Take Time to Read Luke’s beginning again:
Luke 1:5-25 (NRSV)
5 In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.
7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.
8 Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty,
9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense.
10 Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside.
11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him.
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.
14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
18 Zechariah said to the angel, "How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years."
19 The angel replied, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20 But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur."
21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary.
22 When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
24 After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said,
25 "This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people."
Malachi 3:1 (NRSV)
1 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight--indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 4:5-6 (NRSV)
5 Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.
6 He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.
An Advent Reflection
How long had Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed for a child? For years? Had they given up praying? Had they said, “It’s just never going to happen, we will have to learn to be content without children.”
“Zechariah”, the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Did your parents pray for you? I don’t mean pray for you because you were doing things wrong, wasting life. Nothing wrong with praying that way, and probably most parents who have faith have prayed for their kids at one time or another whether that was the case, or not.
What I mean is did your parents pray for you – pray for you to be born, to have a family that included you? Many a mother or father can say they “prayed for you”. Sometimes it was someone else. Did your Grandmother or someone else hold you in their heart as a promise for God? It is a very special child born into a family that eagerly desired and waited for a pregnancy and birth to occur.
Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son… You have prayed for this child and thus far you waited, perhaps even thought it would never occur. God has heard your prayer – in this case, it’s a yes!
“…and you are to give him the name John.” “John” = “Yahweh has given grace”.
We give our children names that often have significance to us from our past. This child’s name is a testimony of the past but it’s also significant because he was named for the future. Yahweh’s grace is not used up, it’s not gone forever, it’s not displaced by Roman rule and tyranny. It is not subject to world’s failures – it is Yahweh’s grace…forever and ever faithful, merciful and never in short supply.
God has a heart for parents and children. Not just the known and super-faith ones either. Zechariah was one of 18000 priests. He didn’t stand out as significant; in fact, he was one of “those who had no male successor”. His priestly line of family was soon over. Elizabeth was a woman who could not conceive. She was not royalty, nor was she connected…she was barren. God has a heart for parents and children always.
What you received might have been from people whose faith was not all that great… BUT, you’re here now aren’t you? So, something happened…God made something happen.
And what is that?
That in every generation, the hearts of the fathers are turned towards the children, and the hearts of the children are turned towards their parents.
Luke 1:5-25 (NRSV)
5 In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.
7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.
8 Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty,
9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense.
10 Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside.
11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him.
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.
14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
18 Zechariah said to the angel, "How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years."
19 The angel replied, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20 But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur."
21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary.
22 When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
24 After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said,
25 "This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people."
Malachi 3:1 (NRSV)
1 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight--indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 4:5-6 (NRSV)
5 Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.
6 He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.
An Advent Reflection
How long had Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed for a child? For years? Had they given up praying? Had they said, “It’s just never going to happen, we will have to learn to be content without children.”
“Zechariah”, the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Did your parents pray for you? I don’t mean pray for you because you were doing things wrong, wasting life. Nothing wrong with praying that way, and probably most parents who have faith have prayed for their kids at one time or another whether that was the case, or not.
What I mean is did your parents pray for you – pray for you to be born, to have a family that included you? Many a mother or father can say they “prayed for you”. Sometimes it was someone else. Did your Grandmother or someone else hold you in their heart as a promise for God? It is a very special child born into a family that eagerly desired and waited for a pregnancy and birth to occur.
Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son… You have prayed for this child and thus far you waited, perhaps even thought it would never occur. God has heard your prayer – in this case, it’s a yes!
“…and you are to give him the name John.” “John” = “Yahweh has given grace”.
We give our children names that often have significance to us from our past. This child’s name is a testimony of the past but it’s also significant because he was named for the future. Yahweh’s grace is not used up, it’s not gone forever, it’s not displaced by Roman rule and tyranny. It is not subject to world’s failures – it is Yahweh’s grace…forever and ever faithful, merciful and never in short supply.
God has a heart for parents and children. Not just the known and super-faith ones either. Zechariah was one of 18000 priests. He didn’t stand out as significant; in fact, he was one of “those who had no male successor”. His priestly line of family was soon over. Elizabeth was a woman who could not conceive. She was not royalty, nor was she connected…she was barren. God has a heart for parents and children always.
What you received might have been from people whose faith was not all that great… BUT, you’re here now aren’t you? So, something happened…God made something happen.
And what is that?
That in every generation, the hearts of the fathers are turned towards the children, and the hearts of the children are turned towards their parents.
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