Luke 1:57-66

57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. 58 And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

59 When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”

61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” 62 So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. 63 He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

65 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. 66 Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.

It is apparent that God is moving. People recognised the hand of God in these events and on this child. The angel had told Zechariah that he would rejoice in the birth of this child and he certainly did. So did the whole neighbourhood and all who heard the news that spread through the region.

The last of the Old Testament books had been written 400 years earlier. For 400 years, God had been silent. Now people could sense that things were stirring again.

Zechariah's speechlessness came to an end when he, in obedience, said that the child would be called "John", the name instructed by the angel. Zechariah might have lacked faith but he would be faithful.

If you have a little extra time, you could read verses 67 to 80 as well and hear Zechariah's rejoicing and praise. Those verses are below.

In Zechariah's song we hear about God's faithfulness. Through the prophets, He had promised a Saviour who would descend from the house of King David. God would rescue His people. This had been His plan for centuries but Zechariah declared that God had now done it. He had come to His people to redeem them. At this point, that Saviour was still an unborn child in His mother's womb but, even so, God was present in the world.

Very little of Zechariah's song was about his son, John. Really only verses 76 and 77. John would be a prophet of God, going before the Lord to prepare the way for Him. He would proclaim salvation through the forgiveness of sins. Zechariah's focus is on the one still to come who would be the light of the world. That is consistent with John's attitude when he had grown and was indeed working as a prophet. He never drew attention to Himself but only to the One who would follow Him.

For Reflection

1. In what ways can you see the grace/generosity of God in this story of John's birth?

2. What do you imagine the sense of anticipation was like among those who could see that God was on the move?

The Christmas truce of 1914 has captured people's imaginations and been portrayed in a number of ways. It is a glimpse of what is possible.

But even this wonderful example was only short-lived. These men returned to their trenches and the war continued.

We get a glimpse of what the Prince of Peace can do and a glimpse of what He will one day do permanently. The peace of the Garden of Eden will be restored.

As a family, choose a tune that you like and write some Christmas words to it. It can be any tune at all. The key thing might be to make sure that the words are appropriate for the real Christmas.

Father, sometimes we feel that You are silent. We pray and we do not see the results. But we thank You that You are faithful. One day You will rise up again to bring justice and righteousness. Thank You that You do not forget Your promises.

In Jesus' name, amen.