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Burst Into Song!
A sermon based on Luke 1:68-79
Sunday, January 3, 2009 - Christmas 2C
Do you like musicals? I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan. One minute a disfigured musician is haunting an opera house (which seems cool enough), but the next he's bursting into song about his beloved Christine. One minute the kids are learning their lessons and the next Julia Andrews is suddenly singing about kittens and strings and other favorite things. Or more recently a bunch of kids are playing a high school basketball game when suddenly, mid-game they start singing about how they hope their team will win. Why not just pipe down and play the game?
But the scene we see before us today is sort of like a musical. In fact, the first few chapters of Luke's gospel almost seem as if they were written not by a doctor, but a musician in the style of Andrew Lloyd Weber. Mary, the mother of Jesus, visits her cousin Elizabeth and suddenly bursts into song, praising God for his grace to his people. A multitude of angels appear to some shepherds and sing "Glory to God in the Highest!" As devout Simeon held the infant Jesus in his arms he too burst into song singing that he could now die in peace he was so overjoyed. And in our text for this morning, the elderly priest, Zechariah, just bursts into song!
Why? What caused him to spontaneously sing for joy? Well, his son, John, was just born. And perhaps that's enough to make any new father sing for joy, but Zechariah, who had been silent for the past nine months, suddenly sang for joy because of what his son had come to do: to prepare the way for the Son of God, the redeemer, the one who would bring salvation through the forgiveness of sins. Now that is something worth singing about. Here's his song in Luke 1:68-79...
68"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 69He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
Now before we talk about his song, maybe I should refresh your memories with the back story. (You can read it at home later in chapter one of Luke's Gospel.) Zechariah was an elderly priest by now. He had put in his years of service toiling away with the slaughter of the animals day in and day out. Now he had the lighter work of burning the incense in the Holy Place of the temple. Not a difficult job, but one you did solo. And as he was taking care of his duties, the angel Gabriel suddenly appeared to him. (It was lucky he didn't have a heart attack.) But the news the angel brought was even more of a shocker. "You're going to have a kid!" he said. "And that kid will prepare the way for the Messiah." But the news was too good to be true. "Yeah, right!" Zechariah responded. "Pull my other leg for a while! Do you know how old I am? Do you know how old my wife, Elizabeth, is? She may say 32, but man, that ain't the truth!"
But Zechariah would learn that if God promised something, God delivered. And the encounter with Gabriel left Zechariah speechless. He was dumbstruck. Because he refused to believe God's gracious promise, God took his voice until the time when God's promise would be fulfilled. Gabriel responded to Zechariah's unbelief in verse 19 and 20: "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."
But to be fair to poor Zechariah, I can't say that I would have responded much differently if put in the same situation in which he was in. He was old. His wife was old. And the two of them didn't have any kids yet. They couldn't have kids. Elizabeth was barren. I don't know that I would have believed the angel either. And truth be told, I don't have to imagine that hard, because I don't believe God's gracious promises the way I should. I too too often doubt that God will fulfill his promises to me. Will God really take care of me in this difficult economy? Will he protect us from our enemies from without and within? Will he really work all things for good? Even my pain and my heartache? Is it really better to do things God's way and to trust that he will act in his time table? Or should I take matters into my own hands and do things my way? Do you ever doubt that God will keep his promises to you? I know that you do.
And for such doubt -- and let's call it what it is -- for such unbelief! you and I deserve to have God break his gracious promises to us. Who could blame him if he said, "You don't believe me? Then fine! Forget it!" We deserve to have God take not only our voices, but our very lives and to banish us to an eternity of torment in hell.
Of course, God didn't take his gracious promises away from Zechariah. What God had promised, God would deliver. And after nine long months of silent waiting, Elizabeth gave birth to her firstborn, a son. And in that culture the baby wouldn't be named right away. It wasn't until eight days later at the circumcision or dedication that that a baby would be named. So after waiting eight more days, when it came time to name the boy, Zechariah made it clear (using a tablet and pen, since he still couldn't speak) that the boy's name was to be John, which means "The Lord is gracious!" And how true it is! "Immediately" Luke reports in verse 63, "his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God."
In spite of Zechariah's sinful doubt, God gave him the gift he promised anyway. God gave him a son. And I don't mean John. Though he was a nice gift too, I'm sure, God gave Zechariah the gift of his own Son, Jesus, to save him from his sinful doubt and unbelief, to save him from his sin. And when you get a great gift at Christmas, I'm sure you can't help but shout, "Thank you! So much! I love it!" And for the great gift that he received Zechariah couldn't help but burst into song.And for such doubt -- and let's call it what it is -- for such unbelief! you and I deserve to have God break his gracious promises to us. Who could blame him if he said, "You don't believe me? Then fine! Forget it!" We deserve to have God take not only our voices, but our very lives and to banish us to an eternity of torment in hell.
Of course, God didn't take his gracious promises away from Zechariah. What God had promised, God would deliver. And after nine long months of silent waiting, Elizabeth gave birth to her firstborn, a son. And in that culture the baby wouldn't be named right away. It wasn't until eight days later at the circumcision or dedication that that a baby would be named. So after waiting eight more days, when it came time to name the boy, Zechariah made it clear (using a tablet and pen, since he still couldn't speak) that the boy's name was to be John, which means "The Lord is gracious!" And how true it is! "Immediately" Luke reports in verse 63, "his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God."
Now note that this song isn't just Zechariah's song. It's really God's song. In verse 67 Luke reports, "Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied." He sung of what was yet to come in the Christ that was yet to be born, but sure to come with John, Zechariah's own son, as the forerunner to that Messiah. And Zechariah couldn't help but burst into song praising God for every one of his promises kept!
God had remembered "his holy covenant, the oath he swore to... Abraham." In other words, God had kept his promises. And the Old Testament allusions that fill Zechariah's song are impressive in number. In Genesis 12:3 God promised Abraham, "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." In Psalm 18:2 King David prophesied of the Messiah, "He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." In Psalm 106:10 the Psalmist described God as the one who "saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy." (NASB) Micah wrote in Micah 7:20, "You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago." Malachi prophesied in Malachi 4:2, "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings." And Isaiah said in Isaiah 9:2, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." The point is, Zechariah knew God's promises. And now he knew that God kept every one of them, even his promises of forgiving their sin and remembering it no more. And for that reason, Zechariah burst into his song of thanks and praise.
The young couple heard the song on the radio, the first song they ever danced to, and even though they didn't write it or record it they both exclaimed, "That's our song!" Well, when we hear Zechariah's song (even when it's just read, without the music) we can exclaim, "That's our song!" Because we too know that God has kept every one of his promises to us. We may not trust the promises made my politicians or commercials, or even those made by family and friends. But we know that with God it's different. We know that when God speaks, God delivers.
The young couple heard the song on the radio, the first song they ever danced to, and even though they didn't write it or record it they both exclaimed, "That's our song!" Well, when we hear Zechariah's song (even when it's just read, without the music) we can exclaim, "That's our song!" Because we too know that God has kept every one of his promises to us. We may not trust the promises made my politicians or commercials, or even those made by family and friends. But we know that with God it's different. We know that when God speaks, God delivers.
God has kept all his promises to you. What he swore on oath he's done. He has sent a Savior to bless all people on earth -- even you and me! By sending his own Son to the cross, God has saved us from the hand of satan and has redeemed us -- bought us out of hell. For there, Jesus paid for your sins and mine, just as it was prophesied throughout the Old Testament. Every prophesy has come true! He is our horn of salvation. Like a ram that butts away its foes, Jesus has tossed aside our sin. Like the sun that rises to drive away the darkness and bring life and health, so the Son of God has risen to drive away our darkness of unbelief and with it the darkness of fear and despair. We have every reason to burst into song!
And like Zechariah, we don't just sing about God has done, but are eager to "serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days." All fear is driven away since our sins are removed. Our guilt is gone. Our regrets are removed. We can serve him in the holiness and righteousness that he's given us all the days of our life. And we can respond by bursting out in song and singing of God's grace to the next generation.
As Zechariah held his infant son in his arms, he sang to him of God's grace. He would share God's faithfulness with John to prepare him for his job of preparing the way for Jesus. And we too sing of God's grace to our kids. A young mother teaches sings her son "Jesus Loves Me" before bed to share the Savior with him. A father sings his prayer of confession and forgiveness to his children with "Now the Light Has Gone Away." A teacher practices "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" with her students to prepare them to proclaim the truths of God's love in our horn of salvation. Grandparents bring their grandchildren to church to sing the hymns that proclaim God's faithful love. And the message is passed on through you as you burst into song.
And like Zechariah, we don't just sing about God has done, but are eager to "serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days." All fear is driven away since our sins are removed. Our guilt is gone. Our regrets are removed. We can serve him in the holiness and righteousness that he's given us all the days of our life. And we can respond by bursting out in song and singing of God's grace to the next generation.
As Zechariah held his infant son in his arms, he sang to him of God's grace. He would share God's faithfulness with John to prepare him for his job of preparing the way for Jesus. And we too sing of God's grace to our kids. A young mother teaches sings her son "Jesus Loves Me" before bed to share the Savior with him. A father sings his prayer of confession and forgiveness to his children with "Now the Light Has Gone Away." A teacher practices "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" with her students to prepare them to proclaim the truths of God's love in our horn of salvation. Grandparents bring their grandchildren to church to sing the hymns that proclaim God's faithful love. And the message is passed on through you as you burst into song.
You may love musicals, or you may not like musicals any more than I do, but still you and I have every reason to burst into song! For God has kept every one of his gracious promises to us. When God speaks, God delivers. And what God has promised, God has done. He's sent a Savior to rescue us from our sin and to deliver us from hell. He's promised to watch over us and protect us and work out all things for our good. And he's promised that one day soon, he'll take us to glory! And he will keep these promises just as he's kept all the rest. Now that is something worth singing about! So burst into song and let others know about the Good News! In Jesus' name, dear friends, amen.
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