Getting Ready for Jesus
Luke 1:67-79
How many of you wind up at the end of the Christmas season feeling empty and unfulfilled? You’ve finished all the shopping and wrapping and gift giving and parties and you’re done with the church and family obligations, the preparation and cooking of the family Christmas dinner are over, you’re sitting at a table filled with dirty dishes and turkey bones and you’re not sure whether you are happy it’s over or not. There’s a slight emptiness in your spirit and you can’t help but feel, “I’ve been ripped off.”
We’re in the season of Advent. It’s the season right before Christmas. I know the shopping malls want you to believe it was Christmas at the end of October, but it’s still not Christmas even yet. For those of us in the church, it’s Advent.
The word advent (little a) can be defined as the anticipated coming of something important. In the Christian church we celebrate Advent (big A) each year, beginning four Sundays before December 25th.
On his web page on Advent, Noel Piper writes: “For four weeks, it’s as if we’re re-enacting, remembering the thousands of years God’s people were anticipating and longing for the coming of God’s salvation, for Jesus.” (Noel Piper)
Charles Wesley, bother to John penned it well in his hymn:
Come, Thou long-expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free.
From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's Strength and Consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art--
Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.
So, this is Advent, the waiting, the anticipated coming of something important.
I remember well waiting for the birth of our son Jason, our first child. I remember waiting for our daughter’s birth as well, but Jason was our first. There were joys and concerns. Suzanne went into labor weeks early and was put on complete bed rest just as we moved to a new city for me to pursue a new job. We were dead broke and hundreds of miles from family surrounded by strangers. We had both joys and concerns.
One reason I so anticipated his birth was the projected birth date: 8-8-88. He missed being born on 8-8-88 by 12 hours. He’s always been a bit impatient. (Can’t imagine where he gets that.) Jason’s twenty-fourth birthday was Tuesday, August 7, 2012.
Shortly after he was born, he was put into infant ICU because his heart was beating too fast. We found out later that this was both a common condition for newborns and that a stint in infant ICU is a common response to the condition. But for us, as brand new parents, it was tragic. I remember going into the restroom in the hospital and locking the door, kneeling down and begging God to heal my son. I went so far as to pray for God to take me out if it meant saving our son. I wasn’t really a Believer at that point, but you know the old saying “there are no atheists in foxholes.”
I went to look at Jason through the glass window during his short stay in infant ICU. As I stood at the window, it was as though he knew I was there. He turned his head and looked right at me as if to say, “I’m coming home soon, I’ll be your responsibility then.” I know he probably couldn’t even focus his eyes at that point, but it seemed to me he was looking into my soul. Joys and concerns.
Jason recovered, came home and grew up to be a fine young man. He now attends Asbury Theological Seminary under a call from God to be a worship leader.
Every parent understands the joys and concerns of being a new parent. I can hardly imagine the joy and concern that gripped the hearts of Zechariah and Elizabeth as they awaited the birth of their first child, a son…a son to be named John according to the Angel Gabriel. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Luke, tells the story: “It all begins with a Jewish priest, Zechariah, who lived when Herod was King of Judea.” “He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive (barren), and they were both very old.”
A couple of things to notice here: first, Zechariah was of the priestly order of Abijah. The priestly orders looked after the business of the Temple. It was his turn to minister before the golden altar of incense in the Holy Place, possibly for the first time in his priestly service. Centuries before, King David divided the priests into twenty-four courses. The order of Abijah, to which Zacharias belonged, was the eighth in line. Each course would be called to minister in the Temple on only two occasions during the entire year, each occasion lasting for one week. With nearly a thousand priests in each course, it becomes evident that entering the Holy Place and kindling the incense on the golden altar was quite possibly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But this was Zacharias’ day. (1)
The second thing I wish to call to our attention is the fact that Elizabeth was without child at an advanced age. Those of us familiar with the Old Testament will know that childlessness in old age was not necessarily an uncommon occurrence. In fact, some of Israel’s most prominent parents were into advanced adulthood before they had children. Sarah, the mothers of Samson and Samuel, Rebekah and Rachel all come to mind. So, “barrenness”, was not unheard of, if not commonplace, during biblical times.
It was in this state of advanced childlessness Zechariah entered the Holy Place to offer the incense sacrifice. The incense altar was located directly in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. First, he would choose two special friends to assist him. One would reverently remove the ashes from the previous evening’s sacrifice. Then the second would enter worshipfully and place new burning coals on the altar.
Finally, Zacharias would enter the Holy Place alone, bearing the golden censer, and at the given signal he would spread the incense over the coals. The incense was to be left burning continually throughout the day and night as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It was made of an equal part of four precious spices (stacte, onycha, galbanum and frankincense) and was considered holy. God commanded the Israelites not to use the same formula outside the tabernacle to make perfume for their own consumption; otherwise, they were to be cut off from their people. (2)
As the incense kindled and a cloud of fragrance arose from the altar, the prayer of the worshipers outside would rise into the presence of God. It was a beautifully symbolic experience of worship. (3)
As Zechariah finished his turn as priest of the day, an angel of the Lord appeared as if out of nowhere. I’ve never personally seen an angel, but from the accounts we read in Scripture, I can imagine it might be a bit intimidating if not frightening. But the angel immediately seeks to put Zechariah’s heart to rest:
“Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” (4)
Can you imagine? First, Zechariah has the once-in-a-lifetime honor of presiding at the day’s incense sacrifice, second an angel appears as he finishes what may have been the pinnacle of his career, and finally the heavenly messenger informs him that he and his equally aged wife will have a son. And not just any son, a son who will be great in the eyes of God and will be filled with the Holy Spirit from before his birth and he will lead legions of people back to God. I can’t imagine.
We all have high hopes for our children, but goodness, all this in one day, at this stage of his life? It was more than Zechariah could stand. His joys and concerns came out as disbelief. “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” (1:18) And Gabriel responded:
“I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” (5)
Meanwhile, the people who were praying for Zechariah and the incense offering were still waiting outside the Temple wondering what was taking so long. When Zechariah finally appeared it was obvious it had been no ordinary day at the office. No words, just gestures communicated his encounter with the angel. After a few more days of temple duties, Zechariah returned home. Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth became pregnant.
Six months down the road, Elizabeth received a visit from her young cousin Mary, who has had an angelic encounter of her own. As Mary entered Elizabeth’s home, her baby, the future JTB (John the Baptist) jumped inside her. Those of you who have children can remember the first time the baby moved. “Oh, the baby kicked me,” was commonly heard at our house, especially while Suzanne was pregnant with Rebecca.
By this time, the supernatural nature of Mary’s pregnancy must have sunk into Elizabeth’s heart. “Oh Mary,” she says: “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” (6)
Notice that Elizabeth’s attention is not on her own miraculous pregnancy, but on the mother of her Lord.
Mary’s response we refer to as “The Magnificat”: Magnificat anima mea Dominum, or, “my soul doth magnify the Lord.”
Young Mary stayed with old Elizabeth until it was almost time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born. Which brings us to the pericope immediately prior to our passage for this preaching event.
The community gathered around the door of the house. Old Elizabeth was in labor. Exciting, mysterious, miraculous…and dangerous. Word spread, all was well, God was gracious to our geriatric mom. As was the custom, the eighth day of the baby’s life brought the ceremony of circumcision and naming. “Name him Zechariah, after his father,” they all said. “No, his name is John,” insisted Elizabeth. “But Elizabeth, you have no family member named John! Go ask Zechariah, let the father decide.” The words were scribbled on a tablet, “His name is John!” With that, Zechariah regained his speech, was filled with the Holy Spirit and began praising God:
68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior (horn of salvation)
from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors
by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath
to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.
There’s a word in verse sixty-eight to which I wish to call your attention. It’s the word visited. Verse sixty-eight reads: “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people.” Visited. Seems like an innocuous word to you and me. “Hi honey, I’m home.” “Oh, hi dear, you’re later than usual.” “Yes, I stopped to visit Mrs. Jones at the hospital.” Or “Hey, guess who I visited with after church yesterday.” But a little investigation reveals the word used had a deeper meaning.
“Episképtomai” is the word we translate “visited”. In a casual setting it might mean to simply look in on or to look upon. A casual use of the word as you and I might say, “I had a visit with so and so yesterday.”
The word takes on a religious content when God is the one doing the visiting, e.g., when he watches over the land (Dt. 11:12) or visits his people in judgment or mercy (Zech. 10:3). In this case, God obviously visited His people with appointed purpose. (7)
The next word to call to your attention is the word redeem. The Hebrew equivalent has three meanings: to wash away, to cover, and to atone. So, Zechariah’s first words after nine months of speechlessness praise God not for his own son or his wife’s safe delivery in her old age, but for God’s direct, intentional visitation for the stated purpose of washing away, covering and atoning for humanity’s sin.
Then, perhaps lifting his son in his arms in Lion King-esque fashion, Zechariah proclaimed:
76 “And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.”
Born Thy people to deliver, Born a Child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit, Rule in all our hearts alone.
By Thine all-sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Remember, during Advent:
“…it’s as if we’re re-enacting, remembering the thousands of years God’s people were anticipating and longing for the coming of God’s salvation…for the coming of Jesus.”
That’s what Advent is all about.
Advent invites us to lose ourselves not in the discarded wrapping paper of a frenetic gift giving frenzy, but rather in the wonder and majesty of a God whose angelic envoy visited an old priest and his wife and honored their faithfulness with the birth a baby boy who would proclaim God’s greatest gift.
Advent reminds us the real mystery of life is not how a fat guy in a red suit flies in a sled with tiny reindeer and slithers down chimneys bringing toys to all good girls and boys, but that God is a God of unpredictability that speaks through angels to old women and old men and young girls and good-hearted carpenters bringing Good News of great joy to all people.
Advent reminds us that, like Elizabeth and Zechariah and John the Baptist and Mary and Joseph, you and I are invited into the visitation. We are invited to receive and share God’s Salvation. To receive and share God’s mercy. To receive and share God’s light to those who dwell in darkness. To receive and share the path that leads to the Prince of Peace.
Advent reminds us that: “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.”
There’s no feeling empty or ripped off with Good News like that.
1) http://bible.org/seriespage/impossible-things-do-happen%E2%80%94i-story-zacharias-and-elizabethi
2) http://the-tabernacle-place.com/articles/what_is_the_tabernacle/tabernacle_altar_of_incense
3)http://bible.org/seriespage/impossible-things-do-happen%E2%80%94i-story-zacharias-and-elizabethi
4) Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation, 3rd ed. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2007). Lk 1:13–17.
5) Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation, 3rd ed. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2007). Lk 1:19–20.
6) Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation, 3rd ed. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2007). Lk 1:42–45.
7) Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985). 244.
