Luke 1:5-17

5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

For many centuries, even millennia, the people of Israel had believed that God was going to send a Messiah - someone who would bring light into their dark worlds and set them free. He had been promised since the Garden of Eden. Prophets had foretold Him but hundreds and hundreds of years had passed without His coming. However, the expectation of a Messiah remained - at least among some.

And now the time was drawing near. God's promise would be fulfilled.

But, before the Messiah was to come, God sent John (later known as John the Baptist) to prepare the people. You might recall Isaiah's prophecy about a voice crying in the wilderness "Prepare the way for the Lord!" That prophecy was about John and today's reading tells of the announcement of his coming.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were both very old and Elizabeth was barren. Clearly they had prayed for a child. God had heard those prayers. No wonder Zechariah and Elizabeth would rejoice at his birth.

But the rejoicing was about more than, at last, having a child. This child had been chosen by God for a particular role.

• He would be great in the eyes of the Lord.

• He would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth.

• He would turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.

• He would have the spirit and power of Elijah. Elijah had been a prophet nine hundred years earlier and his ministry was marked by courageously challenging evil and many miracles. John would be similar.

• He would prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.

• He would turn the hearts of the fathers to their children - perhaps meaning that he would restore love within families.

• Those who were rebellious would discover the wisdom of the righteous.

All-in-all this would be a time of revival. Many would turn back to God. John preached a message of repentance, pleading with people to turn from their sins and turn back to God. In that way, he was readying people for Jesus. Those who had been spiritually reawakened would be open to the next thing God was going to do.

For Reflection

1. If, today, you were in a crowd listening to John's preaching, do you think you would be aware of things you needed to repent of in order to be open to God doing things in your life? Should you repent of those things now?

2. Is there any way you can help prepare someone so that he/she might be more receptive to Jesus? How might you do that?

Often Christmas cakes are made long before now but, if you don't have one, could you make one? Or maybe yours still needs to be decorated.

Alternatively, could you give a piece of your Christmas cake to someone who would appreciate that gift?

If you want to become a follower of Jesus and receive His forgiveness, repentance is essential. Following Jesus means living a different life obeying God rather than pleasing yourself.

But, even if you are a Christian, repentance is important. There are still things that God asks us to turn away from in order to follow Him more closely.

What do you think God is asking you to repent of?

You might pray as follows.

Dear Lord, please show me what in my life displeases You. And please help me to truly turn away from that. I want to love You fully and I want to honour You in all that I do. I need Your help. May my desire be genuine and may I be able to live it out, empowered by Your Holy Spirit.

In Jesus' name, amen.