“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
by the forgiveness of their sins.
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.” (Luke 1)
Today I’m thinking about the very real spiritual power that comes out of expectation. Expectation is at the heart of what makes Advent so cool.
Zechariah (John the Baptist’s dad), is one of my favorite characters in the “prequel” part of the Christmas story. Here are some of his highlights:
- While serving at the Temple, Zechariah runs into an angel. The angel tells him that his wife, Elizabeth, is going to give birth to this amazing child, John, a child who will be full with the Spirit of God even before he is born.
- Instead of saying “Thanks,” Zechariah manages to tick the angel off. Listen to the indignation in the angel’s tone: “You don’t believe my words? I am Gabriel! I stand in the presence of God! Just for that, I’m taking your voice away until the baby comes.”
- Later, when John is born, Zechariah lifts his voice in praise. Part of “Zechariah’s Song” is our scripture, above, where he describes Jesus as “the dawn from on high, breaking upon us.”
That’s the image I want us to carry around today. The image of a new, bright, clear, fresh, breaking dawn. Jesus is that cool glass of water in the middle of the desert; that fresh breeze in the stifling heat; the new life of springtime at the end of a harsh winter; the promise of morning after a long, long night; the dawning of a new day.
It is Advent. It is time to begin looking for the dawn.
Zechariah knew it. At least, he knew it after the angel Gabriel got him to shift his gaze away from what he thought he already knew, and into the realm of revelation.
That’s where this time of the year kicks it up a notch. Revelation! Transformation! Anticipation! EXPECTATION!
It is Advent, friends. And it’s well past time to begin looking for the dawn – DEREK