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Today’s devotional is from our Songs of Advent Devotional, written by members of CBC. This week’s devotional, Love, was written by Jim and Susan Stinespring.
Download the devotional and study guide (and share with someone) here- Songs of Advent
LOVE
LUKE 1:55-79
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 set free, and he began to speak, praising God. All the neighbors were 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 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.
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 heave
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
DEVOTIONAL
Even for faithful servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, life can present burdens that cause us to feel ashamed or disgraced: concerns for family or friends that do not know the love of God, stressed-filled days because of addictions or abuse, careless decisions that change living circumstances. In those times, we pray fervently for the Lord to deliver us from the burden and the shame. Then, we wait for an answer. In Luke 1, Zechariah and Elizabeth face such a burden and wait for an answer.
After being chosen by lot to serve in the temple as a priest before God, Zechariah received word from Gabriel, an angel of the Lord, that his seemingly impossible prayer had been answered. Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, felt disgraced that she was childless in a Jewish culture that saw children as a blessing from God. She was not blessed. Gabriel announced that Elizabeth would bear a son, John, who would prepare the way for the Messiah. Not only would Elizabeth and Zechariah be blessed by this birth, but the restoration of all creation by the loving creator God would begin. Thus, the prayers of Zechariah and all of Israel were answered. John the Baptist, “the voice of one calling in the desert prepare the way for the Lord” was born to Zechariah and Elizabeth (Is 40:3). In answering the prayer of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the Lord also answered the prayer of Israel for a redeemer, a Messiah, the Christ. As the forerunner of Jesus, John would proclaim the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you,” the people of God (Gen 12:3).
Yet, God did not answer Zechariah’s prayer until he and Elizabeth were old, past the child-bearing, child-rearing age. This couple had waited most of their lives for God’s answer, living faithful lives, “upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.” (Luke 1:6). But they were still waiting. Henri Nouwen writes, “People who wait have received a promise that allows them to wait.” Their waiting was not wishful thinking but hope in the loving God of Israel who answered prayer.
Israel, too, had waited for centuries through judges and monarchs and exile for a redeemer, a Messiah, to restore their kingdom. Through the words of the prophets, subjugation to conquering nations, and four hundred years of silence from God – Israel was still waiting and praying. In God’s time, all would come. They prayed, believing as David wrote in Psalm 27:13,14: “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
In response to the prayers of his people, our faithful, loving God continues to deliver us from our burdens. God’s deliverance begins with the birth of Jesus, continues in his death and resurrection, and finds fulfillment in the restoration of his creation – “to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God.” (Luke 1:77-78a). We pray as Zechariah and Israel prayed – expectantly trusting, waiting, and watching for God’s answer.
Seeing the living miracle, his son John, Zechariah, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” erupts in “Praise to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and redeemed his people.” He shows mercy, remembering his holy covenant. He rescues us from enemies and enables “us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness.” He gives “his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.” 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.” Praised be the God, the Lord of all, who shows us his faithful love through Jesus Christ, our redeemer, and our Lord. (Luke 1:68-79)
During this Advent season, we share the opportunity to pray for deliverance – to pray for ourselves, our family members, our friends, and people from all around the world looking for relief from burdens. Following the example of Zechariah, we pray not only for ourselves but for all who carry burdens. We learn to wait for God’s answer as we pray, trusting his character and his love, watching for his answer. May our response to answered prayer erupt in praise to the God who loves with a “love that surpasses knowledge.” (Eph 3:19a)
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” (Eph 3:20,21) The God who promises remains strong and sure for us as He was for Zechariah and Elizabeth, a strong foundation for prayers filled with trust, watchfulness, waiting, and praise.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- We are impatient people. Long lines at the DMV, drive-thru lanes for our morning coffee, and I-79 traffic proves this to be true! Zechariah and Elizabeth reveal how to wait upon a loving and gracious God. What was so good about the promise given to them?
- While they waited for the coming child, what was the reason for Zechariah’s song?
- Consider the love that God has for His people. Throughout the Old Testament, we see stories of deliverance and blessing from the abundance of the Father’s love. Now love was revealed in the coming of a savior that led Zechariah to sing. How would you define this love? How do you respond to it?
- In a world desperate to be loved and to be known, this Advent story shows that love has come in the person of Jesus, and He can be known. Have you truly embraced this love? How can you be a better conduit of love during this Advent season?