Sermon – Luke 1:46-55 Mary's Song

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Luke 1:46-55 Mary's Song

December 20, 2015

            This is the fourth Sunday of Advent.  The time is almost here for the coming of our savior.  Zechariah and Elizabeth are celebrating the birth of the child that they haves prayed for, for so long.  And the birth young Mary's son is just a few days from now.  As Mary thinks about what has happen to her, the visit of the angel, the conversation with Elizabeth, and her nine months of carrying God's son she has had time to reflect.  And she has discovered that she is a part of a plan, God's plan, which began generations before her and will continue for generations after her. As she thought about all that was happening to her she began to sing.   And her song has been sung by the church ever since.  We call it the Magnificat.  We will get to this glorious work, but first let's pray.

            God of grace, you chose the Virgin Mary, full of grace, to be the mother of our Lord and Savior.  Now fill us with your grace, that with her, we may rejoice in your salvation, and in all things, embrace your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.  (Book of Common Worship p.176)

            As Mary thought about all that was happening to her she sang this song.

Luke 1:46 “My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

            In the song Mary did what we often do whenever we face important events.  At the birth of her son Mary was thinking about generations, both the generations before that led to this birth and the generations after that will be affected by this birth. 

            Mary remembered the birth of her ancestor Isaac who was born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age.  He was the beginning of a promise to Abraham and Sarah that their descendants would number more that all the grains of sand on the seashore.  And Mary knew that her own son, Jesus would fulfill God's promise to Abraham and Sarah that their family would bless all the families of the world.

            Mary also remembered the birth of Obed, whose father had married a young Moabite woman named Ruth.  Obed was the grandfather of the King David to whom God promised that his descendants would reign as kings forever.  Mary knew that her own son would fulfill this promise of God by reigning as King in the Kingdom of God.

            Mary also remembered that birth of the great prophet Samuel whose mother, Hannah, had prayed for a son for so long.  Hannah promised to God that her son would be dedicated to God's work if she was blessed with a pregnancy.  When God fulfilled his promise and gave her a son, Hannah fulfilled her promise as would Mary when her son is born.   And like Samuel, Mary's son will become a great prophet. 

            Mary also thought about future generations, people who would be adopted into Abraham and Sarah's family and participants in his covenant.  She thought about generations who would live under the sovereignty of her son and who would be guided by his teaching.  In other words Mary was thinking about all of us.

            As we approach Christmas we too are thinking about generations.  We remember those who nurtured us in the faith.  And we think about future generations whom we can influence by our words and actions.  That's why we had our children presentation this morning.  We are nurturing these kids so that faith continues for generations to come.

            I can remember my grandfather.  He didn't go to church, but he drove my grandmother there every Sunday.  One day he asked my grandmother if he could go to church with her.  This surprised her, and she said “yes”.  The next Sunday they went to church together for the first time.  My grandfather was surprised.  He had grown up in a harsh church that would rap his knuckles if he did anything wrong.  But in my grandmother's Presbyterian church everyone was so friendly.  He joined the church and attended worship for as long as he could until he became sick and died.

            I also remember my grandmother.  Her father died when she was 21 and she had to live with her brother Harry who managed a store in a coal mining town called Butte.  As she was leaving her home, a friend gave her a beautiful print.  On it was the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments.  She hung this in her bedroom and used it in her daily morning and evening prayers.  When my mother was born the print went into her bedroom so my mother would be reminded of the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments every day.  I found the print in my grandmother's attic one day, and told my grandmother that it was so beautiful it should be displayed.  She put it up in the hallway.  And a few years later she gave it to me.  And this beautiful print now hangs in the pastor's office here at First Presbyterian Church.  It reminds me, every day, of the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments.

            I have no children of my own to nurture in the faith.  A few years ago I would talk about faith with my young nieces and nephews.  I would bring Christian Christmas presents to their houses on Christmas day.  And I would invite them to come to special events at the church.  But ten years ago I moved far away to attend seminary, and the churches I have served since have been far from their homes.  So I have little influence now.  I pray that somehow they will come to faith.  Now I have two wonderful stepsons and my hope is that their faith with grow and I will have to opportunity to nurture grandchildren some day.

            I know that all of you have rich memories of faithful people in your lives.  I have heard your stories of how you grew up in the faith and have nurtured your own children and grandchildren.  I am so thankful for the Dee, Dawn, Mabel, Grace and others who nurture children in the community through this church.

            The Bible shows the importance of generations in its genealogies.  The Gospel of Matthew begins with a “record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ.”   Matthew connects Jesus, generation by generation, to God's covenant with Abraham and Sarah.    In the Gospel of Luke a genealogy of Jesus is used to set the context for his earthly ministry.  This genealogy connects Jesus to Adam and Eve and the creation of the world.

            As Mary thought about her history and future she realized something vitally important.  The God she worshiped was a champion of the poor, the weak and the insignificant.  Here she is a poor insignificant young woman whom God has chosen to bear a son.  God could have chosen one of the King's daughters.  But he didn't.  He chose the lowest of people for the highest of calling.  Sarah and Abraham were Bedouin herdsman, and they were chosen to start a great nation.  Ruth was a alien with a dead husband, and she was chosen to bear the grandfather of King David.  Hannah was a simple farmer's wife, and she was chosen to bear the great prophet Samuel.  Zechariah was a simple country priest and his wife bore a son who proclaimed the coming of a Messiah.  And Mary was just a poor unmarried girl living in a tiny village in the region of Galilee during Roman occupation and she was chosen to bear the savior of the world.

            God chooses the lowly for great things.  And this is really good news for us at Christmas.  God chooses us, not the sons and daughters of presidents and corporate leaders, but us to do extraordinary things.  And what are the extraordinary things we are chosen for?  We are chosen to nurture future generations in the faithfulness and love of Jesus Christ.  This is your calling this Christmas.   Let's pray.

            Almighty God, Christ your Word became flesh and dwelt among us, born in Bethlehem. May we receive Christ into our lives and become, through him, your blessed children who walk in the light you have sent into our world. Through Christ we pray. Amen. (Feasting on the Word Worship Companion C1 p. 26.)

Sermon – Luke 1:26-45, 56 Mary’s Son

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Luke 1:26-45, 56  Mary’s Son

December 13, 2015

            This is the third Sunday in the season of Advent.  So far we have accompanied a priest named Zachariah into the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple.  There he saw the angel Gabriel who gave him extraordinary news.  The son he and his wife had prayed for for so many years would be born.  And he would be prophet who would proclaim repentance for the forgiveness of sin and the coming of the messiah.  Zachariah was so overjoyed with this experience of an immanent God. he burst our into song celebrating God with us.

            Today we will hear about a second visit of the angel Gabriel, this time to a young unmarried woman named Mary.  Emmanuel, God with us, is about to do another extraordinary thing.  We will get to this, but first let's pray, the Angelus, borrowed from our Roman Catholic friends.

            “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

            Imagine that you are in the checkout line of a grocery store.  There, next to the register are the supermarket tabloids.  Their headlines are a mixture of sex, politics and religion.  You might see something like this, “Catholic Nun has President's Love Child”.  This may or may not grab your attention.  But what if you read, “Pregnant Teenager Claims to Still Be a Virgin.  God is the Father.  Child is the King of the World.  Read All About It!”  Would that grab your attention?  If so, listen up.

Luke 1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, 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 conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him 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 Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

            Pretend for a moment that you are a 13 year-old girl living in a small village.  Your future is secure because your family has already found a husband who will take care of you.  All you have to do is produce sons and you will have a wonderful life all of your days.  But then one night a angel comes with an amazing offer.  You will bear God's son and he will be the messiah who will restore the Davidic kingdom.  How would you react if that was God's plan for your life?  Let's see how young Mary responded.

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

            Good question!  Mary is obviously a good girl.  She obeys all the rules.  She knows what is expected of her.  She wants to do the right thing.  And at this point she is probably scared to death.  This might be the time to scream for her mother.  But Mary keeps under control and wants to know how all this is going to happen.  Let's hear Gabriel's reply.

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] 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 unable to conceive is in her sixth month.37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

            So there is nothing that Mary needs to do.  All that is required is for her to remain faithful and open to whatever God has planned.  This is what election is all about.  God created each of you for a specific purpose.  All you have to do is remain faithful and willing to follow God wherever he might take you.

            When I was Mary's age I loved going to church, and I loved public speaking.  I was on my school's debate team and went to church every Sunday with my family.   People saw me and said that one day I would be a pastor.    But I enjoy mathematics and science.  I went to college and majored in physics.  But while at Dickinson College I ran into a Philosophy professor named Frederick Ferre.  He encouraged me to study both physics and philosophy.  I ended up with a double major in both.

            But what I really wanted was to run my own business.  So I took over my father's Baskin Robbins franchise and started work on a Master of Business Administration at George Mason University.  I would eventually start a chain of wicker furniture stores and sold computer systems to retail stores.  I was good at business, but I realized that I wasn't satisfied with this kind of work.

            What did satisfy me was teaching Bible studies at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington DC.  While I did this I kept having a nagging feeling that maybe I should be a pastor.  And so in 2004 I went to Fuller Seminary.  Finally, I was on the path that God had created for me to walk.

            Mary didn't wait three decades to begin following God's plan for her life.  Even as a young teenager she knew what to do when God called.  Let's listen.

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

And so Mary obediently accepted God's plan for her life.  But her parents are about to read some headlines in the supermarket tabloid.   “Pregnant Teenager Claims to Still Be a Virgin.  God is the Father.  Child is the King of the World.”  Before her parents get the news, Mary figures that it is time to visit an older cousin, Elizabeth, to receive some words of wisdom. 

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 

            Elizabeth knows what it is like to receive some good news from God.  God had finally blessed her with a pregnancy after so many years of prayer.  She recognizes that Mary has received some really good news.   Elizabeth is overjoyed and wants to celebrate.

            And that's when Mary can ask the question on her mind, Why me?  This is often the question we ask when we realize God's purpose in our lives.  We spend our time trying to achieve our purposes for our lives.  We get education and experience to do what we want to do.  And we don't want to give all that up.  But sometimes to do what God wants you to do you have to give up what you want to do.

            That's what happened to me.  I resisted God's call on my life for decades.  I prayed over and over that God would bless what I wanted.  I prayed that my business would be more successful.  Those prayer were granted to an extent.  But what I know now is that God had something else in mind for me.  God wanted me to surrender to his will.  Which I finally did at age 47.

            I doesn't matter when you start to follow God's plan for you life.   You can start as a teenager like Mary.  You can start in middle age like me.  I even have a friend who started seminary in his 70s.  You are never too old to begin following what God is calling you to do.  And you are never too young.  John the Baptist wasn't even born yet when he started proclaiming the coming of the messiah.

43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

            And then Mary, filled with God's blessings and following God's plan for her life stayed with Elizabeth until John was born.  Then she returned to her family and her fiance with the following news, “Pregnant Teenager Claims to Still Be a Virgin.  God is the Father.  Child is the King of the World.”  The Bible leaves the the conversation between Mary and her parents and Joseph to our imaginations.  How would react if your young daughter would come to you with news like this?  Hopefully we would see it for what it is.  God has a plan for Mary's life, and this is it.  She is to bear God's son the Messiah.

            Each of us was born with a purpose given to us by God.  As an act of faith we are to discern God's plan on our lives and do what God wants done.  Do this and you will live with the satisfaction of being a part of God's plan for creation.  Let's pray.

            Emmanuel, God with us, we thank you for choosing us to be part of your plan.  We thank you for giving our lives a purpose.  We pray for your Spirit to help us surrender to your will so we may follow you all the days of our lives.  In your son's name we pray.  Amen.

Sermon – Luke 1:68-79 Zechariah’s Song

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Luke 1:68-79 Zechariah’s Song

December 6, 2015

I recently heard a testimony given by a Navy chaplain speaking at Fuller Seminary. In her ministry she had made a practice of just walking around the ship asking sailors how they were doing. One day a sailor came to see her. He had noticed her walking around the ship and thought, maybe, she could help. The first thing he told her was that he was an atheist. In their conservation this atheist talked about his desire to kill himself. Suicide seemed the only way to deal with his trouble. The chaplain prayed with him and told him that God loved him, wanted to bless him, and would be with him. This helped the sailor tremendously. And he told the chaplain that she could pray for him whenever she wanted.

The atheist had a hard time believing in a transcendent God. He just couldn’t buy the idea of a God in heaven sitting on a throne in charge of the world. How could this be given that the world seems to be out of control? But he could believe in God who was with him, loves him and could be counted on to save him.

This is the God, an immanent God, which we worship as Christians. We believe in a God who left heaven and came to earth to be with us and love us. God lived in a garden with Adam and Eve, and he came back to earth to be with us with the birth of Jesus, whom the prophets called Emmanuel, God with us. The heart of our faith is our experience of God in the world around us. This experience is confirmed by our reading of scripture. And that's why we enjoy Advent and Christmas so much. This is a time when we celebrate and worship a God who is with us.

One way I experience God in the world around us is with the sunrise over the ocean. It is a beautiful sight when the sun peers over the boundary between sky and sea. At that moment, when the day ahead is filled with possibilities, God seems to me to be very near. Another person who experienced God in the sunrise was a country priest named Zechariah. He sang about this God with us in a song he wrote to celebrate his son's birth. We will get to this song, but first let's pray.

“Merciful God, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation. Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.” (BCW p. 174.)

When John the Baptist was just eight days old his parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, took him to be circumcised. During this ceremony Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to sing a word of prophecy. Here is the beginning of the song he sang.

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),71 salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—72 to show mercy to our ancestors
    and to remember his holy covenant,73     the oath he swore to our father Abraham:74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him without fear75     in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

Zechariah was singing about the covenant between God and Abraham which was symbolically recognized in the circumcision of his son. Let's listen to the terms of this covenant from Genesis chapter 17.

1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”

9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 

So, the covenant was between God and Abraham and included all of Abraham's descendants. God promised Abraham descendants numerous enough to form a nation, in fact many nations, he promised them land to farm, and he promised to be their God. Abraham and his descendants promised to be obedient to God's law. Circumcision was required of all of Abraham's male descendants as a sign and seal of this covenant.

On the occasion of his own son's circumcision, Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and he praised God for the fulfillment of this covenant. God was faithful. He did provide descendants numerous enough to form nations. He did provide land for them to farm. But the people had come up short on their obligations under the contract. They were to faithfully obey God's commandments, but they didn't.

Zechariah was overjoyed because he was the first to know the good news. God had decided, in his mercy, to forgive this disobedience. All that was required was a change in how we live. If we now live lives of obedience our past disobedience will be forgiven and we will have fulfilled our end of the covenant. And Zechariah was overjoyed that his own son would make this proclamation. John would be the prophet sent by God to proclaim repentance for the forgiveness of sin. Let's return to Zechariah's song and listen as he sings about his newly born son.

Luke 1:76 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,77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven79 to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

John the Baptist will proclaim the good news of salvation through the forgiveness of sin. And he will proclaim that a savior is coming, God himself will be with us to forgive us. Zechariah described this experience of God with us, as a rising sun shining on a people living in darkness.

This is good news for us. We have been adopted into Abraham's family. The promises of God’s blessings are offered to us through repentance, change in our behavior from disobedience to obedience, leading to the forgiveness of sin. If we do this, God will do something amazing. He will be our God. He will be with us, Emmanuel.

Circumcision was the sign and seal of the original covenant. The sign and seal of the covenant offered to us is the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. As we gather around this table we experience God with us in the bread and juice. As we commune together we are the sign to the world that God is with us. As we eat this bread and drink from this cup the promise of forgiveness is sealed upon us. And so just as we experience the presence of God with us in a beautiful sunrise on the beach, so too do we experience Emmanuel, God with us, here in the sacrament of communion. Let's pray.

“God of our salvation, you straighten the winding ways of our hearts and smooth the paths made rough by sin. Keep our conduct blameless, keep our hearts watchful in holiness, and bring to perfection the good you have begun in us. We ask this through him whose coming is certain, whose day draws near; your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.” (Book of Common Worship p.174)

Sermon – Luke 1:5-25. 57-66, 80 Zechariah’s Son

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Luke 1:5-25. 57-66, 80 Zechariah’s Son

November 29, 2015

Before I begin this morning I would like to give you a brief update on my trip to South Korea. This trip was part vacation and part mission. The mission part consisted of meeting with Presbyterian pastors and educators, and preaching in Presbyterian churches. Last Sunday Grace and I were in Chungju, South Korea. I was warmly greeted by Dr. HyeonSang Jo of the DaeChon Presbyterian Seminary and the Rev. Dr. SunHwan Hwang, pastor of Sewon Kyung (Smiling Soul Happy) Church. I preached last Sunday at the 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 worship services at Dr. Hwang's church. Grace preached at the 9:30 and 2:00pm services for children and youth. We also met with two Presbyterian theological students from DaeChon Presbyterian seminary who last year served as interns for New Castle Presbytery, InJung Park and MinAh Peum.

Later that Sunday I met the Rev. Dr. ChunSu Park at the NamJung Presbyterian Church in Iksan, South Korea where Grace preached at their 7:00pm service. We then traveled to JeonJu, South Korea where we were greeted by the Rev. Dr. InSu Kim of the HeeRak Presbyterian Church. He introduced us to the Rev. Dr. DuckHo Oh, President of Hanil Presbyterian Seminary.

Presbyterians have a long history in South Korea through the work of our missionaries, and it was a great honor to visit them and represent this church and New Castle Presbytery.

Today is the first Sunday in the season of Advent. Advent comes from a Latin word, adventus, which means coming or arrival. And so it is used as we anticipate the coming of Jesus. The ancient prophets talked about the coming of Christ and so we hear the words of Isaiah as we light the Advent wreath. The New Testament tells us that Christ is coming again. And the Gospels tell of us Jesus' coming two thousand years ago. This Advent we will turn to the Gospel of Luke and witness the events leading up to Jesus' birth. This time was filled with the birth of Sons and the singing of Songs. And so I begin a sermon series on the Sons and Songs of Christmas.

We start today with a look at the birth of John the Baptist. John the Baptist is the antidote for an excess of Christmas materialism as he reminds us to “prepare the way of the Lord.” Luke wants us to understand John's birth before we can understand Jesus' birth. And so we turn to the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke. We will get to this good news, but first let's pray.

“Faithful God, your promises stand unshaken through all generations. Renew us in hope, that we may be awake and alert watching for the glorious return of Jesus Christ, our judge and savior. Amen.” (Book of Common Worship p.172.)

Luke 1

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Luke's story of the coming of Jesus Christ begins with two ordinary people. Zachariah was a simple country priest. He taught and prayed with the faithful of his village. His wife, Elizabeth, was the daughter of a priest. He lived a comfortable life, but there was a problem. Just as we saw two weeks ago with Hannah, Elizabeth has no children. And like Hannah the only thing Zachariah and Elizabeth could do was to turn to God in prayer.

This is what we do as we wait for Jesus to return. We use prayer as a way to share our needs and concerns with God, trusting that God hears our prayers and responds. When Jesus does return we will be able to address him directly. And in the resurrection we will no longer have needs and concerns. But today we use prayer as a way of communicating our needs to our savior. Let's return to Luke and see what happens to Elizabeth and Zachariah.

8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

As a country priest Zachariah would come to Jerusalem three times a year to help with the festivals. And he would come twice a year to help with the sacrificial system at the Jerusalem temple. This year Zachariah will receive a great honor. He has been chosen for a once in a lifetime responsibility to enter the Holy of Holies and present the prayers of the people directly to God.

This opportunity is extended to us as well. Since Jesus ascended to heaven to serve as our High Priest we now have the ability to approach God directly through him. The protestant reformers told us that all believers are like Zachariah. We are all priests. When we worship and pray we are priests, like Zechariah, entering into the Holy of Holies, and into the very presence of our God.

When Zachariah entered into the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem temple he brought with him the prayers of the people. He also had a very special prayer that day. This prayer was for his wife to have a child. Let's see what happened.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 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 before he is born.

In the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple in the presence of God, Zachariah, a simple country priest, received a very important message from God. God was sending a prophet to prepare people for the coming of their messiah. This prophet will be born of Zachariah's wife Elizabeth. And they are to raise him, as Hannah raised her son, Samuel, to be used by God for his purposes. And what are God's purposes for this new prophet?

 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah's son will be a prophet. He will call people who have drifted away from the faith back to God. He will call people to obedience of God's law. The reason he will do this is that the people must be prepared to receive their savior who is coming. I'm sure that when he heard this Zachariah had some questions and more than a little doubt. So he questioned the angel.

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 

God has sent the Angel Gabriel to prepare the world for the coming of its savior. This is big news. This is good news. And this is the news that Zachariah's son will proclaim. Zachariah couldn't wait to tell everyone the good news, but that wasn't his job. The proclamation will come from his son. Let's go back to the story and listen to Angel Gabriel.

20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Zachariah is now mute, unable to talk. Of course, this happens to him just before he is to make the biggest sermon of his life. So let's see what happens when Zechariah returns to the people after praying in the Holy of Holies.

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

All Zachariah could do was to try to communicate the good news with wild hand gestures. They people realized that something big had happened, but they didn't know what. All they can do is wait as we wait for the coming of Christ and now Zachariah will go home to his wife and they will wait to see if God's promises come true.

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.

57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

God has kept his promise. A son has been born to Elizabeth and Zachariah, just like the son who had been born to Hannah and Elkannah. Hannah dedicated her son to God's service. He was the great prophet Samuel. What will Elizabeth and Zachariah do with their miracle son?

59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”

God proved his faithfulness to Zechariah. Elizabeth had a son. And in obedience to the command of God as spoken though the Angel Gabriel they called him John. The contract is complete. God and Zechariah have both kept their side of the bargain. And so there is no longer any reason for Zechariah to remain mute. Let's return to Luke.

 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit ; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

As your pastor I can proclaim to you today that the time has come for all people to return to God. All people are now to repent of their sin and obey God's law. All people are to do this because the savior is coming. Prepare the way of the Lord. Christmas will soon be here. Let's pray.

“Eternal God, through long generations you prepared a way for the coming of your Son, and by your Spirit you still bring light to illumine our paths. Renew us in faith and hope that we may welcome Christ to rule our thoughts and claim our love, as Lord of lords and King of kings, to whom be glory always. Amen.” (Book of Common Worship p.173)