Call me Zechariah….

This morning, long before sun rays kissed morning clouds of dawn, truth was given me. I have read this passage of scripture many times. Generally reading and passing by, reading steadily onward… to light on another flowers’ nectar… stopping elsewhere in the book of Luke, Mary’s’ betrothal perhaps….swaddling clothes….shepherds keeping watch by night….not to sip or even taste a bit of the sweetness of this truth, and yet this morning here I am.

Clarity and focus anew, this morning. Captured by the Living God with a story about Zechariah or Zacharias in your translation…. Zechariah… yes Zechariah, dismissed… silenced, Zechariah. Doubt, distrust of God, fear of God’s plan…Dare I judge….I know this man, I have lived there too. Zechariah… silenced, yes, but for a moment, forgiving favor bestowed, tongue loosed and Wow, prophesy… The Messiah…

“And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace”
Luke 1: 67-79.

God sent Christ to visit us, as of old and to bring rescue: He has redeemed his people. Rescue? This errand, for which Christ came into the world, was to rescue us out of the hands of God’s justice and to redeem us out of the hands of Satan’s tyranny… rescuing from the malice of our enemies: We should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Rescue from our sins so that they may not have dominion over us and favor restored… forgiving favor bestowed… relationship renewed. Wow. I am Zechariah…You are Zechariah or can be….