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When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 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 fathers 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. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.
Luke 1:57-80
Reggie Jackson was a big power hitter for the Oakland A’s and NY Yankees in the 1970’s. Jackson batted fourth in the lineup, known as the cleanup spot, since it was his job to clean the first three batters from the bases to score at home plate. Reggie used to say that if the first three batters did not get on base, then he could not do his job of hitting them home.
Imagine that Jesus is the cleanup hitter, the one who brings home the message of salvation to those who are willing to receive Him.
If Jesus is the cleanup hitter, then who hits in front of him? Who prepared the people of Israel to open their ears and hearts to receive Jesus?
John was his name – John the Baptist. John came before Jesus to say that people must prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord. John came to say that people should listen to Jesus, because he would speak the truth John came to say that people should follow Jesus, because he would lead them to know God the Father
When John was born, Luke tells us that “Elizabeth’s neighbors and relatives shared her joy.” In middle Eastern cultures when a child is about to be born, family members, friends and often times a band of local musicians gather outside the home. A child’s birth was an occasion to strike up the band! Hey maybe we ought to send our church choir out to the hospital whenever a child is born to our congregation!
Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. Genesis 17:10
Eight days after John was born, he still didn’t have a name. A father would normally name, or at least agree to a name, for his son. Normally the family would not wait eight days to name their child. But remember that John’s father Zechariah had lost his ability to speak, and probably his hearing also, when he did not believe the angel’s word to him.
All Israelite boys had to be circumcised. This was Jewish law, to make the mark of the covenant on each boy. It would happen on the 8th day after the son was born. The father would perform the deed on his own son, who would then be marked for life as one of God’s people.
Circumcision of baby boys is very common today, but back when God first told Abraham that Israelite boys should be circumcised, it was something new to them, something that marked God’s people as being different from all the other uncircumcised tribes who were their neighbors.
Circumcision was both public and private; the whole family gathered for the event, and the whole community knew that Jewish boys had the covenant mark.
But at the same time the mark was in a private area, and so if he wanted to, a Jewish man could pretend not to be a Jew, and no one would know.
The same thing goes for baptism – it happens publicly, but there is no giant B or cross on our heads, and so it is up to us whether to live like Christians or not, since when we are out there in the world, and sometimes out there it is only God and us – and it is up to us in those moments whether to follow Christ or not.
This is the kind of relationship God wants with us; public in the sense that we are ready to let people know about our faith, yet also private in that we try to do what is right even when we think that no one else is looking.
Picture this –whole extended family – Elizabeth and Zechariah’s grandmothers, aunties – everyone – crowds into the family home for the circumcision and they can’t believe that he doesn’t have a name yet.
When you were a young adult, did your parents or other relatives ever try and make or influence those kinds of decision for you: “you really should name that baby boy after your grandfather, he will be so thrilled!!!”
Well in this case that is exactly what happened. Luke tells us that the relatives coming into the house said “he doesn’t have a name yet? Let’s name him after his father – Zechariah!”
Elizabeth knew her husband could not speak, and so she spoke up – “No, we will call him John” – the name given to them by the angel
But the word of a woman in that culture wasn’t enough – those busybody relatives persisted:
“John” they said “why John’s not a family name.. how could you name him John?”
At that moment Zechariah regained his faith. It is amazing how bossy relatives can push a man as far as he can go
– here is Zechariah who has not spoken for three months, grabbing a pen and writing emphatically: “His name is John.”
God had mercifully intervened in the life of John’s family. Luke says as the story begins that one reason for the extraordinary joy at John’s birth was because of God’s mercy.
God does not just wind us up and let us alone; he is a personal God who cares about each of us, helping us to know him better as by receiving his blessings.
Remember that Elizabeth was an old woman, past childbearing age. The only way she could have conceived a baby was for God to do something special for her – and God did. Not only did God help her to get pregnant, but he gave her and Zechariah a son whose name would be known throughout history – John the Baptist.
And so as God was busy fulfilling his plan of salvation, he did some wonderfully kind things for people like Zechariah and Elizabeth along the way.
This is the God we serve. A kind God; a merciful God. You and I may not think we are right at the center of God’s plan, we may not think of ourselves as key players in salvation history, yet isn’t our God awfully kind to us along the way. How wonderful it is to receive God’s mercy!
What Luke shows us next is that Zechariah after naming his son blesses God with a song, and then to bless his son with a song as well.
In today’s story Zech sings of God visiting to show mercy both at the beginning and at the end of his song. Mentioning something at both the beginning and the end was a common feature in ancient composition
When I as the listener hear something mentioned at the end that I also heard at the start, I know both that the idea is important and that the story or song is about to end.
In this song – the theme is clear – that God was about to visit his people, and as any good visitor would do, God was bringing a gift – the gift of mercy.
God was about to come in the person of Jesus to bring redemption; through Jesus God would redeem, or buy his people back, from slavery to sin and other enemies
Another way of putting it is to say that God in Christ would bring salvation – God would save his people – us – so that together with God, we could change the world.
What salvation, what God’s mercy does for us is that it puts us in a position to serve God, and as we serve God, we show God’s mercy, God’s forgiveness, to others
If we have been forgiven, then we can forgive others, and as each person shares God’s mercy and God’s forgiveness, the world gets changed.
Zechariah sang praise to God, became God was about to visit us to show us mercy, so that we could serve God by visiting others to show them mercy
The first part of Zecharaih’s song was sung to his God
This next part of his song is sung to Zechariah’s son, John
It is a bit like what I do at a baptism, I praise God for making salvation available to this person, then I say a word of blessing over the one who’s been baptized.
Zechariah’s song for his son echoes what the angle Gabriel had told him.
Noctice how Zecharaiah has changed since the angel first came to him
Back then he was fearful, doubting. But now, singing to his son, he is full of faith and confidence.
Back to teh main theme, that this whole song, and indeed the Christmas event, is about God visiting us to to show us mercy
Here Zechariah sing:
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come
to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Zechariah is singing of God’s mercy, and he likens God’s coming in Christ to the dawning of a new day.
Jesus here is depicted as a rising sun, who will come and shine, bringing light to those in darkness, and through forgiveness, guiding our feet to walk in the way of peace.
The message of Christmas is clear, and it was clear in Zechariah’s praise song even before Jesus was born.
God has a great big plan of salvation
At the heart of God’s plan is one simple truth
That God lives to spend time with us
and so he has visited us in the person of Jesus
and in God’s visit with us, he has brought us forgiveness.
so that we could know God through Christ
and know his peace in our hearts
Someone’s coming this Christmas
and I don’t mean Santa Claus
Jesus came to visit more than 2000 years ago, and by his Spirit he wants to come to each home, to each family, to each person this Christmas as well.
Welcome Jesus into your home, into your family, into your heart.
Receive Jesus this Christmas
receive his mercy
know that he has come to save us.
As God has visited us in Christ with mercy
go and visit someone and show them God’s mercy
receive Jesus, the king of peace
and then go and share Jesus and his peace with others
run to Sunday!
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.”
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
Luke 1:39-56
This story is about…
- Mary’s cross-country trip, to find …
- a leaping baby in the tummy of a spirit-filled Elizabeth, who gives Mary…
- confirmation of God’s plan, which inspires Mary to sing…
- one of the greatest songs ever
the journey/something about Mary: after hearing the angel Gabriel tell her that she had been chosen to bear the savior, and how her kinswoman Elizabeth was also pregnant, Mary got moving. She had to see Elizabeth.
The journey from Nazareth to Zechariah and Elizabeth’s home in Ein Karem near Jerusalem was about 120 miles. Whether on foot or beast, that is one long trip, the kind of trip only made once or twice a year for religious holidays.
That Mary made this major of a move tells us something about her reaction to the news of Jesus’ coming. She was no doubt trying to make human sense out of a divine moment, and because Gabriel had connected Mary’s pregancy with Elizabeth’s, Elizabeth became the person Mary could talk with to help her understand God’s plan.
the jumping bean baby:
Elizabeth was six-plus months pregnant when Mary arrived. The little preacher inside of Elizabeth got his first inspired moment when Mary gave John’s mom a hug. Unable to shout “Alleluia,” the mini-Baptist worked up an extraordinary kick, a pre-natal leap of faith which made its way into the Bible.
John’s life calling, even from before his birth, was to give glory to Jesus. The life calling of JBap (academic abbreviation for John the Baptist) was to prepare people for Jesus; to point Jesus out as the one to follow. His very early ministry to Mary was to kick hard inside Elizabeth, and through Elizabeth’s response to confirm Mary’s calling to be the savior’s Mom.
the confirmation:
When Elizabeth felt John’s kick, she immediately felt the Spirit’s presence on her. In the Spirit she says Mary is blessed, favored by God. Amazingly, Elizabeth calls Mary “the mother of my Lord.”
How does it happen that a pregnant mom receives a visit from a relative, feels her baby kick inside her, then names her visiting kinswoman “the mother of my Lord?”
All by God’s Spirit. As I read today’s text, what strikes me is not so much Mary or Elizabeth, but God’s Spirit orchestrating everything. There are sections of narrative in scripture that seem particularly heavy with the Spirit’s sovereign work; to name three – the birth of Jesus, the events leading up to his death, and the early and middle chapters of Acts.
Imagine being in the thick of these events. Luke’s telling of nativity stories helps us to feel like “flies on the wall,” observing people to be sure, but what Luke does in his retelling is to highlight the Spirit’s sovereign leadership.
the song: What are some of your favorite songs? Mary’s song in Luke doesn’t come with a soundtrack, but as we read it we hear sounds from an even more ancient past – echoes of Hannah, who prayed and wept before God in her old age because she wanted children but had none. Eli the priest blessed Hannah for her faithfulness, and then we read in 1 Samuel that God remembered her. After her new baby Samuel was weaned, Hannah gave thanks:
“My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. “The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s; upon them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
1 Samuel 2:1-10
Now read Mary’s song again:
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.”
What I hear in Mary’s song is something like this:
Hannah’s song + the grace of Jesus = Mary’s song
The message is similar: God is sovereign and mighty to save. But Mary sings more of God’s gracious and personal help. Mighty God has come near to Mary, and what she senses is a saving God, but salvation is not just for her. Through Mary’s child the mercy she knows will extend to generations, even to us.
In Luke’s gospel there is a big emphasis on the great reversal; the “have-everythings” are brought down a notch because they really do not have everything. The One Who Is Everything has come to bless the “have-nothings”, the mighty and lowly, the humble, those with no claim to fame; the ordinary. People like Mary, like me, like you.
run to Sunday!
Luke 1.26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
A college English class was instructed to write a short story in as few words as possible. The instructions were that it had to include Religion, Sexuality and Mystery. One student, a girl, was the only one who received an A+ for her response. Remember the story had to include religion, sexuality and mystery. This is what she wrote: “Good God, I’m pregnant, I wonder who did it.”
Yes I am considering using that story tomorrow! Luke tells a different sort of divine pregnancy mystery:
Verse 26, by mentioning the timing of Mary’s pregnancy compared with Elizabeth’s, along with the same angel who had appeared to both families, connects Mary and Elizabeth, John and Jesus. John and Jesus probably sawe one another several times each year, and their ministries overlapped several times as John prepared the way for Jesus.
sixth month not the 6th month of the calendar, but the 6th month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
angel Gabriel Angels do not operate on their own; they serve at God’s direction. Gabriel did not have any authority or ability to go places on his own; he only went and spoke at God’s command. Have a look at Gabriel’s Old Testament history sometime.
Local readers would know of Nazareth; describing its location in Galilee is meant for readers not familiar with Palestine. In verse 27, virgin and betrothed tell us that Mary and Joseph were in the traditional engagement period set up by their families, who no doubt had arranged their marriage. The word translated virgin means either a woman who has not had intercourse, or a young, unmarried woman, carrying the implication of virginity. No sexual contact was to happen during betrothal; so strong is the tradition of Joseph NOT being Jesus’ father that Matthew (13:55) quotes the Nazareth rumor mill calling Jesus “Mary’s son,” implying not that Mary slept with Joseph, but with another man. Had Joseph been clearly known as the boy’s father, Jesus would have been referred to as “Jesus, son of Joseph” – a Jewish boy is never named as his mother’s son.
The advantage of being born into Joseph’s family is that Jesus was qualified as a descendant of David, an important piece of royal destiny which would prove significant as the story of Jesus’ life unfolded, starting below at verse 32.
In v. 28 The angel went to her literally reads “went in to her” meaning that the visit happened indoors, where Mary was staying likely in her family home.
Mary is highly favored because God has chosen her to mother the Messiah. Mary is not picked because of a special virtue which she had. She is just like any other Jewish girl being married off by her family at the typical early-to-mid teen age. God chooses an ordinary girl from an ordinary village to bear an extraordinary child. God chooses Mary and his Spirit is with her; thus she is highly favored.
Mary was greatly troubled (29) at the angel’s greeting, no doubt startled by this supernatural event. After all, she was just a nice, proper Jewish girl about to be married to a righteous man. Her life was going according to plan. What was this angel-visit all about?
Gabriel responded by attempting to calm Mary, assuring her of God’s plan. (30) Try and notice how often people in the gospels are assured by angels and Jesus that they should not be afraid. Fear is a reality we create; yet a state of mind we can leave by hearing God’s word, being assured of God’s plan.
Mary hears news both wonderful and life-shattering, that her plan for her life is about to be derailed, but that God’s plan is far better. She’s been blessed by God, chosen to mother the savior, the God-in-flesh baby.
All this means that she must wait to see the end of it all. The short-term will be a severe mix of glory and pain. In the coming months and years, she’ll experience the joy of childbirth and the pain of a changed life and ruined reputation. Her relationship with Joseph will be tested; her personal faith even more so as Jesus lives his extraordinary life and is executed while Mary watches.
But the waiting and pain will be more than worth it; in her innermost being, Mary knows this. So she makes the only choice she can, to accept the choice which God has made for her, to be God’s servant, to wait out all of God’s doings in her life and in in her Son’s.
Jesus/salvation will be his name (31), named as the earlier Israelite savior Joshua. His greatness would be told of throughout history and eternity, as would his identity – God’s Son, King over Israel forever (32-33).
Mary asks the obvious question in verse 34, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Gabriel answers with a clear proclamation of the nature of Jesus’ birth. Remember the angel’s role, to say that which God wants to be made known. The message from God in 35-37 is clear; this birth is a miracle from God.
The miracle is explained in two ways – first, what it is not, and second, what it is.
The thing happening to Mary is not natural or physical, for as Mary confesses in 34, the sex required for conception had not occurred, not with Joseph, not with anyone. Jesus is not the son of Joseph or of any man.
He is the Son of God. His conception and birth are both supernatural and spiritual. To accomplish this God sent His presence, the Holy Spirit. The angel visited Mary to prepare her heart for a visit from God, who would supernaturally cause her to become pregnant with Jesus.
Gabriel compares Mary with her cousin Elizabeth, whose pregnancy was also helped along by the Spirit, though in a different way. For nothing is impossible with God. (37) The point is clear, all this is from God and not from any human design.
What remains? Only Mary’s response, to wait upon God as His servant:
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”
What’s our response when the world is rocked, when it’s not yet clear how things will turn out?
I waited patiently for the Lord /He inclined and heard my cry / He brought me up out of the pit /Out of the miry clay / You set my feet upon a rock / And made my footsteps firm / Many will see, many will see and hear / I will sing, sing a new song / How long to sing this song?
“40″ by U2 (watch performance below from Chicago)
run to Sunday!
