Who Will Proclaim The Light?
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
In the book of Luke, Mary is not the only one having a special baby.
One that they didn’t expect Zechariah and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth is not young and unmarried and a virgin like Mary, They are beyond the normal childbearing age. They had wanted kids but they were unable to conceive, that is until an messenger from God told them they were going to bring forth a son. Just like this messenger did to Mary and Joseph.
Both Zechariah and Elizabeth were from a priestly line.
Unlike many of the religious leaders in and around Jerusalem, they were righteous in their walk with God. But the bareness of Elizabeth may have been seen as a sign of sin or God’s curse by others around them. (This bad unbiblical way of thinking still affects people today)
Gabriel’s announcement to Zechariah in the temple most likely occurred at the time of the mid-afternoon sacrifice, when prayers were offered for national deliverance.
The answer to the elderly couple’s prayers included not only the birth of a child (1:13) but also hope for the nation (1:16). Their son would be the one to introduce the Messiah and Savior of Israel (1:17).
Luke will put this very diving child and a very human child side by side.
Mary had just had the most earth-shaking experience in the world. Nothing will ever surpass it. And what did she do? She immediately ran off to tell someone, in this case her cousin, Elizabeth. She couldn’t wait to share what had happened to her.
You can just imagine Elizabeth’s response, “Tell me all about it. What happened? Then what did Gabriel say? And what did you say?”
Be the Friend you need
Be the Friend you need
How much we need other human beings to share the watershed moments of our lives.
To be a Christian is to believe in a God who is the God of the impossible and to belong to a family of brothers and sisters who are there when you need them most. Because you belong to this family of faith, you have someone to go to who will listen to you when great joy or sorrow overwhelm you.
The person with whom Mary wanted to share this overwhelming news had certain qualities.
First of all, she was not jealous. Elizabeth had also had a visit from the angel Gabriel and she herself was bearing a miraculous child.
But when she heard the good news, she acknowledged that the child Mary was carrying was even greater, and she rejoiced. How blessed we are to have even a few friends like that. When you receive a great honor, I trust you have some friends who can enjoy your success and that joy may leap inside of them, as the baby leaped in Elizabeth’s womb.
Elizabeth was also able to affirm Mary’s experience and encourage her. She was not in the least skeptical. She said,
45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
When God has spoken to us we need a friend who will say, “I believe that was authentic. I believe God is speaking to you.”
We have the power to affirm and bless each other as Elizabeth did.
We need a few people in our lives upon whom we are free to call at any hour, even two o’clock in the morning, if we are in trouble, though they may be less than cheerful at that hour.
Mary stayed at Elizabeth’s home for three months, until John was born. What else would a kinswoman and a friend do in that society but stay until the delivery day? I like to speculate on what they talked about during those three months. I’m sure they covered everything—angels and babies and God and Israel and the world. They shared life.
Holiday Seasons can be hard. We need each other.
John The Baptist The Proclaimer of the Light
John The Baptist The Proclaimer of the Light
Born miraculously, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth would be filled with the Holy Spirit. In his ministry he would preach repentance, to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. His message, his living and preaching in the desert, and his attire were all reminiscent of Elijah (1:80; 3:2–3; Matt. 3:2–4), in whose spirit John came to minister.
John isn’t the light. He is not the messiah. He knows it. John is there to proclaim the light of the world. Human and the divine next to each other. Working together.
I love the Idea of man and God working to gether. It harkens us back to Genesis as we are to have authority over. God given authority. Genesis 1:26
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Working together.
We are called to be and to make disciples. Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We can’t be Jesus. I think often we in our individualistic, american, way we think I can be like Jesus. But that isn’t what we are called to be. We can’t be God. We must be like the disciples. Like John the Baptizer.
Proclaiming the Light
You can’t be the light!
Proclaim the Light!
Say proclaim
Be like John. Be like Elizabeth. Be like Zechariah.
Followers of the Messiah Jesus, the Christ.
Amen.
We proclaim the light:
with our attitudes
with our thoughts
with our actions
with our words
as we make disciples using the gifts that he has given you.
It’s Christmas time we think of gift giving. God has given you a gift.
Jesus the Christ who died for you
The Holy Spirit who has taken up residence in you, yes you. And has given you gifts as you produce good fruit of the spirit. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, kindness, goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self control. The Holy Spirit Gifts us. Yes gifts you, a spiritual gifting.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Next Steps
Next Steps
Will you Be a proclaimer of the Light. The light that Is Jesus The Christ. As we wait for his return will you proclaim the Light
Bibliography
Bibliography
Larson, Bruce, and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. Luke. Vol. 26 of The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1983.
Bailey, Mark, Tom Constable, Charles R. Swindoll, and Roy B. Zuck. Nelson’s New Testament Survey: Discover the Background, Theology and Meaning of Every Book in the New Testament. Nashville: Word, 1999.