December 2

John 1:⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

Dear Jesus, Just as John was a witness in the midst of darkness to the Light who was to come, allow us to be a witness in this world of the Light who has come. Let us do this for the sole and supreme purpose that others may come to know you as Messiah and Lord. Amen.


http://www.tbcmarion.org/component/preachit/index.php?option=com_preachit&;tmpl=component&id=121&view=audiopopup

 John the Apostle introduces us to the last of the Old Testament like prophets - John the Baptist. There is ample evidence to support the belief that John of Zebedee was an early disciple of John the Baptist. Given the probability that John is an eyewitness to the ministry of the Baptist, it is certainly most probable that the introduction he gives us to the Baptist is indeed eye witness testimony. Other gospels help us to complete the story of John’s life, before and after he came to be known as John the Baptizer. (My Dad used to assure me that John was actually the first Baptist. I have since learned to question his theory.)

In Luke 1 we are introduced to a rather fascinating story. It seems that the Messiah was to have a forerunner. There was to be a cousin, born from the womb of a woman that was long past child bearing age. The angel Gabriel was dispatched to tell the father, Zechariah, of this miraculous birth. Gabriel was to have a busy year, for just six months later this same angel was to pay a visit to a virgin by the name of Mary. In both cases the angel named the child, acting on the authority of God. These names were to resound through time and eternity as the sign of God’s visitation. “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth.” (Luke 1:13,14) The name “John” means Jehovah’s gracious gift. This child was more than a gift to a mother and father in their old age (kinda reminds us of Abraham and Sarah), but this child was to be a gift for the world. It is John who paves the way, who sets the course, who redirects humanity toward the coming Messiah. John is to be the campaign manager, the guide out of the cave, the forerunner, the one who was sent ahead to announce the coming of the King. His role was pivotal, for God wanted to make sure that the world would know what the coming of the Messiah is to mean for all of us. So He sends His messenger on ahead, who “comes in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children.., to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Luke 1: 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. 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.”  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. 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.” 

 

December 3

John 1: ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.

Dear Jesus, Teach us to open our mouths so that we might become a people who witness concerning the Light, that we might not lose our place and our voice within the world you continue to love. Amen.

 Nine months later the child is born, and the promise Zachariah had a hard time trusting and affirming is in fact reality, for God’s Truth never returns void, God’s promises are never empty words. The community wanted to name the child after his Dad, not comprehending why he had been unable to speak, not knowing that God had already designated the calling of this child and the destiny he was to embrace. The God of Truth has exercised God’s right to call a child from the womb for His own purposes: 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”. This babe’s destiny is in place from conception. So his mother shouts: “He is to be called John”! “Wait one second here. Not a single person from your family is named John. No way would old Zachariah give this child a name which does not reflect his heritage. After all, we are a people tied to tradition. Sounds like the story of 2000 years of church history. But sometimes Tradition is too small for the miracle of God. Sometimes Tradition has no room for the new thing that God is about to do. So, God moves outside the box to make room for a child that will change tradition, who is born to point to a Messiah who will even less so fit into the boxes we create. Much like the people of John’s day, we are not prepared to live outside the box. We are not prepared for the coming of a Christ who will ask us to embrace our enemies and conquer the Romans in our lives without using a sword. We do not expect a Messiah who will set us free while fully embracing our enemies as well as our friends. In one voice they cry out - “Name this child after Zachariah, so we can remain all comfy in our heritage and our family name and our traditions can remain intact.” Dad has learned. Zachariah has grown. He calls for a chalk board of sorts, and writes out his name – “His name is John.” (Luke 1:63)

Immediately his mouth is opened, for a man or woman who hears the Truth and proclaims the Truth is renewed in speech, their tongue is loosed, and the Word of God takes root in the world. The people of Judea were given a story for the ages. They knew they had witnessed a miraculous event. But this birth was nothing compared to what was yet to come. For this child was not the Light, but was the one born to point the way to the Light. This man was not the consummation of God’s visitation; this was yet to be announced. This man was a guide, a lamp post, a road way, leading us to the door that would usher us into the Kingdom of Light. All of this in spite of the unbelief of a father who would learn in silence the immeasurable power of the Almighty.

Lessons of life are sometimes very difficult to carry. If it were up to you and me, our learning would be cut short most times. Nine months of silence seems. Let’s be real, which one of us would readily embrace that our “grandmother wife” is to be with child? Who among us would not have had some doubt, required some evidence, or balked just a bit at such news? The result of such unbelief in the face of God’s miracle gift? Silence.

There are times when silence can be excruciatingly painful. Yell at me and I know at least I evoke passion from you. Show me your anger and we can deal with the reality of something wrong between us. Tell me what you understand I and I can see if you really do understand. But ignore me, avoid me, speak not a word to me, and I feel as though I do not exist for you. There was one time in my growing up years that my Dad would not speak to me, for over a year. He needed to say I am sorry, or he needed to scream his displeasure with me, but he did neither. He simply did not speak. We did not speak. I answered his silence with silence of my own. That was one of the most painful times of my life growing up, and it took us years to recover from the “awesome voice of nothing said”.

The Awesome Voice of Nothing Said

The Awesome Voice of nothing said

Empty sounds of no reply

As silence loudly rips my heart

With the cutting edge of and angry eye

Always answers hide from light,

When shadows creep within

As voices I have never known

Slowly, silently, guide my sin.

Words from pain filled valleys

Which hide beyond my view

Speaking only to themselves

In tongues unknown to me and you

 They feed on fear within us

These voices yet unknown

Deafening silence grows without

As Emptiness calls a heart its home

Known only in a day removed

We live the slowest death

As the Awesome voice of nothing said

Lies unspoken neath lonely breath

Oh, that I might know you

With words so real, yet free

But silence seems to drown our voice

Til time doth claim our right to speak

The Power of silence can be deafening!!! In Christ, our words are redeemed, and silence is over come. Lessons learned. Words renewed. And lives changed. Truly a gift, this power of speech we have been given. Ironic that the father of the one who was born to bear witness to Christ learned the importance of faith by having his voice removed. Oh that Advent might empower us to speak forth words of faith, boldly and passionately proclaiming the message we have all been given – The good news of Jesus the Christ!