In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
1 Three months after the very first Christmas carol, the one to which all others will be compared and fall short, came the second Christmas carol. Three months after Mary sang her Magnificat—indeed, your Magnificat—Zechariah sang the Benedictus. Mary’s song seemed more spontaneous, perhaps, her nearly immediate response to Elizabeth’s “Hail Mary,” but Zechariah’s canticle is more planned.
2 For nine long months, Zechariah planned this song. Mary’s response to Gabriel’s “You will conceive and give birth to the Son of God,” was also a question, but a question of faith: How will this be? Zechariah’s was one of disbelief, incredulity, “How will I know this? Prove it.” Proof, Zechariah, is that He who can open the wombs of old women is also He who can shut the mouths of old men. So Zechariah was unable to speak for nine months. As he watched the belly of his elderly bride continue to swell, Zechariah remained silent. As he saw first-hand the fulfillment of what the archangel had prophesied, his mouth was quiet. As his eyes confirmed what his ears had heard, his lips remained mute. Nine months of quiet.
3 And when his lips were finally unsealed, Zechariah broke forth in this song of praise: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 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 in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
4 If you would use your lips to ask disbelieving questions, Zechariah, then you won’t use your lips at all. If only you were so lucky. But your lips work; your tongue is free. And instead of praying, they let slip the blasphemous “Oh my God.” Instead of calling upon the name of the Lord, your lips call upon yourself, relying on your ability, your hard work, your half-hearted righteousness. Instead of being prepared with a defense of the hope you have, you’re ready to defend yourself against those who would belittle you for your faith. If only you were as fortunate as Zechariah to have your lips sealed, your tongue stopped. Repent of using your tongue for anything other than calling upon the Lord in every trouble, praying, praising, and giving thanks. Repent of using your ears for anything other than gladly hearing and learning the Word of God. Repent of using your eyes for anything but focusing on Christ. Repent of using your body for anything but loving and serving your neighbor.
5 Listen and learn the song of Zechariah. Even six months before the birth of the Christ, God has visited and redeemed His people. Even the preborn baby in the Virgin’s womb is God, visiting His people to redeem them. The child, whose birth opened an infertile womb and a mute mouth prepared the way for the One whose birth came from a closed womb and whose coming shut the mouths of the proud. John went before the Lord to prepare His way. He called sinners to repentance, to bear fruit in keeping with repentance, to be genuinely contrite and sorry for their sins, to seek the solution for sins outside themselves. He has come, as John will declare, to save His people from their sins.
6 Learn to sing from Zechariah. With his song, Zechariah paves the way for his son, who, with his call to repentance, will pave the way for the coming Messiah, God who visited and redeemed His people by being born with human flesh. Because your ears could do nothing but sin, because your lips could utter nothing but malice, because your hands could do nothing but wrong your neighbor, because every beat of your heart poured forth evil thoughts, God took human lips, ears, hands, all of human flesh, without the stain of sin.
7 He has visited and redeemed His people. The Lord has saved you from your enemies and from the hands of all who hate you. From the summon of Satan, from the slavery of sin, from the grasp of death, God saved you by being born in your place to die in your place. Because of the tender mercy of God, the sunrise of salvation has risen upon you. To give you knowledge of salvation, Jesus won forgiveness. To give light to you who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide your feet in the way of peace, to deliver the forgiveness He won on the cross, Jesus continues to send His messengers before Him to prepare the way.
8 To give knowledge of salvation, to deliver forgiveness, so that you might have the faith required of you, Jesus sends ministers after Him to go before Him to prepare the way for His return. Like John the Baptist, these men in the Office of the Holy Ministry have one job: to point you to Jesus. They call you to repentance, and they deliver forgiveness. Because of the tender mercy of God, He sends men to deliver forgiveness. You aren’t left to your enemies. Through Holy Baptism, God has delivered you from your enemies death and the devil. In Holy Absolution, He delivers you from your enemy your sinful flesh and the devil’s accusation. In Holy Communion, Jesus delivers His true Body and Blood, which bestow the very forgiveness His body was broken and His blood was shed to win for you.
9 So your lips are loosed from death, your tongue set free from sin, to call upon your Lord in every trouble, to pray, praise, and give thanks. Sing with Zechariah to the God who delights to be merciful, who loved to deliver forgiveness, who finds the greatest pleasure in lavishing His grace upon you.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria
Pastor Jeff Hemmer
Hope, Jerseyville