Changed in the Waiting: God's Transforming Love

Reading of the Word

Luke 1:67–79 NASB 2020

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David— Just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient times— Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us; To show mercy to our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to our father Abraham, To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Would serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. “And you, child, also will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; To give His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, To shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Prayer of Illumination

Lord, as we hear Your Word today, open our hearts and minds to Your truth. Illuminate our understanding and draw us closer to You through the power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Introduction

Last week, as we began the Advent season, we focused on the theme of waiting. As God’s people, we are still in a season of waiting. We know the promise of Christ, who has already come, but we await the fulfillment of God's ultimate plan to make all things right.

Waiting is hard, but today, through the words of Zechariah in Luke 1, we are reminded that even in this season, we can hold onto the hope of God’s ongoing faithfulness. Without the certainty that God keeps His promises, hope would be hard to find. But because of Him, our hope is secure and ever-present.

Have you ever watched a pot of water boiling? At first, it seems nothing is happening, but then that first bubble breaks the surface—it's a sign that the wait is almost over! Just as we wait for the water to boil, we can watch for signs of God’s promise in our lives. Each day, we may see glimpses of hope that remind us our waiting will soon lead to something great!

As we unfold Zechariah’s words, we are reminded that pregnancy is also about a season of waiting. There is a wait to announce the good news of the baby to come. There is a wait to know the gender. There is a wait to hear the heartbeat for the first time or feel the first kick from inside the womb. Finally, there is a wait for the baby to make their grand arrival during labor and delivery.

Zechariah’s words were born out of silent waiting. Just as there had been 400 years of silence before this moment, Zechariah too waited in silence, anticipating what God had in store. During that quiet time, God was preparing a powerful message in his heart.

1. Who Was Zechariah?

a. Zechariah, who became the father of John the Baptist, was a priest. He was old, and he and his wife had never had any children.

In that culture and time period, not having children was considered a moral failing. If a woman could not get pregnant, people assumed the family was being punished for a sin or was under a generational curse.

Luke clarifies that both Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, “were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly” (1:6).

Elizabeth’s inability to get pregnant has nothing to do with anything she or Zechariah have done wrong in their lives.

But Zechariah remained faithful, serving God as he waited. Decades passed, yet no child was born.

Many say patience is a virtue, but let’s be honest—learning patience is challenging! When we admit that waiting is difficult, we can also acknowledge that holding onto hope during those times can be just as hard.

The transformation that happens while we wait is something only God can accomplish. It takes a supernatural, unchanging, and ever-loving God to work such a miracle!

In the quiet of Advent—where no angels sing, no shepherds rejoice, and no wise men arrive—God works within us, mirroring Mary’s pondering, Joseph’s quiet obedience, and the world’s silent wait for the Savior. These still moments prepare us to celebrate his first coming and allow us to prepare the way for his second coming.

2. Zechariah’s Promise from God

a. While doing his priestly work one day, Zechariah encountered the angel Gabriel, who told him that his and Elizabeth’s prayers had been answered and Elizabeth would conceive and give birth to a son, John.

In Luke 1, Gabriel is a busy messenger of God. He first visits Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist, then appears to Mary to proclaim that she will give birth to the Messiah.

b. Gabriel also told him that John would “be great in the sight of the Lord” and “filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born” and that he would “bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God” (vv. 15, 16).

c. Some promises, even when they are fulfilled, seem too good to be true, and that appears to have been the case for Zechariah. He doubted the angel’s prophecy, so the angel told him that because of his unbelief, he would be struck silent until the day of his son’s birth—and he was!

i. Zechariah, much like the Israelites, was forced to endure a period of silent waiting.

Doesn’t it sometimes feel like God has forgotten His promise to you? Yet, along the journey of waiting, He gives small signs to remind you that He’s still at work and that patience is key.

The summer before we moved, a massive storm hit, and there were old trees looming over our 18-foot steel above-ground pool. Suddenly, we heard a sound like a bomb going off. Rushing outside, we discovered a huge tree branch had completely destroyed the pool. My first reaction? “Well, that’s one less thing to pack for the move!”

This was one of those Holy Moments where God said “I’m not done yet. I’m still moving! Don’t doubt.”

3. Zechariah’s Song - The Song of Praise and Prophecy

Finally, once John is born and circumcised (eight days after birth), Zechariah regains his ability to speak—only after he writes down what John is to be named.

This is intriguing because, under the Old Covenant, circumcision was a practice rooted in the law, but naming the child during the ceremony was not customary. This instance is the earliest recorded example of a child being named at their circumcision. The next child to be named in this way was Jesus.

The Song of Praise

He speaks in the past tense, indicating that what he is talking about are promises God has already kept.

New American Standard Bible - NASB 2020 Chapter 1

For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people

New American Standard Bible - NASB 2020 Chapter 1

And has raised up a horn of salvation

Luke 1:74–75 NASB 2020

To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Would serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

We live in this same past tense today. He has provided salvation, the sins of the world are forgiven, death and sin are defeated. We just have to open our hearts and belief Christ paid the ransom for us.

Zechariah’s song is meant to remind Israel that God has not forgotten the promise God has made with God’s people.

i. The promise that was fulfilled in the birth of John to Zechariah and Elizabeth is a reminder of the larger promise that God has fulfilled, is fulfilling, and will continue to fulfill for God’s people.

The Song of Prophecy

i. He prophesies as a response to what God has done. These words have less to do with his waiting for John to be born and more do with the waiting the people of Israel have been doing.

The mission of John was to be the greatest prophet in Scripture who ushered in the arrival of the Messiah.

How would John prepare the way for the Lord?

By giving people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.

It wouldn’t be a salvation that merely covered sin temporarily through temple sacrifices; it required a permanent solution.

It wouldn’t be salvation with God hidden behind the holy of holies by a thick veil.

The "Horn of Salvation," Jesus, would reveal God to the world in a real and tangible way. They would see God’s love personified with their own eyes. They would see their salvation as Jesus hung on the cross. Many saw him risen from the dead and victorious over the death and sin.

ii. It is a reminder of God's faithfulness and steadfast love.

How was this salvation going to be possible?

Because of his great love for us.

John 3:16–17 NASB 2020

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.

2. Because of God’s tender mercies. His love shows his mercy.

The promise of the dawn.

The dawn of the new covenant brought them extraordinary light and hope, unlike anything they had ever known.

This light would illuminate the darkness of the world.

As I reflected on the contrast between light and darkness, I was reminded of how daytime gives way to night, yet hope remains because dawn always breaks, consuming the darkness. In the same way, Jesus came to overwhelm the spiritual darkness we all face with the light of His dawn. The shadow of death is only temporary, destined to be overcome by a new dawn filled with tender mercies from our ever-loving God.

iii. Zechariah’s song can also remind us of God’s continued faithfulness in our own lives.

God will guide our feet into the way of peace (vs. 79)

He will guide into the true source of peace, Jesus.

Philippians 4:7 NASB 2020

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

John 14:27 NASB 2020

Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.

iv. He will be faithful as we work to point others to the Light.

Today is the day of salvation. We must live each moment with readiness, as if this is the day we meet the Lord—whether through His return or our call home. At the same time, let us not forget that many around us are still living in spiritual darkness.

Pray for them earnestly. Love them deeply, just as God has loved us. Let your actions and words reflect Jesus in every aspect of your life. We carry the hope and joy of salvation, and we want them to experience that same life-changing relationship with Jesus.

Most importantly, God will be with us, providing everything we need to share the light of the Gospel.

Jesus didn’t abandon us on the cross and he won’t abandon us now. What kept him on that cross? His love for us! We are changed in the waiting through his great, never ending love for us.

To Sum It Up

In this season of waiting, Zechariah's story reminds us that God is still at work fulfilling His promises, guiding us with tender mercies, and offering us the light of salvation in Jesus Christ, even in the silence and waiting.

Conclusion

The kind of love that is evident in the song of Zechariah cannot be easily understood or grasped. We are reminded that we are a people who have continually been loved with everlasting and steadfast love.

God’s continued covenant with us is one that God has been working and continues to work to fulfill until the very end of the age. We as the promise people of God are invited to join in and experience this faithful covenant and steadfast love. Even in our silent unbelief and our periods of waiting, God is still working to make all things right and good.

Prayer Following Message

Heavenly Father, We thank You for the reminder today that even in our waiting, You are faithful. Just as You fulfilled Your promises to Zechariah and Elizabeth, we know that You are at work in our lives, preparing us for something greater. Lord, help us to trust in Your timing and Your plan, even when we can’t see the full picture. Strengthen our faith and patience as we wait for the hope of Your coming, both in this season of Advent and in Your second coming. May we continue to walk in Your light, sharing Your love and mercy with those around us. Guide our hearts to be always ready, always hopeful, and always faithful. We pray for those who are still in darkness, that they may come to know the light of Christ through us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Benediction

As you go from this place, may the light of Christ shine in your hearts, guiding you through the waiting and the silence. May you experience the hope, peace, joy, and love that only He can provide, and may His tender mercies be a constant reminder of His faithful promises. Go in the grace of God, knowing that He is always at work, preparing you for the great things to come. May you be a light to others, pointing them to Jesus in all that you do. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.