Holy Trinity Church, Westward Ho!

Reflection from Kevin Bowman

Luke 1 .68-79

Zechariah’s Prophecy

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.

69 He has raised up a mighty saviour for us in the house of his child David,

70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

71 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us

72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors and has remembered his holy covenant,

73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us

74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear,

75 in holiness and righteousness in his presence all our days.

76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

77 to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.

78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us,

79 to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

REFLECTION

This prophesy is seen as remarkable by the people present at the time, because Zechariah had been unable to speak for months following a visit from an angel of the Lord. Zechariah is explaining to his friends and neighbours that his Son John (the Baptist) is to become a great prophet, but that he is only showing the way of the Lord. In this prophesy Jesus is described as a “new dawn” that “will shine upon those in darkness and in the shadow of death”.

The message is that Jesus will be looking for those people to guide them to His Kingdom and eventual peace. It is a message of hope for the downtrodden, disadvantaged and those suffering from disease and illness.

Are we, like Zechariah, silent and on the sidelines. Are we waiting for a moment in time to say our piece. He had an angel of the Lord appear to him, so do we need a sign too. What sign do we need? We are alive, and that is a miracle of creation; none of us want to lose that life; and yet many struggle to speak about the “light that shines in the darkness”. Do we pray, yes, for ourselves, for others, and to our God. To our saviour, who we ask to fix the broken, take back words said in haste, to give us hope when we feel hopeless, and save us from our own calamities.

Should we not be letting everybody know this God is their God too, that He will douse the flames of their pain; and change the inevitability of their lives. Do not wait for a sign, our lives are testament enough, we must go out and spread the Word through our congregations and seek those in darkness – so that we may guide their feet to peace.

Let us pray:

Merciful Lord, you know our struggle to serve you: when sin spoils our lives and overshadows our hearts, come to our aid and turn us back to you again; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Common Worship: Collects and Post Communions, material from which is included here, is copyright ? The Archbishops' Council 2000

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