“And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” Luke 1:76-79
Every dad is proud as can be when their first son is born. He has expectations and high hopes for this little guy—though it rarely happens exactly as dad envisions.
Not so with Papa Zech and his newborn son, John. Under the Spirit’s prompting, Zechariah launches into what some call The Benedictus. He begins by blessing the name of the Lord, then shifts to what he sees his son becoming: a prophet of the Most High God. He will prepare the way for the Messiah with a message of repentance: “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:2) This John did with boldness and integrity.
But get this: there would be no hope in the repentance John called for if there was no promise of redemption. Zechariah prophesied that because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven was about to break onto the scene, an obvious reference to the Messiah. Jesus would give light to those who lived in darkness, life to those dead in their sin, and peace to those estranged from God. Redemption follows repentance—and that’s the hope of the gospel.
This Christmas, think about the hope you have in Jesus: the hope of redemption, the hope of light when times are dark, the hope of courage to get through, the hope of victory over death, and the hope of the Great Reunion at the end of the age.
Jesus, thank You for the hope I have in YOU! Amen