Luke 1: for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. in the house of his servant David,

Transcription

1 Luke 1: Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. 72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 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 by the forgiveness of their sins. 78 By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, 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. 1

2 By the Dawn s Early Light George H. W. Bush [SLIDE], the former president of the United States and the father of another former president, passed away last week at the age of ninety-four. Bush served just one term as president, (my college years). Because of that, until recently, he had been regarded as a transitional president, serving between the more successful presidencies of Ronald Reagan, who came before him, and Bill Clinton, who came after him, both of whom were re-elected to a second term. But recently historians have begun to re-evaluate Bush s legacy. Some have even made the case that he was the most significant US president since the end of World War 2. In particular, Bush is praised for his handling of the end of the Cold War [SLIDE] between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and its allies. The Cold War began the moment that World War 2 ended, as East and West competed for influence in the new world that was taking shape after the war. Japan became allied with the West. Eastern Europe fell under the control of the Soviet Union. Germany was divided in two, including its capital, between East and West. Sadly, Korea too was divided and remains so. The Korean Peninsula is the one place on Earth where the Cold War continues. Aside from Korea, the Cold War came to an end seemingly out of nowhere in the late summer and fall of 1989 as Eastern European nations began to break away from the Soviet Union. First was Poland and then Hungary. Later Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania asserted their independence. But the moment that most caught the world s attention occurred on November 9, 1989 [SLIDE], when citizens from Communist East Berlin and democratic West Berlin met atop the Berlin Wall, whose brick and barbed wire had become a symbol of the Cold War. Some even took to smashing it with pick axes and sledgehammers. 2

3 The following year, in a speech to the US Congress [SLIDE], President Bush spoke of a new world order that was forming with the collapse of Communism throughout Eastern Europe and improved relations between the United States and a reformminded Soviet Union. The Soviet Union itself would break apart the very next year. President Bush had been formed [SLIDE] by his experience in World War 2. He enlisted in the Navy on his eighteenth birthday and became a bomber pilot. He was shot down [SLIDE] over the Pacific and rescued by a submarine. As a young Navy pilot he had played a direct role in helping to create the post-world War 2 era. As a much older man as president, he saw himself as laying the groundwork for the dawn of a new era that was emerging with the end of the Cold War. His New World Order speech signaled the dawn of that era. In today s Scripture passage from the Gospel of Luke, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, also speaks of the dawn of a new era. It s not a purely political era, although it will have an enormous impact on the political world. It s not a purely spiritual era, although it is powered by the Holy Spirit. In fact, filled with the Holy Spirit, Zechariah announces the advent of this new era by proclaiming [SLIDE]: By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Lk. 1:78-79) The new era begins when the dawn from on high breaks in upon the darkness of the world, a world covered in the shadow of death. With the birth of Jesus Christ, the light of heaven has broken in upon the world. A new and everlasting era of mercy and peace has begun. Yet while it is new, it is also the fulfillment of God s promises made long ago to Israel and to the world. 3

4 We re in a new year in the church calendar, which means our Gospel readings will come from a new Gospel. Starting today and continuing through much of next year we ll be reading from the Gospel of Luke. Regardless of the year, we often turn to Luke leading up to and during the Christmas season because the first two chapters of Luke s Gospel are filled with stories related to the birth of Jesus. That includes, of course, today s reading, which focuses on Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. Zechariah prophesies that his newborn son will become a prophet who will prepare the way for God s own son, Jesus Christ. Zechariah s prophecy takes the form of a song, which is ironic because Zechariah has been unable to speak for the previous nine months, ever since the angel Gabriel announced to him that his wife Elizabeth would become pregnant. This happened when Zechariah, a priest, was serving in the temple. I ll let Luke tell the story: 8 Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. 10 Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside [SLIDE]. 11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. 13 But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the 4

5 disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 18 Zechariah said to the angel, How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years. 19 The angel replied, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur. (Lk. 1:8-20) Now, I know that some of the married women here might welcome the prospect of your husbands losing the ability to speak for nine months, but Zechariah s silence is not the only noteworthy part of this story. After Elizabeth gives birth, when it comes time to name the child, the neighbors and relatives assume that the child will be named after his father. But Elizabeth says no, his name will be John. When everybody turns to Zechariah for confirmation, he is still unable to speak, but he writes His name is John. In that moment his tongue is freed and he is able to speak. But he doesn t just speak. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he bursts forth into a song of praise that is also a prophecy. He gives praise not only for his own son, but for the one who will come after his son, the one for whom his son John will prepare the way. Zechariah, a priest, in this moment has become a prophet [SLIDE]. He recognizes that his son John is to be the forerunner of a mighty savior (Lk. 1:69). A mighty savior. The common understanding of the phrase would have been a great military leader, someone who would lead a mighty army into battle. Someone like the Roman emperor. The emperor at the time of Jesus birth was Octavian [SLIDE], who also happened to be the first emperor of Rome. 5

6 Octavian had many titles. Some were granted to him by the Senate, others he claimed for himself. The Roman Senate bestowed upon him the title Augustus, meaning majestic one. That title became so identified with Octavian that it effectively became a substitute for his given name. He became commonly known as Caesar Augustus. A title that was not granted to him but rather one that Octavian claimed for himself was Imperator Caesar divi filius, Commander Caesar son of the deified one, or as we might say more simply, the son of God. Yet another title claimed by Octavian was savior. The emperor was regarded as a savior because he was the one who established peace for Rome, although the means by which he established peace was by slaughtering the enemies of Rome. But something different is happening with Israel s mighty savior. He will not be a mighty warrior. He will not lead Israel to victory on the battlefield. He is not sent on a mission of vengeance to slay Israel s enemies but on a mission of mercy [SLIDE]: By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us (Lk. 1:78) His mission simply this: to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Lk. 1:79) Who is it that sits in darkness and in the shadow of death? All of us. All of Israel. All of Rome. All of the world. Israel sat in darkness thinking that it could employ the violence of empire against the empire itself. But Israel s liberation would not come via the tip of a spear or the point of a sword but through nails driven into a cross, a 6

7 cross upon which Israel s mighty savior hung mighty in forgiveness, mighty in grace, mighty in love. Rome sat in darkness, believing that glory lay in conquest, in the marching of its armies into foreign lands, in the spectacle of its victory parades in which proud generals sat in chariots pulled by warhorses. And we sat in darkness, oblivious to our need for a mighty savior to rescue us from ourselves [SLIDE]. It would have to be a mighty savior, indeed, to wrestle us from the grip of our bondage to decay, as Paul so eloquently and frankly describes the human condition in Romans 8. Like Israel, we readily compromise ourselves to the ways of the world, to ways that run counter to God s ways. We rationalize that the ends justifies the means. Whatever we need to do to achieve our goals is justifiable. Corners can be cut. People who are in the way can be pushed aside. Moral concerns can be rationalized away. This plays out not only at a personal level but also at the national and international level. God has entrusted human beings with the care of the Earth. We are stewards of God s creation [SLIDE], yet we seem intent on digging every last piece of coal from the ground and burning it into the atmosphere, no matter that it poisons our air and water. Coal is cheap. It s abundant. It lights our homes and offices. And it s killing us. We are literally choking ourselves to death with sulfurous skies. Two weeks ago the top climate scientists in the United States issued the National Climate Assessment, which they are required to do every four years. The Federal government buried the report by releasing it the day after Thanksgiving, a Friday after a holiday when many people would be preoccupied with holiday celebrations and shopping. The government did so because the report was bleak. The planet is warming faster than many predicted, in large part driven by our addiction to coal. Yet we do almost nothing. We are in bondage to decay. 7

8 Like Rome, we see the world as a zero-sum game, a contest of winners and losers. Those with the higher test scores, the advanced degrees, the prestigious jobs, the large bank accounts, and the youthful looks come out on top. Like a Roman legion marching in full regalia [SLIDE], we project our power to the world. Yet the mighty savior that will be born amidst the might of the Roman Empire will not project power, at least not power as the world understands it. He will come bringing the power of salvation, the power of forgiveness for sins, the power of God s mercy for sinners who are enshrouded in darkness and death. In the midst of the darkness that covers us [SLIDE], he will give light to guide us in the way of peace. His light is the dawn of a new era. That era has already begun. The dawn has already begun to break, as it was promised from the holy prophets from of old (Lk. 1:70). God has kept the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham (Lk. 1:73). Jesus Christ, our mighty savior, has come to the world in fulfillment of the Scriptures and in the fullness of his light and love. His light gives life to us who were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. We who lived in the darkness of bitterness, self-interest, envy, and fear now live in the light of his truth, hope and love. We see the shadow for what they are...just shadows. They have no reality, no substance, no permanence. When I was a child I slept with a nightlight. If you must know [SLIDE], it was a Donald Duck nightlight. I wasn t a particular fan of Donald Duck or even Disney, but I appreciated the light that emanated from Donald Duck s head. As long as his light shown, whatever monster lurked under my bed or hid in my closet was kept at bay and my fears were kept in check. The season of Advent is like my childhood nightlight [SLIDE]. When our bedroom, or our world, is shrouded in darkness and fear, Advent shines a light in the darkness. In that light there is an acknowledgement. Advent acknowledges the darkness, not 8

9 only the darkness around us, but the darkness within us our self-destructive tendency to reject that ways of God s Son. Before the bright lights of Christmas, Advent reminds us that without Jesus we were in utter darkness. During Advent we experience that darkness in a literal way as well. Advent always takes place in December, the darkest month of the year. As the month wears on, the days grow shorter and the nights longer. The sun rose this morning at 7:34. It will set at 5:13. That s less than ten hours of daylight. The days of December grow darker and darker until the winter solstice. The winter solstice occurs when the North Pole is tilted furthest from the sun. It s the shortest day of the year in terms of hours of sunlight. It occurs on or around December 21, just a few days before Christmas. Now, you may have heard from a college professor or someone who wanted to take aim at Christianity, that Jesus was not really born on December 25. That s probably true. No one knows the exact date on which Jesus was born. Maybe it was December. Maybe it was July. But I ve always appreciated the symbolism of celebrating Jesus birth in late December, just days after the winter solstice, when the days begin to lengthen as each day more and more light dispels the darkness (at least the northern hemisphere). The light of Jesus Christ drives out the darkness that surrounds us. It casts out fear. Like Zechariah, the light of heaven that is breaking into the world enables us to sing: that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear (Lk. 1:74). We can serve him without fear. We can serve him free of the need to prove ourselves, free from the fear of judgment, free from all the fears that stalk us in the dark. We no longer live in darkness but by the dawn s early light. 9