain Jesus' strange command to the disciples to fetch a donkey.  This was not how kings made their triumphal processions.  At least, not ordinary kings.  They were carried by their servants or they rode on horseback or in a chariot.  But Zechariah, hundreds of years before, had highlighted the humble nature of the coming Messiah.  He was the one who would ride to his coronation on the back of a humble donkey. So Matthew makes it abundantly clear who Jesus is.  He is the Messiah whom the people had hoped for.  But he also highlights the nature of Jesus' rule.  The people expected a king who would come to overthrow the Herodians and the Romans with violence.  Matthew reminds them, by showing how Jesus fulfilled Zechariah's prophecies, that Jesus will take his throne by a very different sort of path.  Yes, he is the judge.  Yes, he will deliver Israel.  Yes, he will set his people and this broken world to rights.  But it's not going to happen the way people thought, at least not yet. As the crowds gather to line Jesus' way into Jerusalem, Matthew continues to draw on Israel's story.  Look at verses 8-11: The great crowd spread their coats on the road.  Others cut branches from the trees and scattered them on the road.  The crowds who went ahead of him and those who were following behind shouted out, “Hosanna to the son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!”  And when he came into Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up.  “Who is this?” they asked.  And the crowds said, “This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”   The crowds surround Jesus and sing royal hymns.  They hail him as the “son of David”.  Here was the Messiah, the Lord's king.  And in telling the story, Matthew again draws on two events in Israel's story that the people would have known well.  First, as he tells how the crowd was spreading their coats on the ground, it would have been hard for his Jewish readers to miss the reference to King Jehu's anointing.  In 2 Kings 9 we read about Jehoram.  He was King of Israel, the son of the wicked King Ahab.  And in Jehoram, the apple had not fallen far from the tree.  He was as wicked as his father, so the prophet Elisha ordered that Jehu, instead, was to be anointed King in his place.  He announced that Jehu would bring the Lord's judgement on the wicked house of Ahab.  As Jehu was anointed by the prophet, the men who were gathered cast their coats on the ground before him and blew a trumpet.  Matthew uses the imagery not only to make sure we know that Jesus is the Lord's anointed King, but also to hint that Jesus is also the King who will bring the Lord's judgement on the wicked. But the other grand image that Matthew draws on here and that leads into the next scene is that of Judas Maccabeus.  2 Maccabees 10:7 describes the people hailing Judas as king by laying wreathes and palm branches at his feet.  Judas had not only defeated Israel's enemies, but he had purified the temple from its defilement by the Greeks.  Judas' kingdom inspired hope, but it did not last.  And now Matthew shows us Jesus, following in Judas' footsteps to the temple.  This time it's different.  This time is for real.  Look at verses 12-13 And Jesus came into the temple and drove out all who were buying and selling in the temple.  He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  “This is what the scriptures say,” he said to them, “‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers.”   Jesus' purification of the temple had at least as much to do with rebuking the people for what the temple had become ideologically as it did with the buy and selling.  The selling of animals for sacrifice was a necessary part of what the temple was and, since the temple used its own currency, someone had to be there to make change.  The more serious issues was that the temple had become a symbol of the violent revolution—a revolution like the one Judas Maccabeus had led—that had become the hope of the people.  But that's not how God's kingdom would come.  That wasn't what Jesus was about. What was really important about this was that Jesus' disruption of the temple put a temporary stop to the sacrifices that day.  This was another acted-out prophecy that brought to a culmination all of his declarations of forgiveness and healing that had bypassed the temple, the sacrificial system, and the priesthood.  This was Jesus' announcement that the temple's days were numbered.  God was about to do something not only new, but better.  Jesus points here to a coming new covenant in which he would take on the role of the temple himself, in which he would be the mediator between God and human beings, he would be the one in whom forgiveness of sins would be found, he would be the one to bring God and man, heaven and earth back together. So the Gospel today shows us this vignette from Jesus' ministry, showing us that in his first advent, Jesus was revealed to be the King whom God had promised to his people.  It also hints at the fact that, while Jesus has inaugurated something new, even now, two thousand years later, we await its final consummation. We still wait for Jesus' second advent.  And this leads us into our Epistle.  Let's look at Romans 13, beginning at verse 8: Don't owe anything to anyone, except the debt of mutual love, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.  For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this saying: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; so love is the fulfilment of the law.  (Romans 13:8-10) A shockwave went out across the world that first Easter morning when Jesus burst from his tomb.  The work of new creation was begun that day.  And yet, except for Jesus' followers, no one else seems to have noticed.  It's often remarkable to me these days, that even though the gospel conquered an empire and transformed Western Civilisation, that even in a post-Christians age, our world is still shaped by ideas like grace and mercy that were foreign to those pre-gospel civilisations, most people seem oblivious to it all.  The present age rumbles along, its rulers go on ruling, and people carry on with their business.  The old gods remain, even if we aren't so crass as to build temples with statues of them.  We may not worship Caesar or Aphrodite or Mammon, but we still worship money and sex and political power.  St. Paul knew that it's surprisingly easy for even Jesus' own people to forget that the kingdom is breaking in and the old powers have been stripped.  It's easy for us to fall back into the ways and priorities of the present age and to give half-hearted allegiance to Jesus.  That had been Israel's problem all along.  Brothers and Sisters, it should not be ours.  Jesus has filled us with his own Spirit.  The law that was once external and written on stone has now been inscribed on our hearts and our hearts have been turned to God.  As Israel had the Exodus behind them and an annual Passover celebration to remind them who they were and the glories that the Lord had done for them, we have the cross and the empty tomb behind us and the Lord's Supper to remind us—and as Jeremiah prophesied for us last Sunday, the Exodus pales in comparison to the glory revealed at the cross.  Problem solved!  Or so you'd think.  But we still need nearly constant reminders, we need to recall Jesus, his death and resurrection, we need God's word and we need his grace.  And so Paul reminds us that, as Jesus' people, it is essential to live the law of love that the Spirit has inscribed on our hearts. Paul puts all of this in terms of the torah and, specifically, the second table of the Ten Commandments: Don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't covet—just don't wrong your neighbour.  To love is to fulfil that law.  Paul uses the Greek word agape, which describes the sort of love that gives of oneself as it puts others first.  This is the love that Jesus showed us on the cross as he took on himself the sins of the very people who had rejected and despised him.  This is the love that defines the kingdom and that the Spirit has poured into our hearts.  Be in debt to no one, Paul writes, except to know that for the sake of Jesus and his kingdom, you owe everyone you meet a debt of love.  Imagine how effective the Church would be if we truly lived this way, coupled with being faithful proclaimers of the good news about Jesus. Instead, though, we're too often like the man who knows he's going to be late for work, but keeps hitting “snooze” on his alarm clock, rolling over, and going back to sleep.  Paul goes on: This is all the more important, because you know what time it is.  The hour has come for you to wake from sleep.  For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.  The night is nearly over; the day is at hand.  (Romans 13:11-12) Paul knew that Jesus would return.  Jesus had promised that the Lord would come in judgement on an unrepentant Jerusalem within a generation.  I think, too, that Paul saw another horizon beyond the destruction of Jerusalem.  After the Lord judged unrepentant Israel and vindicated his faithful people, a time would follow in which the gentiles would come streaming in, having seen the faithfulness of Israel's God.  While the other apostles were carrying the gospel to their fellow Jews, Paul had received a calling to carry it to the gentiles—so that they would hear the good news about Jesus, so that in that good news they would know the faithfulness of Israel's God, and ultimately that they would come to the God of Israel to give him glory.  The time was coming for the King's return in judgement, first on the Jews, and eventually on the gentiles.  He would finish what he had started.  The present evil age and its false gods and false kings would be done away with and God's new creation would be born.  Jesus' first advent was the alarm going off.  Jesus had announced a coming judgement, but in his life, death, and resurrection had established a means of reconciliation with God.  That day the first rays of the sun had begun to peek over the mountaintops.  And now, Paul's saying, the full day will soon be upon us.  So get out of bed and get dressed for work! And then he shifts the metaphor.  From “Get out of bed you sleepy-head” he takes a more serious tone.  It's one thing to sleep in when you should be getting ready for work.  It's a far worse thing to be out carousing all night when you know you've got work to do in the morning.  He goes on: The night is nearly over; the day is at hand.  So let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light.  Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.  Instead, put on the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and make no allowance for the flesh, to gratify its lusts.  (Romans 13:12-14) Laziness is bad and there are too many lazy Christians, but even worse are people who know they should be living for Jesus and the age to come, but are instead living for the present wicked age and its false gods and kings.  Paul makes a list of the wicked things people do under cover of darkness: they indulge their appetites, they get drunk, they get involved in all sorts of sexual sins.  But Paul doesn't stop there.  Because most Christians don't do those sorts of things, so Paul goes on with the list, from orgies and drunkenness to quarrelling and jealousy.  I think Paul puts it this way, because we're rightly horrified by those “really bad” sins, but then he follows up with sins that are all too common amongst Christians.  He puts these “respectable sins” in the same category with those unthinkable sins.  It's another wake-up call.  Some churches have self-destructed because of sexual immorality.  Many of us came from one of those churches.  But far more are torn apart by things like quarrelling and jealousy.  Christians get angry with each other, their relationships break down, sometimes churches even split.  These are the works of darkness and they're just as bad and just as unbecoming the people of God as drunken orgies are.  Going back to the first part of the Epistle, people who love their neighbours don't fight and don't become jealous any more than they get involved in sexual immorality. Instead, as befits living in the day, we put on the “armour of light”.  Paul hints at the fact that living as people of the day when we're surrounded by people of the darkness is going to be a struggle and, some days, a downright battle.  We put on the armour of light.  What is that?  Paul goes on to put it in terms of putting on the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.  But then what does that mean?  Paul uses this put on/put off metaphor a lot in his epistles and the gist of it is that we need to remember that we belong to the Lord and that he has made us new. Think of the Israelites.  Pharaoh had claimed them as his slaves, but the Lord had freed them.  But it wasn't freedom for freedom's sake.  The Lord freed Israel from Pharaoh's cruel bondage so that the people could serve him.  They went from belonging to a cruel king to belonging to the King—a king who loves his people.  The Lord would live in the midst of his people, that was his promise.  And, for their part, the people would live as befits people who belong to and fellowship with the Lord—that was the torah and the tabernacle. Brothers and Sisters, the same goes for us as Christians.  Through Jesus, the Lord has delivered us from our bondage to sin and death and has made us his own.  We once were in bondage to the darkness, but now have the privilege and joy of serving the light.  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11: Don't you know that the unjust will not inherit God's kingdom?  Don't be deceived!  Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor dunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers—none of these—will inherit the kingdom of God.  That is, of course, what some of you were!  But you were washed clean; you were made holy; you were put back to rights—in the name of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah and in the Spirit of our God. Brothers and Sisters, as Jesus changes everything, he has changed us.  We're not just the people who live camped around the tabernacle, like Old Testament Israel.  We've been united with Jesus, who is himself the tabernacle, Emanuel, God with us.  He's redeemed us from our bondage to sin and made us holy.  And he's made us, his very people, a temple into which he pours God's own Spirit.  It is astounding what Jesus has done for us, but somehow we're still prone to forgetting.  We hear the alarm sounding, we see the sun peeking through the curtains, and we roll over and go back to sleep.  We do that because we've forgotten the joy of our salvation.  We do that, because we've failed to steep ourselves in God's word.  We do that because we've neglected the fellowship and worship of the saints.  We do that because we've forgotten that God has made us stewards of his grace and of his good news.  We do that, because we've failed to think on and to meditate on the amazing and gracious love God has shown us in Jesus. Brothers and Sisters, the Lord knew we sometimes we would forget these things.  That's why he's given us means of grace to “stir us up” as we prayed in last week's collect.  He's given us each other.  Friends, the Church is a place where we confront each other in our sins and exhort each other to love and good works.  He's given us his word to prick our consciences when we go astray, to remind us of God's faithfulness when we're struggling to trust, and to show us the incredible depths of his love when we're tempted to take a ho-hum approach to our faith.  He's given us the sacraments.  In our baptism he has washed us clean and plunged us into his Spirit.  In that water he made each of us his own, just as he made Israel his own when she passed through the Red Sea.  And in the Lord's Supper he gives us a means of participating in the very events—in the death and resurrection of Jesus—that mark our exodus from the bondage of sin and death. Friends, be prepared.  Knowing that that King has come and that he will come again, avail yourselves this Advent of the means of grace.  Whether you've been carousing as if it were night, or you've been sleeping in while the alarm beeps away, or even if you've been busy about the work of the kingdom, steep yourselves in God's word, be reminded of the sinfulness of sin and of the love and the grace and the faithfulness of God towards us sinners.  Meditate on the cross and on the empty tomb.  Remember the baptismal water through which you once passed and find assurance that you belong to Jesus and that he has called you to the life of his kingdom.  And, finally, come to his Table.  Here is not only the manna in the wilderness for a hungry people.  Here is the bread and wine by which we participate in the death and resurrection of the King and find our identity as the people of God. Let's pray: Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

June 24: Birth of Saint John the Baptist First Century Solemnity; Liturgical Color: White or Gold Patron Saint of converts and epileptics A rugged forerunner cuts a path for his cousin “Dies natalis” means “birthday” or “anniversary” in Latin. But for early Christians, “dies natalis” referred to a martyr's date of death and its subsequent commemoration in the Church's liturgy, most typically through the assigning of a feast day. Most saints, martyrs or otherwise, are commemorated on, or near, the date of their death, the date their body was transferred to its final resting place, or on another significant date in their lives—date of ordination, coronation as pope, consecration as nun, etc. Besides Christ Himself, only two saints' birthdays are commemorated liturgically: The Virgin Mary's on September 8, exactly nine months after the Feast of her Immaculate Conception; and Saint John the Baptist's on June 24, today's feast. Saint Mary and Saint John were both sanctified, or made holy, before they first opened their eyes to the light or ever gulped a mouthful of fresh air. A long span of years did not turn them into saints. God made them holy from the start. So we commemorate their lives from the start, from their birthdays. Only the Gospel of Saint Luke tells us the details of John's birth. John's mother and father were Elizabeth and Zechariah. They were beyond the age for having children. But Zechariah, a priest who served in the Temple in Jerusalem, was told one night by the Archangel Gabriel that Elizabeth would give birth to a boy they must name John. Zechariah was dumbfounded. Literally, when he disbelieved this annunciation, he was rendered speechless until the child's birth. When his speech was finally restored, a torrent of praise gushed out in the canticle known as the Benedictus. It is prayed as part of the Breviary every single day at morning prayer by hundreds of thousands of priests and nuns the world over. Zechariah's prayer of praise lives on. The celebration of the nativity of John the Baptist is perhaps the oldest liturgical feast day in all Christendom, much older than the Feast of Christmas itself. It was at one time celebrated with three distinct Masses—vigil, dawn, and daytime—just like Christmas still is. The beheading of John, celebrated on August 29, is of equally ancient origin. The oldest liturgical books even, incredibly, indicate that there was once a liturgical commemoration of the conception of John the Baptist celebrated nine months prior to his birth, on September 24. Today's feast is placed three months after the Annunciation, on March 25, because that gospel scene tells us that Elizabeth, John's mother, was pregnant for six months at the time. Three more months take us to June 24. (The one-day discrepancy between March 25 and June 24 is an accident of counting. If December and June each had thirty-one days, there would be no discrepancy.) Three related feast days line up beautifully: March 25, the Annunciation; June 24, the birth of John the Baptist; December 25, the birth of Christ. John's birth foretells Christ's birth. Although the historical chronology may not be exact, the dates show the theological interconnection among the three feasts.All parents are naturally curious to discover the sex of their child in utero. Some allow themselves to be told the sex. Others wait in high suspense. Elizabeth and her spouse Zechariah were told by a winged messenger of God Himself that they would have a boy. That little boy grew to be a man, a great man among men who accepted death rather than swallow his words criticizing the powerful Herod Antipas. John ran ahead of Christ, clearing the ground so that the Lord's pathway would be clear. This forerunner baptized the Christ, preached and prophesied like the Christ, fasted and prayed like the Christ, and died for the truth like the Christ. But he did not rise from the dead like the Christ. There is only one Easter. We rejoice at Saint John the Baptist's birth, because what followed merits rejoicing. We rejoice at his birth, because of the generous God who intervenes in our lives, who discovers us before we discover Him. May the birth of Saint John the Baptist deepen our love for all unborn babies, who must be given the chance to grow, to live, and to become the great men and women God invites them to be. God respected the laws of human biology when intervening in history. May we follow His example of seeing every child, every life, as a gift.

Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.  Luke 1:64This line reveals the happy conclusion to Zechariah's initial failure to believe in what God revealed to him. Recall that nine months earlier, as Zechariah was fulfilling his priestly duty of offering sacrifice within the Holy of Holies in the Temple, he received a visit from the glorious Archangel Gabriel, who stands before God. Gabriel revealed to Zechariah the good news that his wife would conceive in her old age and that this child would be the one to prepare the people of Israel for the coming Messiah. What an incredible privilege that would have been! But Zechariah disbelieved. And as a result, the Archangel struck him mute for the nine months of his wife's pregnancy.The punishments of the Lord are always gifts of His grace. Zechariah was not punished out of spite, or for punitive reasons. Instead, this punishment was more like a penance. He was given the humbling penance of losing his ability to speak for nine months for a good reason. It appears as if God knew that Zechariah needed nine months to silently reflect upon what the Archangel had said. He needed nine months to ponder his wife's miraculous pregnancy. And he needed nine months to ponder who this child would be. And those nine months produced the desired effect of a full conversion of heart.After the child was born, it was expected that this firstborn son would be named after the father, Zechariah. But the Archangel had told Zechariah that the child was to be named John. Therefore, on the eighth day, the day of his son's circumcision when he was presented to the Lord, Zechariah wrote on a tablet that the baby's name was John. This was an act of faith and a sign that he had fully turned from disbelief to belief. And it was this act of faith that undid his prior doubt.Every one of our lives will be marked by failures to believe on the deepest level of faith. For that reason, Zechariah is a model for us of how we are to deal with our failures. We deal with them by allowing the consequences of past failures to change us for the good. We learn from our mistakes and move forward with new resolutions. This is what Zechariah did, and this is what we must do if we wish to learn from his good example.Reflect, today, upon any sin you have committed that has had painful consequences in your life. As you ponder that sin, the real question is where you go from here. Do you allow that past sin, or lack of faith, to dominate and control your life? Or do you use your past failures to make new resolutions and decisions for the future so as to learn from your mistakes? It takes courage, humility and strength to imitate the example of Zechariah. Seek to bring these virtues into your life this day.Lord, I know I lack faith in my life.  I fail to believe all that You speak to me.  As a result, I often fail to put Your words into action.  Dear Lord, when I suffer as a result of my weakness, help me to know that this and all suffering can result in giving glory to You if I renew my faith.  Help me, like Zechariah, to return to You always, and use me as an instrument of Your manifest glory.  Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2022 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Zechariah and Mary were both foretold of their child's birth. Zechariah of his son, John the Baptist, and Mary of her son, Jesus. But Zechariah and Mary had very different responses after hearing the news. They both had questions - but their questions were different. Join us as we dive in and learn from them as we walk through Advent, anticipating the birth of Jesus.

There are no pointless prayers! I began to mediate on this after reading an article by Marcus Warner, where he points out the story of Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. They were childless and Elizabeth was long past child-bearing age. But Zechariah, who was a priest, had many times prayed for a son. No doubt it felt like a pointless prayer at this point in their lives, but as he was praying before the altar of incense, he encountered an angel who told him his prayers had been answered. And indeed in a short time Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist. As Marcus writes, “Zechariah had offered many “pointless” prayers for his wife, Elizabeth. Realistically, she was never going to have a child—not now, not at her age. But it turns out, there are no throwaway prayers. God had heard them, and God was about to act.” “How about you? Have you given up praying for someone or something because the prayers have begun to feel pointless? You never know,” as Marcus says, “An angel may already be on the way.” Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.” So, prayer can take many different forms and we should pray about everything—on all occasions. What does this verse teach us about praying? First, it says, Pray in the Spirit What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? It simply means that we need the Holy Spirit to help us with our prayers. Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Praying in the Spirit does not refer to the words we are saying. Rather, it refers to how we are praying. Praying in the Spirit is praying according to the Spirit's leading. It is praying for things the Spirit leads us to pray for and it is trusting the Spirit to pray for us. When you feel like your prayers are pointless—or maybe you just don't even know how to pray about a certain situation—just ask God's Spirit to present your heart's request to God. That is praying in the Spirit.

There are no pointless prayers! I began to mediate on this after reading an article by Marcus Warner, where he points out the story of Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. They were childless and Elizabeth was long past child-bearing age. But Zechariah, who was a priest, had many times prayed for a son. No doubt it felt like a pointless prayer at this point in their lives, but as he was praying before the altar of incense, he encountered an angel who told him his prayers had been answered. And indeed in a short time Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist. As Marcus writes, “Zechariah had offered many “pointless” prayers for his wife, Elizabeth. Realistically, she was never going to have a child—not now, not at her age. But it turns out, there are no throwaway prayers. God had heard them, and God was about to act.” “How about you? Have you given up praying for someone or something because the prayers have begun to feel pointless? You never know,” as Marcus says, “An angel may already be on the way.” Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.” So, prayer can take many different forms and we should pray about everything—on all occasions. What does this verse teach us about praying? First, it says, Pray in the Spirit What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? It simply means that we need the Holy Spirit to help us with our prayers. Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Praying in the Spirit does not refer to the words we are saying. Rather, it refers to how we are praying. Praying in the Spirit is praying according to the Spirit's leading. It is praying for things the Spirit leads us to pray for and it is trusting the Spirit to pray for us. When you feel like your prayers are pointless—or maybe you just don't even know how to pray about a certain situation—just ask God's Spirit to present your heart's request to God. That is praying in the Spirit.

GOSPEL POWER l JUNE 23, 2022 Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist Gospel: Lk 1:57-66, 80 57The time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. 60But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” 61They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” 62Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. …80The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel. The beginning of the Lucan Gospel is like a bridge that provides a gradual transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The Old is not discarded, and the New does not render the Old irrelevant. Rather, the New is born out of the Old, and its meaning can only be understood in the light of the Old. The story of John the Baptist's birth to an elderly couple can be read from this perspective. This marvelous event is the work of the same God, who is both the God of promises (Old Testament) and of fulfillment (New Testament). Elizabeth's relatives and neighbors, having no idea of the newness God is bringing about, want to impose the accepted tradition of giving the child an old name — his father's name. Elizabeth protests, so they turn to Zechariah for approval. But Zechariah's nine months of silence have taught him the wisdom of welcoming God's surprises. He, too, surprises everyone as he writes: “John is his name,” at which he regains his speech. Lord Jesus, help us to trust the newness that God wants to bring about whenever we are thrown into crisis. May the experience lead us to a new discovery of the graciousness of God. Amen

INTRODUCTION Because you're confronted with it each Sunday, it might be easy to think that our musical style is high up on the list of important Christ Church distinctives. In actuality, it's further down the list in importance. Not unimportant, but not of first importance. You could hang around for a good while without knowing the first thing about our eschatology, which actually looms large over much of what we do around here. This text is an instance of both distinctives being woven together, providing an opportunity to highlight why we worship the way we do, and what that has to do with the end of the world. THE TEXT The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David... (Zech. 12:7-13:3). SUMMARY OF THE TEXT Zechariah, along with the other later prophets, encourage the returning exiles in the work of rebuilding Jerusalem. Though enemies threatened the work, those dwelling in tents wouldn't be more vulnerable than those in the more secure habitations (2:7). Jehovah would defend His people; the feeblest would be like David in the height of his greatness, and the house of David would be as God, an angelic warrior of the Lord (2:8). With such a warrior within her, no enemy shall overcome this New Jerusalem (2:9). Upon the house of David, God's spirit of grace & supplication would be poured out; they would look upon a pierced Warrior-God, whom they pierced, and greatly mourn Him (2:10, Cf. Jn. 19:37). They'd mourn as Judah had once mourned for the death of good king Josiah (2:11, Cf. 2 Kg. 23:29, 2 Chr. 35:22-25). Every family & household––royal & priestly, great & small, husband & wife––would mourn (2:12-14). In that day, a cleansing fountain would rain down on the house of David, cleansing sin & all uncleanness (3:1). This fountain will wash away both idolatry & false prophecy (3:2-3). THE HOUSE OF DAVID It isn't a stretch to say that David is the central character of the Old Testament. His reign is the crescendo of the OT narrative, and after his reign, Israel falls into a sad decline. The centuries after David are filled with nostalgic yearning for that Golden Era. The prophets foresee that Davidic glory returning. Later Psalmists are both students & conservators of David's musical brilliance. Zechariah is no exception to invoking Davidic imagery. He uses the term “house of David” because of how laden it is with historic significance, liturgical bearing, and Messianic meaning. The historic significance which is used here is to remind the exiles of David as Israel's champion. The House of David was the undisputed Royal household, so it would be quite natural for the regathering Jews to look there for God's deliverance. But Zechariah also draws out one of David's other significant contributions. David brought musical worship into a prominent part of the religious life of Israel. His preparations to build the temple were motivated by an insight that is expressed throughout many of the Psalms: behind God's command for burnt offerings, was a greater desire for contrite sacrifices praise (Cf. Ps. 51:16-17, 69:30-31). One of David's most important episodes was the building of the tabernacle of David on Mount Zion, in order to bring the Ark of Covenant to a permanent resting place. This tabernacle wasn't identical to the one which the Levites offered animal sacrifice in (that was in Shiloh, and later in Gibeah). This tabernacle of David, in the stronghold of David, in the city of David was full, not of the smoke of burnt offerings, but with the sound of Psalms. Zechariah's prophesies that the Spirit of true prayer would return to the lips of David's household. Finally, we cannot miss the Messianic hope latent in this reference to David's house. God's promise to David was that he would not fail to have an heir sit on the throne (1 Ki. 2:4). Zechariah picks up on this promise and foretells that David's house would arise like the avenging Angel of the Lord; a real  boon of hope to the feeble regathering exiles then dwelling in Jerusalem. The Messianic promise was that David's Son would conquer all enemies, wash all the people, cleanse them from their idolatry & false prophets. This Messianic Angel would be pierced in the battle, but still He would wash the entire house of David & Jerusalem clean. A SERVICE OF SONG Zechariah expresses the Messianic promise as a renewal of a spirit of grace and supplication. This Spirit would rest in a particular way upon the house of David. Matthew Henry makes a wonderful comment on this passage: “When God intends great mercy for his people the first thing he does is to set them a praying.” It's no small matter that a large portion of our worship service is comprised of spoken & sung prayers. An enterprising 5th grader might tally up 19 prayers in our service. This is a service of prayer. We bring our supplications to the Lord, and it is fitting that we do so with glorious music. The casual air of our age has led many to misinterpret what it means to come before the throne of grace with boldness. We slap indie-band chord progressions on the lyrics of a High School cheerleader's diary, and think it a worthy offering to Royal David's heir. We come boldly, not impudently. Singing is a peculiar feature of the Christian faith. We owe that heritage to David. When God sets out to grant revival and reform, it is always accompanied by His Spirit. That Spirit energizes us, to come by the blood of David's heir, to bring our pleas to the Father. It does no good just to have songs. We must have the Spirit. And if we have the Spirit, we will also recover the singing of Psalms with joyful reverence (Ps. 105:2, Eph. 5:19, Jam 5:13). WEEKLY RENEWAL OF AN ETERNAL COVENANT Weekly worship in the Lord's house shouldn't be viewed as merely an activity to entertain religious people. Rather, this is a weekly ratification of a vow which God made to David. But that vow is older than even David. It was a covenant more ancient that Moses. It predated Abram. God's covenant mercies existed long before the bow was hung in the sky for Noah to behold. For the covenant of grace was in the heart of God even before He promised a skull-crushing heel to the Serpent. Christ gathers up all these iterations of the covenant of grace in himself, and by Him we order our service to follow that pattern of covenant renewal. He calls us by His Word. He convicts us of our sin, commanding us to confess our sin. He consecrates us as His own, by His Word preached. He communes with us in a feast of bread & wine. He commissions us to walk in our covenant duties by covenant grace. Our worship is the dawning of New Covenant glory (Jer. 31, Ez. 36:25-27) FOLLOWING A DAVIDSON TO CONQUEST The worship of the saints isn't a peripheral aspect of Christian faith. The Son of David has bought the world. The kingdom is His. Look on Him who was pierced. We now sing His praise. We render worship to him. Are there idols in your own heart? The Goliath-slayer will not tolerate mixing praise for idols with His praise. Are you besieged by great enemies? The Lord pours out His Spirit of grace and supplication. So call upon God to deliver. The mighty, Angelic Messiah, the Christ, the Lord's anointed Messenger shall conquer all His enemies. He conquers by filling the house of David with David's songs. Bending before the rightful King, singing His praise, is how we overcome. A Davidson has taken up the world's government by taking His rightful place upon the Israel's throne. We worship & serve Him, and this praise shall crescendo until all His many enemies fall. Our worship each Sunday foretells the end of the World: Jesus shall reign.

June 24: Birth of Saint John the BaptistFirst CenturySolemnity; Liturgical Color: White or GoldPatron Saint of converts and epilepticsA rugged forerunner cuts a path for his cousin“Dies natalis” means “birthday” or “anniversary” in Latin. But for early Christians, “dies natalis” referred to a martyr's date of death and its subsequent commemoration in the Church's liturgy, most typically through the assigning of a feast day. Most saints, martyrs or otherwise, are commemorated on, or near, the date of their death, the date their body was transferred to its final resting place, or on another significant date in their lives—date of ordination, coronation as pope, consecration as nun, etc. Besides Christ Himself, only two saints' birthdays are commemorated liturgically: The Virgin Mary's on September 8, exactly nine months after the Feast of her Immaculate Conception; and Saint John the Baptist's on June 24, today's feast. Saint Mary and Saint John were both sanctified, or made holy, before they first opened their eyes to the light or ever gulped a mouthful of fresh air. A long span of years did not turn them into saints. God made them holy from the start. So we commemorate their lives from the start, from their birthdays.Only the Gospel of Saint Luke tells us the details of John's birth. John's mother and father were Elizabeth and Zechariah. They were beyond the age for having children. But Zechariah, a priest who served in the Temple in Jerusalem, was told one night by the Archangel Gabriel that Elizabeth would give birth to a boy they must name John. Zechariah was dumbfounded. Literally, when he disbelieved this annunciation, he was rendered speechless until the child's birth. When his speech was finally restored, a torrent of praise gushed out in the canticle known as the Benedictus. It is prayed as part of the Breviary every single day at morning prayer by hundreds of thousands of priests and nuns the world over. Zechariah's prayer of praise lives on.The celebration of the nativity of John the Baptist is perhaps the oldest liturgical feast day in all Christendom, much older than the Feast of Christmas itself. It was at one time celebrated with three distinct Masses—vigil, dawn, and daytime—just like Christmas still is. The beheading of John, celebrated on August 29, is of equally ancient origin. The oldest liturgical books even, incredibly, indicate that there was once a liturgical commemoration of the conception of John the Baptist celebrated nine months prior to his birth, on September 24.Today's feast is placed three months after the Annunciation, on March 25, because that gospel scene tells us that Elizabeth, John's mother, was pregnant for six months at the time. Three more months take us to June 24. (The one-day discrepancy between March 25 and June 24 is an accident of counting. If December and June each had thirty-one days, there would be no discrepancy.) Three related feast days line up beautifully: March 25, the Annunciation; June 24, the birth of John the Baptist; December 25, the birth of Christ. John's birth foretells Christ's birth. Although the historical chronology may not be exact, the dates show the theological interconnection among the three feasts. All parents are naturally curious to discover the sex of their child in utero. Some allow themselves to be told the sex. Others wait in high suspense. Elizabeth and her spouse Zechariah were told by a winged messenger of God Himself that they would have a boy. That little boy grew to be a man, a great man among men who accepted death rather than swallow his words criticizing the powerful Herod Antipas. John ran ahead of Christ, clearing the ground so that the Lord's pathway would be clear. This forerunner baptized the Christ, preached and prophesied like the Christ, fasted and prayed like the Christ, and died for the truth like the Christ. But he did not rise from the dead like the Christ. There is only one Easter. We rejoice at Saint John the Baptist's birth, because what followed merits rejoicing. We rejoice at his birth, because of the generous God who intervenes in our lives, who discovers us before we discover Him.May the birth of Saint John the Baptist deepen our love for all unborn babies, who must be given the chance to grow, to live, and to become the great men and women God invites them to be. God respected the laws of human biology when intervening in history. May we follow His example of seeing every child, every life, as a gift.

Foresee the Future, Press on in the Present Please turn to Zechariah chapter 8 for our sermon text reading this morning. You'll find that on page 946 in the pew Bibles. We'll be focusing on verses 1-17.This is a continuation of what was happening in chapter 7. A group from nearby Bethel had come to Jerusalem to ask about their religious practices. With the temple being rebuild, did they need to continue their ceremonial fasts. God answered by warning them about false religion. That's what chapter 7 revealed. True religion and false religion. Part of God's warning was not to be like their ancestors who broke God's covenant because of their empty religion.Chapter 8 continues God's answer. Chapter 7 was the bad news with the warning. And chapter 8 here is the good news and the promise. God's covenant faithfulness will win the day.Let's now turn our attention to God's Word.Reading of Zechariah 8:1-17PrayerIntroductionThe city of Warsaw, Poland was decimated by World War II. By the end of the war, 60% of its population had been killed. That's 800,000 Warsaw residents. 250,000 others had been deported. 100% of the railways and bridges were obliterated. 95% percent of Warsaw's theaters and cinemas gone. 90% of industry and healthcare buildings destroyed… the list goes on. Hitler's army intentionally destroyed the historic downtown. The city looked like a war zone for years. It had once been a thriving city. For most of its 1000 year history, it enjoyed prosperity and peace. But in a matter of 6 years, it lay in ruins. On the outside, a rebuild seemed hopeless. Poland even considered moving its capital to another city, but they didn't. No the people of Warsaw and Poland pressed on with hope.In November of 1946, just over a year after the war, a photographer set up his camera in the middle of Warsaw. In the background, buildings all around were half-destroyed. Debris and dirty snow littered the streets. This photographer found a couple of wooden posts and secured them with whatever he could find. Between the wooden posts, he hung a metal pole. And he draped this beautiful mural over it. It had green trees and a beautiful lake, with a large mansion in the background. Quite the contrast to the city around him. He then placed a chair in front of the mural and people would come, sit in the chair, and he would take their picture with the beautiful back drop.There's a famous photograph of the whole scene. A Polish woman sitting in the chair with a huge smile, holding flowers as the photographer hunched over his camera. The picture shows it all - the idealistic mural, the photographer, the woman, the snow, the destroyed buildings of Warsaw in the background. And you get a sense that while they may have been living in devastated city, there was still hope left for the future.It's really a picture of our text this morning.Jerusalem had been devastated. God's people wavered between hope and despair. Many skeptical of whether Jerusalem would again prosper. Yet through these verses, God painted for them a beautiful picture of a restored city, flourishing, and at peace. And God called them to stay strong, promising that Jerusalem would again prosper, way beyond what they could imagine.That's the call for us today – to take hold of the future promises of a new Jerusalem in heaven… and therefore to press on in the present, knowing it will come about.These verses have present promises, and future promises. And all of these promises are reinforced by the Lord's declaration.Look at verse 2. Notice that it begins with the phrase “thus says the Lord of Hosts.” And notice that verse 3 begins with the same phrase. And verse 4 the same things. Do you see that? The phrase “thus says the Lord” is repeated 7 times. Verses 2,3,4,6,7,9, and 14. What God is saying is that these promises are true and will be true. God is assuring them of that.One of the present promises is there in verse 3, “thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion.” Zion was the prominent mountain next to Jerusalem. It represented the general area. Sometimes Zion is used interchangeably with Jerusalem or with God's people. So, God was pronouncing to them that he had already returned. He was already with them. And all throughout the rest of these verses, God declared future promises. Over and over God says “I will” and “it shall” or “there shall” or “you shall.” And those future promises are connected with Jerusalem, the city.So, in other words, God promised that his presence was in Zion already, and he promised a future for Jerusalem. They were to look at the future promises of Jerusalem, but live in their present situation, knowing that God was with them.I hope that gives you a sense of the overall purpose.And isn't that what we're called to? God promises us heaven. An eternal home. With all the messiness of life and the world around us, we have that hope and we can live in the present knowing of the future.1. Covet the Covenant (8:8)But where does it all begin? That ability to live in the present with the future in mind? For God's people, it begins with knowing God's covenant promise.Let me direct your attention to the back of the bulletin. You'll see an outline. Three points:1. Covet the Covenant 2. Foresee the Future3. Press on in the PresentReally, these two chapters, 7 and 8, have a lot of parallels with the visions in the first 6 chapters. The visions gave the people a lot of promises. The promise of God's presence. The promise of the temple and salvation, the promise of protection and people and peace.But Zechariah's visions never answered the question, “why?” Like, why would God make all these promises? I mean, God's people had rejected him. Why would God promise to restore them?Well, chapter 8 answers the question, “why?” Why? Because God is a covenant keeping God. His covenant faithfulness will prevail.I named this point “Covet the Covenant.” Covet in a good way, here. Desiring it. Always thinking about God's covenant promise. Longing for it. We find covenant language in two places in this chapter. First, at the very beginning of verse 2. God says he is very jealous for Zion. That language is covenantal language. Back in Deuteronomy 4, God said to his people, don't worship other gods and forget my covenant. Why? Because I am a jealous God. The idea is that God is jealous in love. God's people had walked away from him. But he was jealous. He wanted their affection. He wanted them to want him as their God.Back before Amy and I got married, I rented a room from a friend. And he was dating a nice girl. But she broke it off. She decided that he wasn't the one for her. Of course, my friend was distraught. He came home and he talked, and I listened. And as he was talking, something changed in him. He decided he wasn't going to take no for an answer. So he reached out to her… and they got together to talk. And he said something like “you may think you don't want me, but I want you and we're going to keep dating.” And do you know what she said? “Ok!” I think he was very surprised. They're married now with kids.Now, for you single guys out there, that doesn't always work.But for God, he was jealous for his people. God desired her back. And he would not give up. That is God's covenant faithfulness, pursuing his people.The end of verse 8 is really the key covenantal promise here. It says, “And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness”God established a covenant promise. It's a relational contract that he would not let them go. It answers the “why” question of the visions. Why? Because I promised, says the Lord, and I will never go back on my promise.Ultimately, this covenantal promise is fulfilled in Christ. • We could not fulfill our side of the agreement. We rejected God and his commands just like the previous generations that were exiled. But Christ came. He fulfilled the demands of the covenant on our behalf. • All of the consequences that the previous generation endured for breaking God's covenant… Jesus endured for his people. • The death and exile from God's presence that they suffered, Jesus suffered for us on the cross. And through that, through Christ, God fulfilled his covenant faithfulness for his people. This is the foundation to all of God's promises. Related to these verses, it's why and how God's promises have and will come to pass. Everything about the promised Jerusalem that we're about to see, will come true, because God promised it and he's a covenant keeping God.It's a call to believe in what Christ has done and to believe in the promise of what he will do. Believe in his promises. Covet the covenant.2. Foresee the Future (8:3-13)Ok, point number 2: Foresee the future.Because of his covenant faithfulness, God promised that he would restore Jerusalem. But rather than just say “I'm going to restore the city,” he painted for them a word picture. Like a beautifully painted mural of a beautifully restored city. It's for them to hang on their walls and display in the city. It's an overwhelming picture of the future. He wants them to envision what the future city will be like.It's all throughout these verses.• Verse 3 – “I will dwell in her midst.” “She shall be called a faithful city, a mountain of the lord” God will be there with his abundant blessing.• Verses 4 and 5 paint a picture of an abundance of people of all ages. Old men and women will again sit in her streets. They will be sharing their wisdom. Her streets will be full of boys and girls playing, with no fear of harm.• Verse 6 – “Marvelous” is the word used. The city will be marvelous for the people and marvelous God himself.• Verse 7 – God will gather people from all over – east and west. And added to that, we're back to verse 8, God's covenant promise of a restored relationship with him. We'll spend more on the people part at the end of chapter 8.• Verses 10 and 11 – protection from their enemies and abundant resources to go around.• And last, verse 12 – peace and prosperity. No more war, but peace. Remember, besides the destroyed city walls and temple, the land was also barren. That was part of God response to breaking his covenant. But the future promise is the prosperity of the land. In verse 12, the rain will come and water the earth. It will overflow with food in abundance.So peace, prosperity, protection, people, and presence. This would be the new Jerusalem for them.But I think you would agree, this is a very idealistic picture. Is it too good to be true? When we started our study of Zechariah, one of the things we talked about was how prophecy is fulfilled. There is usually both a near-term and a long-term fulfillment. The near term is often a shadow of the long term. A shadow meaning it's like the long-term fulfillment, but it's weak and incomplete.The picture here is of a Jerusalem way beyond what could be fulfilled on earth. That's because the picture is looking past a restored earthly Jerusalem to a heavenly Jerusalem. Yes, for them, there's still the near-term promise that Jerusalem's walls would be restored and the temple rebuilt. But this picture goes way beyond an earthly Jerusalem to the new Jerusalem in heaven for us: An eternal heavenly city, the river of life flowing through it, with perfect peace, overwhelming prosperity, people from all over with no more fear or sadness or sickness or death, with the light of God's presence everywhere.This is a picture of the new Jerusalem for you.In our homes, we hang up pictures of the past. Sometimes on the wall going up the stairs. Or picture frames scattered around… you know, wedding pictures; family portraits from long ago; trips or favorite vacation spots. Pictures also helps us remember dear loved ones gone from this word. Memories of past. On our devices and social media, we display pictures of the past.Well, God is giving us pictures of the future to hang on our walls. Pictures of the new Jerusalem to come in all of it's splendor. Pictures of joy and celebration and peace. And we need to hang them on our walls, next to the pictures of the past. We need to see the future pictures when we wake, and as we walk down the stairs. It needs to be the background of our phones. This Zechariah 8 mural of the future celestial city needs to hang on our living room wall. Like the woman in that 1946 photograph of Warsaw… we need to imagine ourselves in the mural with the beautiful lake and trees. She probably took that photograph and hung it on her wall. Foresee the future. Through God's covenant faithfulness, he will bring it to pass. Eternity in God's presences with the peace, prosperity, people, and protection of the new Jerusalem.3. Press on in the Present (8:3,9,13,15,17)Why is this helpful, though? Why would God paint for them and us this beautiful future city?The answer is this: So that we can press on in the present. Having the hope of the heavenly city, imagining those future pictures throughout our house will help us press on in the present. We're at point #3.Scattered through this future visualization are commands for the present.Look at verse 9. “Thus says the Lord of hosts. Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words.” Let your hands be strong. In other words, continue the work. Seek to faithfully continue in your labors here in the present.Have you heard that saying before “He's so heavenly minded that he's no earthy good.” Actually, our heavenly mindedness should result in earthly goodness. Living out and working out our faith in the present.The command to “let your hands be strong” is repeated down in verse 13. Verse 13, by the way, is the conclusion of the picture… it says “so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.” It's like a big therefore statement. I showed you all these things… THEREFORE do not fear, let your hands be strong. Press on in the present, knowing where you're going in the future. That phrase “do not fear” is also repeated down in verse 15. So I have purposed to bring good to Jerusalem…. Therefore “fear not.” Do not fear what is going on around you, but persevere as you strive for the future.On our family vacations, we like to explore new places. Last summer we drove all the way to Oregon. We'd never been there before, and we wanted to see Crater Lake, and the Columbia River Gorge, and Mount Hood, and Willowa Lake. We'd seen pictures of those places, but we wanted to be there. It's a lot of work to plan. Amy prepares the food and packs the RV. I plan the route and accommodations and get the vehicle ready. We know that on the way, we'll run into rain and heat waves and traffic. Every trip, we've had some kind of mechanical problem. But having the destination in mind with pictures, helps us not to fear the dangers on the way. It motivates us to work in the present, looking forward to the future. And when we finally arrived in Oregon, it was all worth it. Pressing on in the present is having that vision of the future – the new Jerusalem in our hearts and minds and working toward that destination in the present.Part of the immediate context was continuing to rebuild the temple and the city. That's why they were to keep their hands strong. But it's not the only thing that God told them to do. Verses 16 and 17 expand on that. And God is very direct. “These are the things you shall do…” and then God lists several things. Speak truth… render true judgments… do not devise evil… and love no false oath. They were to live out God's commands in their lives… in the present.Some of you may recognize the list. It's a similar list to chapter 7. Remember, one of the tests of true religion is demonstrating our true faith in what we do and say. It's repeated here because the future vision of a new Jerusalem should also spur us on toward truth, justice, and peace and not evil or false promises.So, to summarize, pressing on in the present is really two things: 1) First, pressing on in the work and ministry that God has called us to as his people, his church… despite the threats and difficulties around us that could cause us to lose hope.2) Second, pressing on in our lives, living out God's commands… despite the temptations and other situations which could cause us to fall into sin or evil.And a main motivation for both pursuits comes from the promised new Jerusalem – the beautiful heavenly city of God to which he will bring us. It's a promise that we will realize one day. God has promised it and he is a covenant keeping God. If you know and believe in him, you are part of his people. He has jealously pursued you, and he will not let you go.ConclusionIt's now been about 75 years since World War 2 ended. The people of Poland, with some outside help, pressed on in the rebuilding of their capital. The work began in earnest in the late 1940s and continued for over 30 years. Warsaw's downtown district was meticulously rebuilt. They even used paintings from decades earlier. Destroyed monuments were reconstructed. People from all over Poland donated time and efforts to rebuild their capital. Over time, Warsaw turned from a war zone to one of the leading cultural and economic centers in eastern Europe. Today, its metro area is home to over 3 million and its once again thriving.The people of Warsaw and Poland had a picture in mind of a restored city. With that vision, they pressed on for years with strong hands. And they saw their vision become a reality.Theirs was an earthly vision which they hoped would come true. Our is a heavenly vision which we are assured will come true. How much more so, then, should we press on seeing this picture of a beautiful new Jerusalem. As God's people, it will be our, because of the covenant promises fulfilled in Christ.So, Covet the Covenant – desire Christ, the covenant keeper, who by his blood has made you eternally his if you believe in him by faith.Foresee the Future – Be amazed at the wonders of the new Jerusalem to come in heaven.And Press on in the Present, pursuing God's calling and his commands, knowing that his promises are eternal and true… for “thus says the Lord of Hosts.”

A Picture of Might, A Prayer for MercyWe're venturing into new territory this morning. Prophetic visions in the Bible.If you'll look on the back of your bulletin, you'll see where we are headed. But before we even read our passage this morning, I wanted to familiarize you with how to interpret Biblical visions. We're more used to other types of Scripture – like history or poetry or letters. Even regular prophecy is probably more familiar than visions. In the Bible, we find these kind of visions in three main places: the Old Testament book of Daniel, the last book of the Bible, Revelation, and here in Zechariah. There are some other visions, but these are the main ones.Furthermore, we sometimes call these visions apocalyptic visions. That word apocalyptic is the word “revelation.” God has revealed these visions. And they often have strange things in them that we are unfamiliar with. Like in the book of Revelation – multi-headed dragons and beasts. In our Zechariah passage this morning, there are different-colored horses and horns. In later chapters there are walls of fire and flying scrolls. Overall, these images are other-worldly… they are dream-like. And it raises our curiosity but also our confusion.But the visions serve a purpose. Visions in the Bible are there to give Gospel hope and comfort to a people who are overwhelmed in some way. For example, the visions in Revelation were given to the persecuted church, to give them hope. The visions here in Zechariah are similar. They were given to the returned remnant who were overwhelmed at the situation in Jerusalem.One commentator I read said it this way – these visions give us a heavenly perspective of earthly matters. You see, these visions pull back the curtain for us, giving us a glimpse of God's glory and his work. Through that heavenly perspective, they give Gospel hope and comfort to God's people. We'll see that over and over in Zechariah.Ok, that's what visions are for… but let me give you two essential keys to interpreting visions:• First, when you come across a strange element like an animal or tree, or an other-worldly place… the most important first step is to look for other places in Scripture with that imagery. That will give us direction on how they should be interpreted. Let me give you an example. Revelation 9 mentions locusts rising out of smoke from the bottomless pit. They are not helicopters, as some will tell you. No, instead, we would need to go back to the Egyptian plagues OR the prophet Joel. We would then understand the locusts represent God's judgement. The readers or hearers of the visions in Revelation or Daniel, or here in Zechariah would have a better foundation to understand these things.• Second, visions typically have both a near-term and a long-term fulfillment. The near-term is often understandable in the historical situation… and we need to start with the near-term, with the immediate fulfillment. But we also need to see the long-term fulfillment of visions, which is a spiritual or heavenly fulfillment. And there's often a Gospel component to the fulfillment in Christ. In Zechariah's visions, we'll see both the near-term earthly fulfillment and the long-term spiritual or heavenly fulfillment. We'll see some of that this morning.• And let me say, when you misunderstand the near-term or long-term fulfillment of visions… that is when problems arise. For example, when someone interprets all the apocalyptic visions in Revelation to be fulfilled on earth at the end times… then you end up with all these strange ideas and predictions. But if, instead, you see the visions as relating to God's Gospel fulfillment in Christ with a spiritual and heavenly fulfillment, then all of a sudden the pieces of the puzzle come together. Revelation is just an extension of what the rest of the Bible teaches about faith, Jesus, God's sovereignty, hope in heaven, and Christ's return.Here's the summary of all of that: Visions encourage and give Gospel hope to God's people; interpretation needs to begin with the Bible; and last, vision most often have a near-term earthly fulfillment and a long-term spiritual or heavenly fulfillment.Are you ready? Let's now come to God's Word.Reading of Zechariah 1:7-21Prayer1A) A picture of might: Vision 1 – Horses: God's sovereign dominion over all creation (1:7-11)I know some of you kids like riding horses at summer camp. Camp horses are nice, but the horses pictured in Zechariah 1 are horses of battle. Trained. Muscular. Mighty. Horses referenced throughout the Scriptures represent military might. They display the power of a kingdom. They show the readiness for battle. And there's actually more than just four horses! In the original language, the color of the horses are also plural. So there are multiple red horses, and sorrel horses, and white horses. And presumably they each have riders, because they are sent out on a task and they report back.So the first vision given to Zechariah is one of might and dominion. And at the center of the vision is a rider on a red horse. He's identified as the angel of the Lord. And he's standing – meaning he and the horse he's mounted on – next to a group of myrtle trees. You ask, why myrtle trees? Well, a myrtle tree in Palestine referred to a flowering tree whose leaves are evergreen. Myrtle trees symbolized God's covenant care and blessing. Take for example, Isaiah 55, which speaks of the Lord's compassion … verse 13 reads, “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” This is similar to the myrtles used in the Old Testament feast of booths. The people built tents out of myrtle branches as a sign of God's protection in the wilderness.So the Angel of the Lord is arrayed with these horses, representing God's dominion and might, and they are among the myrtles trees indicating God's blessing and protection. And then the horses are sent out to patrol the land, to oversee all and to ensure that the will of God is being accomplished. And they report that yes, indeed, God's dominion is sure.Think of Zechariah's generation and their situation. They felt like the Lord was not with them. They felt vulnerable. To them, it was like the Lord was not in control. Yes, they may have been back in Jerusalem, but it certainly didn't feel as if God was fulfilling his promises. The Persian kingdom controlled the region. The people lived in the rubble of a half-built city with a half-built temple. They felt alone and despaired of their situation.So you see, this vision of the Angel of the Lord with the horses was exactly the spiritual encouragement they needed. Do you see now how this is a heavenly perspective of an earthly situation? God was saying to them, “you may not see how this is all working out – but by my might and through my dominion, everything is being fulfilled according to my sovereign plan.” 1B) A picture of might: Vision 2 – Horns: God's victory over his and our enemies (1:18-21)We're going to come back to what happens next in the first vision. But I want you to jump down to the second vision (that starts in verse 18). This is a parallel vision. The first vision pointed to God's dominion. This second vision points to his conquering power over his enemies.And again, it's a strange image for us. Four horns, verse 18. These are the horns of a wild beast. The power and weapon of an animal is in its horns. What do they represent? Well, Zechariah asked the angel. By the way, this is a different angel than the Angel of the Lord on the red horse. This angel is the one showing Zechariah the visions. The angel responded that these four horns represent the earthly kingdoms that have overthrown and scattered Israel and Judah. And really, the horns represent all the earthly kingdoms opposed to God. The number four often represents the breadth of something… the four winds over all the earth, or the four groups of horses roaming over all the earth. Zechariah's generation knew that Judah and Jerusalem were at the mercy of earthly kingdoms. They were vulnerable. The land of Judah was at the crossroads of east and west. So they were often at the center of conflict. And they knew it. So they were distraught at the situation, they had no hope for future control or stability. And they had every reason to feel that way. Over the next 500 years, two other kingdoms - the Greeks and then the Romans would conquer the region.But the vision continued. Zechariah was next shown four craftsmen. These may represent builders. Like builders who would rebuild the city and rebuild God's house. Or they may instead represent blacksmiths – forging weapons of war. The craftsmen are also described as horns. And they would cast down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against God's people. It's a picture of the conquering might of the Lord. No earthly power could overcome the power and might of the Lord in his sovereignty. So these craftsmen and other horns… they represent the deliverance and victory of the Lord over his and our enemies.So, let's take these two visions together. God's dominion and power. They point to the sovereignty of God over all things. It's a message of hope and steadfastness in the midst of despair or fear or uncertainty.I know that we each feel those burdens to one extent or another. Maybe now, or maybe in the past, or maybe in the future. Despair at situations that seem hopeless. Fear and uncertainty because of sin around you and sin within you. And it's not just an individual thing. These feelings apply to us corporately. Fear of what can or may happen to the church. The church seems to be very much at the mercy of the nation states of the world. We have many more freedoms in our country, but that's changing. Think of the church in China, at the mercy of the so-called “people's republic”. Or the church in North Korea, suffering under intense persecution. Or in parts of Africa and most recently, Afghanistan.God is saying to them and to us, “all dominion and power and authority and might belongs to me – the sovereign Lord. Nothing that has or will come to pass is outside of my control. I am victorious over all the earthy powers and authority.” 2) A prayer for mercyAnd our response? “You can say that, Lord, but I don't feel it. How long will I suffer? How long will this pain – whatever it is - last? How long will the church be crushed under a Godless state like North Korea?”Isn't that the question, “God, if you are saying that you are mighty and powerful and in control, then how long will this last?” That's what they wanted to know. That's what we want to know. Am I right?Go back up to verse 12. This is the question that the Angel of the Lord on the red horse asks! He's asking it on behalf of the people “O Lord of hosts [Lord of armies, Lord almighty], how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?'” You see that? It's a prayer! That is the prayer that they have and we have.And this is where these visions turn from a picture to a promise for us. If you are following the outline, we're now at point #2.It's one thing to display an image of God's sovereignty with horses or craftsman, it's another to make the promise real to them and to you and me. Verse 13 “And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words”That prayer in verse 12 is a prayer that you can pray to God. “How long, O Lord.” God wants you to cry out to him. Many of the Psalms are laments to God, appealing to him for help and mercy. And it's in those times of lament that God often responds with gracious and comforting words.And here, Zechariah is given two promises to declare to the people. Look at verses 14 and 17. Do you see the phrase “Cry out” repeated? Zechariah is to “cry out.” The angel is telling him what to declare to the people. But Zechariah is not just to say the words. No, God wants Zechariah to passionately proclaim to them hope in their situation. The Lord had just given them the vision of his dominion. And now he promises to them what he will do for them. So these are promises. Two promises that they can count on.The first “cry out” is a promise to them of the Lord's return and his restoration of the city. God is not angry with them. No, instead, his anger has shifted to the earthy kingdoms that overthrew Judah and Jerusalem. Yes, the Lord used Babylon and yes, he's using the Medo-Persians, but that didn't absolve them of their responsibility. They gloated over God's people. They thought they were more powerful than Judah's God. And Zechariah's generation felt that shame. That was part of their overwhelming burden. But look at verse 16. “Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy.” God did not say, “I will return.” No, he said to them. “I have returned.”You may not feel the Lord's presence. Especially in times of despair or uncertainty. But if you are his. If you know the Lord. If you've turned your life to God in Christ. He is there. He is at work. He is sovereign. He knows and loves you. He said, “I have returned… with mercy.” It's one thing to ascent to God's might and dominion. It's another to trust in it. That's what he is calling you to do.But notice, also, the Lord promised them that Jerusalem would be rebuilt. Second half of 16. That includes his temple. “My house shall be rebuilt,” it says. The temple represented God's presence among the people. Jerusalem, the city, represented God's people. This is not “it may happen.” No, this is “it will happen.” “…shall be rebuilt.” It's a promise that Zechariah's generation needed to hear. The city and temple would be rebuilt.But this is where we need to pause for a moment. Remember, visions have a near-term and long-term fulfillment. As we get further into Zechariah, we'll see that the physical temple and the physical city represent spiritual realities way beyond themselves. In fact, chapter 2 will help unlock this chapter 1 promise… for us.For Zechariah's generation, there was the immediate fulfillment of the physical temple and city. It will be rebuilt, but it will be nothing compared to the glory that it once was in King Solomon's day. So there is an immediate fulfillment. But there is also a long-term spiritual fulfillment. This first vision is like the springboard into the Gospel hope to which these promises pointed. That will become very clear in the next two chapters. Stay tuned.As we move to the second promise here, verse 17. We see that it's similar. It's a promise of peace and prosperity. But the prosperity that this ultimately points to, goes way beyond any kind of prosperity that will happen in their lifetime. In fact, a lot of their despair was rooted in a desire to see earthly prosperity and to see the earthy glory of Jerusalem and the temple. We have the same problem today. We take God's promises of peace and prosperity, and we think their primary fulfillment is in near term earthly things and health. We call this the prosperity Gospel. It's a false Gospel. And it comes in different forms. Part of God's message to Zechariah's generation was God's spiritual presence and eternal hope and salvation. You see, it's not earthly prosperity… it's spiritual and heavenly prosperity. It goes way beyond the near-term promise of a rebuilt temple and city. We'll be coming back to this theme in future weeks.Conclusion: The Lord AlmightySo, to recap so far. The Lord has given Zechariah a vision of his mighty army, patrolling the earth… seeing to it that all is under his sovereign purview. The Lord Almighty has dominion over all the earth. But yet the situation in Jerusalem was still uncertain and tense. So the vision continued. Through the angels, the Lord revealed that he has returned and that he will bring restoration. And that leads right into the second vision. A vision of God's victory over his and our enemies. The horns of the earthy powers and authorities opposed to God will be defeated. God is both sovereign and powerful and this all will come to pass.And these pictures of who God is, this prayer for mercy, and these promises of restoration and prosperity… they are not just for Zechariah and his generation. No, these are promises for you and me in our uncertainty, fear, and despair. To trust God's dominion and power and to believe in his promises.Let me close by connecting these two visions to the Gospel. Remember, one of the purposes of visions is to give Gospel hope and comfort to God's people.Let's go back to this mysterious Angel of the Lord on the red horse. He plays a unique role, here. He's the central figure of this first vision. He's the one in charge of the different-colored horses and their riders patrolling the earth and reporting back to him. He's the one among the evergreen myrtle trees. And this Angel of the Lord is interceding for the people. He's the one praying on their behalf. “O Lord of hosts, how long...?”Several places in the Old Testament speak of this “angel of the Lord.” Like when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, the angel of the Lord called out for him to stop. Or when Moses was at the burning bush, the angel of the Lord appeared to him. The angel of the Lord is referenced in the Psalms as both a rescuer and judge. And in a couple places in Zechariah, it's this angel of the Lord who stands in the place of God to protect and redeem. You see, at the center of Zechariah's vision is a picture of Christ for us. Who prays on our behalf to God the Father… who intercedes for us. Who is the one who leads the heavenly hosts here on earth. Who is king and Lord – not a king detached from his people, but one leading the charge. They were given hope in this savior.And in the second vision, the vision of the horns… they are given a picture of four conquering horns – horns that will overcome the four horns of the earthly kingdoms. Well, that image in Scripture is most often associated with the “horn of salvation.” Like in Hannah's song of Thanksgiving or David's psalm of deliverance. This “horn of salvation” is referenced in Luke chapter 1. We looked at it in December. Remember, John the Baptist's father, the other Zechariah… He blessed the Lord. Why? For he “accomplished redemption…” it says, “He raised up a horn of salvation in the house of… David.” The power and victory over his and our enemies comes through Christ. It comes through the conquering power of the cross over the world, the flesh, and the devil.Even though Zechariah's generation lived 500 years before Christ, over and over they were given images of the Savior and his salvation, of his presence and intercession and forgiveness, of his rule and his reign.These visions this morning… yes, they remind us of God's dominion and power and his promises. But they also draw us to the savior. Christ, our heavenly warrior and intercessor. May we look to him for his strength and salvation in whatever fear and uncertainty we face. Amen.

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com …an angel of the Lord appeared to [Zechariah], standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John….he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” (Luke 1:11-13,17-20)Before we break down today's passage, we first need some context. This was the biggest day of Zechariah's career as a priest. Luke 1:9 tells us that “[Zechariah] was chosen by lot…to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.” As Daniel Darling explains in The Characters of Christmas, this was a “once-in-a-lifetime event, the highest honor in a temple priest's life. Zechariah…had waited his whole life for this.”As he's in the temple on his momentous day, something even more momentous happens. An angel appears and tells Zechariah that he will improbably father a son he is to name John (that's John the Baptist to you and me) who will “make ready a people prepared” for Israel's Messiah. But Zechariah “did not believe” the angel's words.Don't let the irony of this scene pass you by. Zechariah was at the top of his vocational field, doing the job of instilling faith in the people. And yet he is punished for showing a lack of faith himself.Here's what I think was going on. Zechariah was clearly doing his work for God. And yet his lack of faith revealed that, at least in this one moment, he was not doing his work with God—communing with him and relying on his promises.So the angel punished Zechariah with silence, which of course would have precluded him from doing much of his work. But Zechariah comes out on the other side months later with renewed faith and trust in the Lord (see Luke 1:67-79). Zechariah's story is a wonderful reminder that God loves us too much to see his children work for him and not with him. We work for God when we view our office as our mission field, create art that shares themes of redemption, and use our businesses to right what's wrong in creation. We work with God when we slow ourselves down enough to experience his presence, meditate on his promises, and rest long enough to simply enjoy being his child. In his terrific book With, Skye Jethani cautions us not to put “God's mission ahead of God himself.” I think Zechariah would reply with a hearty “Amen!” encouraging us all to work for and with God today!

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,     because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us     in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies     and from the hand of all who hate us— to show mercy to our ancestors     and to remember his holy covenant,     the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,     and to enable us to serve him without fear     in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. (Luke 1:67-75)   For three months, Mary had stayed with Zechariah and Elizabeth as Elizabeth entered the late stages of her pregnancy.  Was Mary still there when John was born?  Was she still there when Zechariah sang?  Maybe.  I'd like to think so.  Luke doesn't say for sure, but the timelines he gives us certainly leave the question open! (see 1:36,56) Even if Mary wasn't there anymore: Zechariah was still full of quiet ponderings from when she was.  He had had nine months to ponder the meaning of John's coming birth.  He'd had three months to ponder the meaning of Mary's news of her child to be named Jesus.  Zechariah the priest knew his scriptures.  And now he had a window into the secret, silent workings of God through these parallel pregnancies changing the world within his own house.  He of course heard what Mary and Elizabeth thought of it as they talked and prayed it through.  I'm sure he interacted with them too through his raised eyebrows, smiles, and nods.  But Zechariah himself could only talk it over with God in the silence of his own heart and mind.  In that silence, a lifetime of scriptures prayed, lived, and lodged in his bones collided with this new, life-giving work of God in the wee humble community of his home.  What did it all mean?  A grace of God named John to prepare the way of the Lord, followed by an heir to the throne of David to be called by a name meaning “The Lord Saves.”  In the silence, Zechariah's world and theology were transformed by this new work of God.  It was objectively the same scriptures he had always known, but given this new work of God that he now subjectively experienced: those same scriptures resonated now with a different tune, but admittedly one that rang with a truer harmony.  Zechariah erupts into Spirit-breathed, scripture-bathed prophecy that could easily be mistaken for any number of Psalms.  And it is a prophecy not so much about his own son John, as it is about Mary's son Jesus—the one who would be the salvation of Israel, the end of all fear, the redemption of relationship, the fulfillment of prophecy, and the long promises of God, kept.  God is sovereign.  He does new things.  Good things.  With Zechariah, will we be silent enough and humble enough for long enough to listen, learn, and have our worlds transformed in light of the work of God?  If so: songs of joy like these, are ours.  

Zechariah wrote, “His name is John.”  Immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. (Luke 1:63-64). We left Zechariah speechless at the temple. When the birth of John was announced to him, he could not believe it, so the Lord gave him a sign for reflection: He would be unable to speak until all was fulfilled. Then he would know that God does what God says. Our text picks up the story some nine months later. Much has changed. Zechariah has changed. As a righteous man, he has learned from his mistake. Through the pain of the discipline, he emerges a stronger man of God. He testifies to God's grace. Those who are arrogant, thinking they know it all, have no need for God or for instruction. Zechariah is not one of those. Our advent reflections tend to focus on the women: Mary and Elizabeth. But Zechariah has much to teach us about our faith. He is portrayed as a mature and pious man who still has much to learn about trusting God. He is a spiritual man who discovers we can never coast on past spirituality. Often, we are tempted to put our spiritual well-being on cruise control. Christians can get to a place where they do not expect anything new from God, no new calling, no new spiritual insights, no more maturation.  It is a joy to see an elderly saint who lives in expectation of knowing the Lord more fully and serving Him more deeply. What an encouragement such a person is to a younger saint. How thrilling to meet those who see their walk with God as a challenge and that the thrill of divine involvement in life has not waned. It causes one to desire to keep on keeping on. Zechariah reveals that even good old saints can still grow up and learn to walk in deeper trust with God. That simple lesson comes to the fore in his naming his child John even though others want to name him something else. The whole family and the whole neighbourhood have come for the event. As Luke tells the story, they have taken charge. They want the boy named after his father. But Elizabeth objects. However, but she is just a batty old woman. That is not the way we do things around here. So, they turn to the boy's father, the whole crowd of them, “Zechariah, junior, right?” Nope. His whole family (and his in-laws) and his whole village are standing in his way. But Zechariah will walk where God tells him to walk. The pressure of custom will not become a reason to disobey God. Peer pressure and the attitudes of the world can often make us act in ways that differ from where God would take us. Whether in values, entertainment, or the way we do business, the world's ways are not God's ways. Zechariah has learned to hear God and not the custom of the world. During the months of Elizabeth's pregnancy, while God's promise was slowly coming to pass, Zechariah was learning that God makes good on his promise in his own timing and in his own way. He has learned this lesson, and his obedience becomes public, “His name is John” which means, “graced by God.” Zechariah has been graced by God.

Relationships are the back story to the Christmas story. The cast of characters interacting with each other gives us role models to follow in our relationships this Christmas season. Follow along as we learn how to do it right from a key supporting actor in this most important story. The problem with Christmas Here we are on the first of December, and I've got Christmas on my mind. I bet some of you do, too. One of my Christmas memories that resurfaced recently is the time years ago when the pastor of the church we were attending didn't preach anything at all about the Christmas story, until the last Sunday before Christmas. And even then it was just a tip of the hat with some cursory acknowledgment of the event. We didn't even sing any of the beautiful Christmas carols people have sung for centuries. I was disappointed. Something was missing. Yet in some ways I could understand the pastor. For several years I facilitated a mastermind group for pastors and they talked about how challenging it was to preach sermons about Christmas. It was hard to come up with something new, something creative, something they and others have not already said.I spoke about this in episode 80, A Christmas Gift of Silence. Imagine you're 50 years old and have been preaching since you were 25, that's 25 Christmas sermons. And not just Christmas Day, or the Sunday before, but all of December. 4 times 25 is 100 Christmas sermons. A good math problem for a 3rd-grade homeschooler. I can see why pastors might find it hard to preach about Christmas if they feel they have to come up with something fresh and creative. Relationships are the back story to the Christmas story In my view though, Christmas is not something to be creative about. Hip-hop, rap, or bluegrass Christmas carols just ruin it for me. Be creative about Lent, but please, not Christmas. If I were a pastor, I would preach about the relationships we see in the back story to Christmas story. They are the backstory to the main story of Christmas, Jesus entering the human race to reconcile all of us to himself. That's what I would do if were a pastor. Maybe that's why the offers to be one have not exactly poured in (or maybe they don't have my address or phone number). You could make a case that the back story to Christmas starts in the Garden of Eden, where the coming of Jesus is foretold in Genesis 3:15. But for our purposes, we'll jump in where the apostle Luke picks things up closer to the actual birth of Christ. In leading up to the main story of Jesus' birth, there is an interesting cast of characters who illustrate relationship principles we can all benefit from. Things that could get us through the holidays in good spirits. Lessons about relating to each other, relating to our own self, and most importantly, relating to God. So that's what we'll be doing today, and for the rest of the weeks leading up to Christmas. Stay tuned to give a listen. The cast of characters in the Christmas story From Luke's gospel, where we find the most detail of the Christmas story, we see references to 7 individual people, 2 separate angels, a large group of townspeople, a small group of shepherds, an army of angels, and of course, Jesus as a baby. Quite a cast of characters. No wonder the Christmas story was the subject of so many grade school plays in years gone by; the whole school could have a part. Zechariah For today though, Let's just focus on one character. I'm going to go with Zechariah. From the first chapter of Luke's gospel, we know that Zechariah is A Jewish priest Righteous in God's eyes, “careful to obey all the Lord's commandments and regulations” Old, married to an old wife, with no children He was the subject of episode 80 that I mentioned before, and I'll have a link to it at the bottom of the show notes. I have a few more thoughts about him today, specifically to see what we can learn from watching how he relates to other people, himself, and God. It's the Observe skill we've been talking about this year. Zechariah's relational moments In observing Zechariah's relational moments in the back story to the Christmas story, we first see him becoming fearful when he encounters an angel in the sanctuary of the temple in Jerusalem. The angel is Gabriel and he tells him his elderly wife is going to get pregnant and give birth to a son after all these years of no children. He tells Zechariah the wonderful plans God has for his son, who is to be called “John.” Gabriel shares the very significant role his son will have in carrying out God's plan. In spite of this wonderful news, Zechariah doubts the angel and God who sent him. He wants certainty about the words from God. “How can I be sure this will happen?”, he says (Luke 1:18). We're like this sometimes when we doubt God. It's another way of saying “I don't know if I can trust God.” That's what we're really doubting, our trust in God. Our need for certainty exposes our lack of trust. Later in the Christmas story, we see Mary in a similar situation as Zechariah when Gabriel tells her she is going to give birth to Jesus the Messiah. Mary asks, ” But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” (Luke 1:34) Unlike Zechariah, her response isn't doubt or lack of trust; it's wanting to understand the process, the next step. She's not looking for “how can I be sure” like Zechariah is. When we don't trust God there can be negative consequences, as there was for Zechariah. Gabriel tells him that because he doesn't believe him, he won't be able to talk until his son is born. Nine months of silence from Zechariah's lips. Fortunately for Zechariah, and for us, God's discipline isn't a death sentence. It doesn't last forever. God doesn't give up on Zechariah, and he doesn't give up on you and me either. Visit from a relative The next relational interaction we observe with Zechariah occurs when he receives Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus, into his home with his wife Elizabeth for a three-month visit. This is after Gabriel tells Mary she is to give birth to Jesus and at the same time, he says that her relative Elizabeth is also pregnant. Some scholars think Elizabeth is Mary's aunt [pronounced “ant'], other scholars think she is Mary's aunt [pronounced “Auh-nt”]. And still other theologians speculate that Mary is Elizabeth's niece. We'll let the scholars and theologians battle that out. It keeps them employed and off the dole. I find it interesting that the text says Mary went to where Zechariah lived, not where Elizabeth lived. (Luke 1:39 and 56). What a kind gesture for Zechariah to have his routine interrupted with a visit from a relative who stays three months. He and Mary must have had a good relationship for this to occur. Zechariah may have had a sense that Mary's visit would be good for his elderly pregnant wife, Elizabeth. Have you ever had people outside of your family move in to live with you for any length of time? Janet and I have done this a number of times. It's an interruption to be sure. And some guests are more high maintenance than others. But in all the instances I can remember, we gained more than we gave up. You might want to try it sometime. What will the neighbors think? Another relational lesson we learn from Zechariah comes up when his son is born. Neighbors and relatives want the baby to be named after his father, but very forcefully Zechariah communicates in writing, “His name is John,” which at that point his speech finally returns, just as Gabriel said it would (Luke 1:63). It takes strength of character to go against the preferences of neighbors, friends, and relatives. And against tradition. But Zechariah did. He obeyed God, rather than man. And sometimes that's difficult. It was for Zechariah back then, and it's true for us now. Sometimes when we obey God, we may disappoint important people in our life. But doing what God wants us to do always trumps pleasing people. God is not a fan of people pleasers. This is a great lesson in relating to God and other people. It's an important part of the back story to the Christmas story. Zechariah's first words after nine months of silence We also learn some relational lessons from Zechariah when his speech returns after his son John is born. Zechariah could have complained about his punishment of silence. Instead, he took his discipline from God like a man. He realized he was wrong for doubting God, and accepted the consequences. When Zechariah's speech finally returns he puts his past doubts about God to rest. He moves forward praising God with a prophecy as his very first words: "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.” (Luke 1:67-75) You and I have the same opportunity as Zechariah. We can either use God's discipline to push us away from Him or to draw us closer to Him. The choice is ours. A Father casts a vision for his son Besides this lesson, there's that moment when Zechariah looks down at his new-born son and says to him: "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 1:76-79 I love how tender Zechariah is with his baby, when he turns his attention from praising God, to casting a vision for his little boy. There's no reason men can't be tender with their babies. Don't leave the nurturing to just mothers. Bless your children and give them a vision for what they can become, Just like Zechariah did. A place in history Besides Zechariah's relationship with people and with God, I so appreciate how he recognizes his place in history and his role in advancing God's story of redemption. Like millions before him, he has been waiting for the Messiah. But now, as crazy as it seemed to him, Zechariah has been given a supporting role in the birth and parenting of a boy who one day will become John the Baptist. And John himself will play a major supporting role in preparing the way for Jesus in bringing the good news of the Gospel to the world. These important relationships are the back story to the Christmas story. You know, we all have the opportunity to play a role in advancing God's kingdom. Jesus is the lead actor in God's great drama; that's his role. He's the star. But he wants us on stage with him as supporting actors. What a great privilege. I wonder what your role is? If you're not sure how to answer this, I bet if you were to ask Jesus he would show you the supporting part he wants you to play. And one final thing about Zechariah and his relationship with his son. His boy, who grows to be John the Baptist, becomes more of an influencer than he does. John impacts more people in telling them about Jesus than the role God called his father to play. And from what we know of Zechariah, I'm sure he's perfectly fine with that. May the same be true of all of us who have children. May we rejoice with them when their influence on God's kingdom exceeds ours. Here's the big takeaway I hope you remember from today's episode Relationships are the back story to the Christmas story The cast of characters interacting with each other gives us role models we can follow. They teach us how to relate with each other, with ourselves, and with God. Let's pay attention to them. I'd love to hear any thoughts you have about today's episode. Just send them to me in an email to john [at] caringforothers [dot] org. Or you can share your thoughts in the “Leave a Comment” box at the bottom of the show notes. Closing I hope your thinking was stimulated by today's show, to reflect on the supporting role God is calling you to play in his grand design for the human race. And then to play it out the best you can, for as you know, You Were Made for This. Lastly, one thing you could do to help us out is to leave a review and rating wherever you listen to this podcast. It helps others to find us on the Internet. Well, that's all for today. I look forward to connecting with you again next week when we look at another relationship interaction in the back story to the Christmas story. Goodbye for now. A related episode you may want to listen to 080: A Christmas Gift of Silence You Were Made for This is sponsored by Caring for Others, a missionary care ministry. We depend upon the generosity of donors to pay our bills.  If you'd like to support what we do with a secure tax-deductible donation, please click here. We'd be so grateful if you did.

Zechariah – Your King is Coming! Zechariah 2:1-13 (NIV) – [1] Then I looked up—and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand! [2] I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.” [3] Then the angel who was speaking to me left, and another angel came to meet him [4] and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. [5] And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,' declares the LORD, ‘and I will be its glory within.’ [6] “Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD. [7] “Come, O Zion! Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!” Leviticus 26:14-15, 33 (NIV) – [14] “‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, [15] and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant… [33] I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. 1. Disobedience drives us to be scattered. Isaiah 43:5-7 (MSG) – [5] “So don’t be afraid: I’m with you. I’ll round up all your scattered children, pull them in from east and west. [6] I’ll send orders north and south: ‘Send them back. Return my sons from distant lands, my daughters from faraway places. [7] I want them back, every last one who bears my name, every man, woman, and child Whom I created for my glory, yes, personally formed and made each one.’” 2. God is calling the Prodigals to come back. Luke 15:17-20 (NIV) – [17] “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! [18] I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ [20] So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “From God’s perspective, one hidden act of repentance, one little gesture of selfless love, one moment of true forgiveness is all that is needed to bring God from his throne to run to his returning son and to fill the heavens with sounds of divine joy.” (The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen) 3. We must leave the past and the places where we were scattered. “Many of the captive Israelites did not return to Jerusalem because they had become accustomed to the security and wealth they had in Babylon. But Zechariah instructed them to leave Babylon quickly. This was an urgent request because Babylon would be destroyed and its decadent culture would cause God’s people to forget their spiritual priorities. A vast majority of the Israelites rejected these warnings and remained in Babylon.” (Life Application Bible) 4. We can get too comfortable in our captivity. “The Lord called these people to ‘escape’ from ‘Babylon’ among whose ‘daughter’ nations they lived. This was a call for the scattered Jews to return home in Zechariah’s day and help rebuild their nation. But it is also, because of the context and lack of fulfillment, a prophetic call to those living in the end times to abandon the Babylon of their day.” (Thomas Constable’s Notes on the Bible) Revelation 18:1-4 (NIV) – [1] After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. [2] With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. [3] For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” [4] Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.” “[Babylon] is a symbol for the spirit of godlessness which in every age lures men away from the worship of the Creator. It is the final manifestation of secular humanism in its attempt to destroy the remaining vestiges of true religion. Society set free from God is its own worst enemy.” (The New International Commentary) “Christians are to separate themselves ideologically, and if necessary, physically from all the forms of Babylon.” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary) 5. It’s time to leave Babylon behind.

Zechariah – Your King is Coming! Zechariah 2:1-13 (NIV) – [1] Then I looked up—and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand! [2] I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.” [3] Then the angel who was speaking to me left, and another angel came to meet him [4] and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. [5] And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,' declares the LORD, ‘and I will be its glory within.’ [6] “Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD. [7] “Come, O Zion! Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!” Leviticus 26:14-15, 33 (NIV) – [14] “‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, [15] and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant… [33] I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. 1. Disobedience drives us to be scattered. Isaiah 43:5-7 (MSG) – [5] “So don’t be afraid: I’m with you. I’ll round up all your scattered children, pull them in from east and west. [6] I’ll send orders north and south: ‘Send them back. Return my sons from distant lands, my daughters from faraway places. [7] I want them back, every last one who bears my name, every man, woman, and child Whom I created for my glory, yes, personally formed and made each one.’” 2. God is calling the Prodigals to come back. Luke 15:17-20 (NIV) – [17] “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! [18] I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ [20] So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “From God’s perspective, one hidden act of repentance, one little gesture of selfless love, one moment of true forgiveness is all that is needed to bring God from his throne to run to his returning son and to fill the heavens with sounds of divine joy.” (The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen) 3. We must leave the past and the places where we were scattered. “Many of the captive Israelites did not return to Jerusalem because they had become accustomed to the security and wealth they had in Babylon. But Zechariah instructed them to leave Babylon quickly. This was an urgent request because Babylon would be destroyed and its decadent culture would cause God’s people to forget their spiritual priorities. A vast majority of the Israelites rejected these warnings and remained in Babylon.” (Life Application Bible) 4. We can get too comfortable in our captivity. “The Lord called these people to ‘escape’ from ‘Babylon’ among whose ‘daughter’ nations they lived. This was a call for the scattered Jews to return home in Zechariah’s day and help rebuild their nation. But it is also, because of the context and lack of fulfillment, a prophetic call to those living in the end times to abandon the Babylon of their day.” (Thomas Constable’s Notes on the Bible) Revelation 18:1-4 (NIV) – [1] After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. [2] With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. [3] For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” [4] Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.” “[Babylon] is a symbol for the spirit of godlessness which in every age lures men away from the worship of the Creator. It is the final manifestation of secular humanism in its attempt to destroy the remaining vestiges of true religion. Society set free from God is its own worst enemy.” (The New International Commentary) “Christians are to separate themselves ideologically, and if necessary, physically from all the forms of Babylon.” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary) 5. It’s time to leave Babylon behind.

God gave eight visions to Zechariah to encourage and strengthen His people who were powerless and discouraged. The exiles had few weapons, many enemies, and an enormous task. They were focused on problems and could not see how they would ever rebuild the temple with so many obstacles and problems. But Zechariah's visions pulled back the veil and showed them how God was working to accomplish His purposes. His prophecies gave hope and strength to God's people.

Zechariah is the prophet of the comeback. Israel had been on a long losing streak. A divided kingdom, a civil war, corrupt kings and priests, Israel conquered by Assyria, Judah conquered by Babylon, and worst of all, the Temple of God destroyed. It's under these bleak conditions that Zechariah dares to prophesy of a comeback for Israel. Not only will the Temple be rebuilt, but Israel's true king will come to Jerusalem. This king won't ride the warhorse; he'll enter Jerusalem on the peace donkey. But Zechariah also prophesies that the Peaceable King will be the Pierced King.