Prepare the Way of the Lord
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Luke 1:67-79
67. And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, 68. "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, 69. and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70. as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71. that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; 72. to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, 73. the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, 74. to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75. in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. 76. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77. to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78. through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us from on high 79. to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Zechariah, here is the father of John the Baptist. I have often wondered what kind of parents Mary and Joseph were, but often I forget about Elizabeth and Zechariah. Like any “earthly” parents, after decades of infertility, they certainly rejoiced beyond containment at the gift of a son! And more than that - the signs and divine revelations about their child! How amazing! How daunting! For their child to live out the prophecies of old. It was just more than they could ever have imagined!
I can imagine no greater honor than to be the one who “goes before the Lord to prepare his ways!” What a huge responsibility! What an undertaking! Surely his parent’s delight in him was tinged with anxiety as they grew to grasp the enormity of John’s purpose. Certainly any proud parent secretly longs, every once in a while that their child was not one of the stand-outs! So much pressure. So easy to be a target. So easy to get lost without constant redirection and guidance.
I can’t help but wonder, though, what this world would be like if each of us viewed our children, from the moment of conception, as if they were a gift beyond imagining. If we reared them to be godly and Christ-like. If we taught them to value truth and kindness; if we treated them with dignity and respect; if we demanded the very best healthcare, education, and childcare for every child born into this world. What would that world look like?
What if each of us considered John’s mission our own? What if it’s our “job,” our “purpose,” our “divine appointment” to “give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins.” That sounds a lot harder than producing and end-of-month financial statement, or a summary of training activities for the quarter, or even running a multi-million dollar corporation! I have trouble keeping a grocery list, for heaven’s sake! I’m going to need lots of reflection, prayer and meditation on how my life would look if I lived this way.
We are only human, after all! Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit to empower and embolden us and to intercede for us with prayers we cannot even form. God loves us so very much, and in return we are compelled to share the wonderful, generous, unearned and undeserved gift of His Grace to us through Jesus Christ.
I hope today you will tell everyone you meet to “prepare the way of the Lord.” For behold, he is coming soon. And that you call upon the Holy Spirit to help you stay on track.
Mary
