Well, as we’ve been talking about, this morning we’re entering a brand new season. And even though, according to the church calendar, it’s called the Season of Advent, because we’re getting ready to celebrate the advent or birth of Jesus, let’s get real, most of us aren’t thinking “advent” right now. Our minds have shifted to Christmas, right? I mean, give me a break, we’re not hanging the advent lights or putting up the advent tree or setting out the advent decorations. No, we’re looking down the barrel at Christmas, aren’t we? I mean, only a minister who’s either really, and I mean, really young and stupid or who is so close to retirement that he no longer cares about ticking off his church, only that kind of minister would choose to sing advent songs rather than Christmas carols during the four Sundays before the twenty-fifth.
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And I’ll tell you, I think the last thing I mentioned is particularly important, because I’m not sure there’s another time of year when what we sing is so important. I’ll tell you, that’s certainly the case with me. I mean, although I can close my eyes and see the tree we’d set up in the cover of the living room every year and the nativity that was always on the mantle and the stockings that we hung by the chimney with care, it’s the music, the songs and the carols that I think bring back the most memories, at least for me. For example, when I was a boy, throughout the ‘60s, Firestone, you know, the tire company, would issue these albums every year entitled the Great Songs of Christmas. And even though we had several, my favorite was the one they released in 1965. I’ll tell you, back in the day, we listened to it so many times, not only did we know all the words to all the songs, we knew exactly when the record would skip. I’ve got to admit, when I was a kid, in some very real ways, Christmas music was the actual reason for the season.
And you know, that’s going to be our focus on three Sundays before and one Sunday after the big day. You see, we’re going to be looking at the great songs of Christmas, but not just the ones that I remember on the Goodyear albums. Instead, we’re also going to consider those great songs there in the Gospel of Luke, songs that surrounded the birth of Jesus Christ, and I’m talking about the song of Mary after the announcement and the song of the heavenly host after the birth and the song of Simeon after Mary and Joseph presented the baby Jesus in Jerusalem. Those are some of the songs that we’ll be talking about during this Christmas season.
And this morning, we’ll start with the one offered by Zechariah right after the birth of his son, John the Baptist, a song that expressed his praise and his thanks to God. And to do it, we’ll look at three things. First, we’ll focus on the context of the song and in particular, what happened right before it was offered. And then, second, we’ll consider the song itself. And then, third, we’ll take these words of praise offered by Zechariah and talk about how they might be meaningful for us, right here and right now.
But before we get there, I think it’s important for us to know a little bit about the context. In other words, what caused Zechariah to offer up these words to God? And I’ll tell you, in a nutshell, this whole business starts with an angel making an announcement to Zechariah. You see, Zechariah was a priest who was married to Elizabeth. But because Elizabeth was barren, they had no children. And since they were both getting up in years, that didn’t seem likely to change. Now, that’s a little bit of exposition.
And you know, I think this is really important to remember, because it actually makes the announcement pretty amazing and, on the surface, ridiculous. You see, while he was in the Temple, doing his thing, the angel said to Zechariah, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayers. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you must name him John.” [Luke 1:13b, CEV] Naturally, given the situation, Zechariah had one enormous question, and so he asked the angel, “How will I know this is going to happen? My wife and I are both very old.” [Luke 1:18b, CEV] To which the angel said, “I am Gabriel, God’s servant, and I was sent to tell you this good news. You have not believed what I have said. So you will not be able to say a thing until all this happens. But everything will take place when it is supposed to.” [Luke 1:19b-20, CEV] Now that’s what happened. And guys, just file this away; if an angel tells you that your wife is going to have a baby, don’t ask “how,” just go with it.
Anyway, the angel was right. Elizabeth became pregnant. And since Zechariah was absolutely silent, which must have been horrible for poor Elizabeth to have a silent husband; he said absolutely nothing until after his son had been born. And then, on a writing tablet, Zechariah wrote, “His name is John.” [Luke 1:63b, CEV] And according to Luke, not only was everyone amazed, “at once, Zechariah started speaking and praising God.” [Luke 1:64, CEV] Now, that’s the context for the “song” Zechariah would offer.
Because once he’d gotten his voice back, realizing that what the Angel Gabriel had told him was spot on, again according to the Evangelist, “The Holy Spirit came upon Zechariah, and he began to speak:” [Luke 1:67, CEV] And I’ll tell you, when we look at what he said, you know, what he sang, I think we can divide his song into three parts.
You see, first, Zechariah sang about the past, and in particular, about what God had done for his people throughout their history. I mean, just listen to what he said:
Praise the Lord,
the God of Israel!
He has come
to save his people.
Our God has given us
a mighty Savior
from the family
of David his servant.
Long ago the Lord promised
by the words
of his holy prophets
to save us from our enemies
and from everyone
who hates us.
God said he would be kind
to our people and keep
his sacred promise.
He told our ancestor Abraham
that he would rescue us
from our enemies.
Then we could serve him
without fear,
by being holy and good
as long as we live. [Luke 1:68-75, CEV]
Now that’s how the song started, with him praising and thanking the Lord for all he’d done for Israel in the past. You see, first, for Zechariah, regardless of what was going on, God had kept his promises.
And then, second, he also sang about the present, you know, the stuff that God was doing or about to do right now. You see, after praising and thanking God for what he’d already done, this was what Zechariah said:
You, my son, will be called
the prophet of God Most High.
You will go ahead of the Lord
to get everything ready
for him.
You will tell his people
that they can be saved
when their sins
are forgiven. [Luke 1:76-77, CEV]
In other words, God was just about to do something amazing through this miracle child whom Zechariah had just named John. You see, John was going to be the one who would get folks ready for the coming of the Lord, the coming of the messiah, the coming of the Christ. And he was going to be the one who would announce that forgiveness and salvation were going to be possible. Now, second, this was what God was about to do.
And then, third, Zechariah finished up his song with a little bit about the future, in other words, about what folks could expect because God had kept his promises and was about to do a new thing. I mean, just listen to what Zechariah sang at the end:
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. [Luke 1:78-79, CEV]
You see, because of what he’d done in the past and was about to do in the present, Zechariah believed that God would continue to be active into the future and that, even when things might appear dark and even when death was casting its shadow over his people, the sun would still rise and the light would still shine and God would still guide his people toward a life of peace. You see, because he trusted in his love and kindness, according to Zechariah, this would come in the future. Now, as I read it, that’s what this song is about.
And so, what does all this mean? What does it mean to say that God was involved in the past and is engaged in the present and will guide us into the future? I mean, how can the one about whom Zechariah sang be meaningful to us as we get ready to celebrate the birth of the one John the Baptist announced, our savior, Jesus Christ? Now I think those are some good questions. And for me, based on these words from Zechariah, I think this is a reminder to us that, along with everything else, Christmas is really about praise. And I say that for three reasons.
You see, thanks to Zechariah’s song, at Christmas, we can find peace. Why? Because whether we believe it or not, God remembers his promises. Of course, sometimes, from our perspective, that doesn’t seem to be the case. I mean, whether it involves physical sickness or emotional distress, problems at our work or within our families, active fear or passive despair, we might have a hard time believing that we’re anything but abandoned and alone. But I’ll tell you, because of that, we need to remember what Zechariah said, that God really does remember the promises that he made to his people in the past, the promises he made to us. and that God keeps his word. And you know, maybe if we intentionally remember this, maybe we just might find ourselves sort of slipping into the perspective that Peter described in his second letter:
We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. God made great and marvelous promises, so his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world. [2 Peter 1:3-4, CEV]
You see, God remembers his promises; therefore, we can find peace. And in my opinion, that’s the first reason we can offer him praise this Christmas.
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But I’ll tell you, that’s not all, because I think we can also find comfort during this Christmas season, comfort knowing that, whether we see it or not, God is active and involved in our world and in our lives. Of course, like I just said, I recognize that sometimes it may feel as though life is dealing from the bottom of the deck, you know, that the game is rigged and no matter what we say or do, man, we’re going lose. In other words, sometimes it may seem like what we’re up against is so gigantic and our slingshot is so tiny. But you know, at those times, we just might want to remember that the same God who worked through John the Baptist to announce forgiveness and salvation to his people, I’m telling you, that same God is alive and active right this minute. Trust me, no matter how awful things appear to be, God hasn’t given up on his creation. And no matter how badly we screw up, God hasn’t given up on us either. And when we remember it, I think we can experience at least a little bit of what Moses wanted his people to feel as they were about to enter their Promised Land:
Be brave and strong! Don’t be afraid of the nations on the other side of the Jordan. The Lord your God will always be at your side, and he will never abandon you. [Deuteronomy 31:6, CEV]
You see, whether we see it or not, God is active right here and now. And because of that, I think we can find comfort. And for me, that’s the second reason we can offer him praise at Christmas.
And finally, along with peace and comfort, I believe we can also find confidence, as we approach our celebration of Jesus’s birth, remembering that, according to Zechariah, God is also leading us into the future, and he’s going to do it whether we want him to or not. You see, not only does he keep the promises he made in the past and is constantly working behind the scenes in the present, God is intentionally guiding us toward our ultimate destinies. And since we can trust that, using the words of Zechariah himself, “God’s love and kindness will shine upon us” [Luke 1:78a, CEV], I believe we can look forward with both hope and patience, just like James challenged the readers of his letter to do when he wrote this:
My friends, be patient until the Lord returns. Think of farmers who wait patiently for the autumn and spring rains to make their valuable crops grow.Be patient like those farmers and don’t give up. The Lord will soon be here! Don’t grumble about each other or you will be judged, and the judge is right outside the door. [James 5:7-9, CEV]
I’m telling you, in spite of what we might think or feel, our God of kindness and love is leading us into the future; therefore, we can find confidence. And again for me, that’s the third reason we can offer God praise at Christmas.
And I’ll tell you, praise, man, that was something I was doing yesterday, about one o’clock in the afternoon. You see, for the first time this season, I put on some of the Christmas music that I’ve saved on my computer. And I can tell you, it’s the good stuff, songs by Nate King Cole and Bing Crosby and Perry Como and some other dead people. And I kid you not, the second album that started playing was the Great Songs of Christmas, released by Goodyear Tire Company in 1965. And so, as I listened to Maurice Chevalier making his appeal to “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” and Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme describing a “Sleigh Ride” and Doris Day counting down the “Twelve Days of Christmas,” man, I was right back in Norfolk, Virginia hanging the lights and putting up the tree and setting out the decorations. It was wonderful.
But I’ll tell you, as we leave here this morning, we can take with us a song that’s actually better and more meaningful than anything that Andy Williams or Judy Garland ever sang. I mean, we can remember a song that enables us to find peace and comfort and confidence because it’s about the one who remembers the promises he made in the past and who is active and involved in the present and who is guiding us into the future. In other words, we can take with us the song of Zechariah, a wonderful song of praise.
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