Zechariah Benedictus

 For 9 months or so, Zechariah has not been able to speak, when he can speak Luke records it was to praise God.

I have lost my voice a number of times, one time I could not speak at all for about 2 weeks and was not allowed to preach for 3 weeks. Every time I wanted to say something, I had to write it down. Going shopping was a whole new experience, even a trip to the doctor meant writing a note for the receptionist.

When I was finally allowed to speak, I don’t remember singing about how wonderful God had been to me.  😊

Last week I told you about a time I was singing about how wonderful God was. Maybe it is to do with the presence of the Holy Spirit, rather than not being able to talk for a period of time.

Can you think of a time when praise just flowed out of you?

How did you feel?

Was it out of the blue, or in response to an event or situation?

..

Looking ahead to the second birth story in today’s reading, the birth of Jesus. Luke includes lots of details about what is happening in that time frame. Early church tradition placed Jesus birth during the reign of Herod, and the Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem.^[i]  If you read the beginning of Matthew’s gospel, he has Mary and Joseph already in Bethlehem, no mention of the census or travel.

During the ministry of Jesus, from about age 30, it was apparent he was someone special. After the resurrection the gospel writers started putting together the stories they had heard from the disciples. Only two of the four gospels in our Bible include a birth narrative, and each is different in emphasis and details.

The important point in the birth narrative is that Jesus is born into the family of David, in the town of David, important markers of the coming Messiah.

Next Sunday we will consider the response to the birth of Jesus.

Today I want us to think about the song of Zechariah.

Notice Zechariah sings:

Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!

He has come to save his people.

Our God has given us a mighty Saviour

from the family of David his servant.

Our God has given us a mighty Saviour – that seems to refer to Jesus who is not yet born. But like Mary singing the future into being, Zechariah sings of the Messiah who is not yet born, as if he is already there.

A sign of trust in the providence of God. God will save the people of Israel. For Luke this is not about an uprising against the Roman empire. Here the messiah has come to save people from their sins. Liberation is religious, not political in Luke’s gospel.

Zechariah knows his son is not the one who save Israel, but his son, John, is the one who will prepare the way, to call people to repentance. ^[ii]

The hymn that Zechariah sings connects the early Christians with the ongoing story of Israel. The history of Israel included liberation, exodus, a new beginning and exile. Israel was never without hope, because

they know that God's promises are true.^[iii]

The song of Zechariah also sees the birth of John and Jesus as part of a larger story, the ongoing story of the connection between God and Israel.

“Zechariah doesn't just sing about God's ancient faithfulness; he also sings of the new thing God is about to do, raising up "a mighty saviour" from the house of David. In fact, he sings as if God has already done this great thing.” ^[iv]

I wonder do you see your life as part of the grand sweeping story of God’s connection with people. Is God doing a new thing through you?

…

The final part of Zechariah’s hymn is

God’s love and kindness will shine upon us
like the sun that rises in the sky.
On us who live in the dark shadow of death
this light will shine to guide us into a life of peace.

What might the life of peace look like for you?

If we wait for there to be no wars, we will never be able to walk in the ways of peace.  What does it mean to walk in the way of peace?

” … the end of Zechariah's song … draws a picture of "a time of wholeness, well-being, security, happiness, and contentment that will extend to all people"^[v]

Maybe that is part of living in the way of peace.

“Zechariah sings of a salvation that is healing for the damage the world does because of sin and brokenness, because of greed and hatred and violence; he sings of a restoration of things to what they ought to be. When Zechariah sings of God's forgiveness, he isn't describing a legalistic transaction, a reward we earn by our deeds, but a movement of the heart, God's heart, toward us, even in our weakness and humanity. But he also sees in his son
the beauty of hope
and the promise of God's tender mercy,
and, most of all,
the promise of peace. “ ^[vi]

What can we do about living in the way of peace?

What we are doing today, gathering together, remembering and acknowledging that we too are children of God, children of the promise and God has not forgotten about us. we gather together as people of God hearing the story of God’s love, God’s presence, God’s constant yearning for the people of Israel, and for all humanity.

And we give thanks for those signs of the kingdom in our midst.

“ …we listen for the story again, we wait in the darkness together, we gather our strength, renew our courage, and feast upon the mercy of God so that we can go back out into the world and be light and love for those who, like us, long to find the way to the path of peace.”^[vii]

Your life is part of the great narrative of God’s story; our stories are intertwined with each other and with God. in each of our lives God is at work transforming, redeeming and blessing us, to be blessings for the world.

May you know, deep within you,

that you are God’s beloved child,
that you matter,
and that God desires your life to be filled
with hope
and peace
and joy.

we listen in the quiet, open to the Holy Spirit in our midst.

---

[i] Sacra Pagina, page 52

[ii] Sacra Pagina, page 48

[iii] https://www.ucc.org/weekly_seeds_prophets_of_peace

[iv] https://www.ucc.org/weekly_seeds_prophets_of_peace

[v] https://www.ucc.org/weekly_seeds_prophets_of_peace

[vi] https://www.ucc.org/weekly_seeds_prophets_of_peace

[vii] https://www.ucc.org/weekly_seeds_prophets_of_peace

peace

 “We'll live in your light and be guided in peace.”  Do we, are we?  Do we live in God’s light, are we guided in peace?

Last Sunday we heard of the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah, announcing that Elizabeth and Zechariah were to have a child.  Zechariah was unable to speak, but now after the birth, he we have this spoken song, this canticle recorded by Luke.

The canticle tells of the place of God in the history of Israel;

of God speaking through the prophets;

of the covenant with Abraham;

and then Zechariah moves into the future, and speaks of this child, John, as the one who will prepare the way for the Lord.

For Luke salvation or liberation is not primarily about political freedom.   John’s role in preparing the way for the coming one is about forgiveness of sins, not gathering an army to overthrow the Roman occupiers. In the same way, the Messiah leads people on the path of peace, not violent revolution.  Salvation means “We'll live in your light and be guided in peace.”

Serving God without fear, and living as the forgiven and freed people that we are; our whole life dedicated to living as God’s people, as followers of Christ with his passion for justice.   [Texts for Preaching, CD-ROM Edition] and [Sacra Pagina – Luke by Luke Timothy Johnson]

One of my favourite subjects at school was science, and I am now going to show you something from physics.

[slide of stable and unstable equilibrium from Wikipedia]

The first picture shows unstable equilibrium, that is if the ball is moved even a small amount, the ball won’t go back to the same place. The second picture shows stable equilibrium, that is, if the ball is moved it will go back to where it was.

In thinking about peace, there are times when it is like holding our breath, we know it isn’t going to last, it is in unstable equilibrium. A stalemate more than peace.

We see it in our families, as well as in world conflicts. I can remember times when my father and I weren’t arguing, but it wasn’t peace, it was a lull before the next round. My grandmother talked of being able to cut the air with a knife. Those of you who have lived with teenage girls may know what I mean.

What would it look like if we did live in the light of Christ, walking the way of peace? A song we sometimes hear at this time of year is “my grown up Christmas Wish” the chorus goes

No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal our hearts
Everyone would have a friend
That right would always win
And love would never end.

What is on your Christmas list this year?

It is fine to ask for peace from war, but what about peace in our families, actual peace not ceasefires. What about peace in our hearts?

Sound all too idealistic, but if peace doesn’t start within us, we can’t live in peace with our neighbours.

Last week we thought about hope, and the ways in which we might be able to bring hope into the world. Today I have some stars, and you are invited to write down one way in which you are a prophet for peace or one way that you would like your life to show the peace of Christ.

These will also go in and around the manger.

group singing : You bring peace but not as the world gives,

Advent is a time of waiting, of watchful preparation for the coming of the one who is the prince of peace, the one who enters our lives, bringing peace. Peace from fear and anxiety, peace that is life affirming and transforming.  Peace that is durable.

 “Dream. Dream. Dream. Be idealistic. Dream the world can be a better place." -- Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Maybe then we will live in God’s light and be guided in peace.”  

Let us take a moment to reflect on what God is saying to us today.