The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Luke 1:57-80

June 24, 2018

Zion Lutheran Church + Nampa, ID

Nine months of silence, of listening without talking. Nine months to reflect on what it all meant.  Nine months of doing his job, a priest before God in the temple, without being able to speak out loud to the people of God, or to utter his prayers vocally before the Lord. Nine months because he did not believe the angel’s words that he, an old man with a barren wife, who would have son who would be great before the Lord, who would turn many to the Lord their God, who would go before the Messiah in the spirit of Elijah to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.

But then the silence was soon to be broken. Zechariah’s child was born as the angel had promised. Eight days later, Zechariah and Elizabeth brought the boy to the temple to be circumcised and to be named. There is confusion over the name itself, until Zechariah motioned for a writing tablet and a pen and wrote, “His name is John”, which had no family connection, only the word of the Lord. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed and he spoke blessing God. The text of the Benedictus, Zechariah’s hymn of praise, likely were the first words out of his mouth, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people…”

These words show exactly where Zechariah’s heart is.  His first words since knowledge of his son’s life were not about John, his newborn son. They were about the Lord.  When you open your mouth, when God has done great and wondrous things in your lives, what are the first words that come out of your mouth? Do you praise the blessing, or do you praise the One who blesses? This will tell a lot about a person’s heart, for your words also show where your heart is.  Remember Psalm 51:15. King David writes this after his affair with Bathsheba and then when Nathanael points the finger at him and says, “you are that man.”  He writes, “create in me a clean heart of God and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation and uphold me with Thy free spirit.”  Later he writes, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.” This verse is a powerful and profound part of the Christian’s prayer and praise. And wonder upon wonders, the Lord hears such prayers. He knows the faith of Zechariah and opens his mouth, so too he knows your faith and He opens your mouth to speak of Christ.

What a blessing this is! How many times have you been faced with a situation where there is a chance to speak about your faith, your hope in your savior and wonder what to say, you wonder if you have the strength or courage to speak up.  How many times have you thought back and wished that your mouth might have been opened.  So pray this prayer. The Lord will hear, He will act. When you speak, speak not of yourself, but speak of Christ, Christ for you, what Christ has done and what He still does.

This is what Zechariah does. He speaks of the Lord who has visited His people and redeemed His people. Pregnant Mary may have even still be staying in their house at this time, though regardless Zechariah would have remembered the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth, which fittingly is called the Visitation, and is celebrated by the Church on July 2.  Greater than the visit between the cousins of Mary and Elizabeth was the visit of the cousins Jesus and John. This was no chance encounter, but promised of old. As surely as God walked in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, so too He would walk His people again. Feet on the ground, in the dirt, visiting His creation.

In Christ, God assumed the human nature.  God literally, physically, He visited and redeemed His people, He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David. The Son of God dying, nailed to the tree, bleeding divine blood that you might be delivered, freed from the enemies of sin, from death, from the devil.  Delivered for a purpose: “that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.”  All of God’s covenant and victories on Israel’s behalf had one purpose: to redeem His people and to enable them to serve Him freely, fearlessly, in holiness and righteousness forever. You have been redeemed to live this way, here on earth as a foreshadow of what our eternal life shall be like.

Zechariah’s words turn to his child John, who had a certain calling from of old: to be the prophet of the Most High. He speaks not just of the Lord, but he speaks of what the Lord has done for him, and how He will use this newborn child to go before the Lord to prepare His ways: to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of sins.  This is the central theme of the Gospel that echo the promises of the new covenant. That was John’s job, to point to Jesus. By his birth, he does this.  Through his life, the Lord opens his mouth to prepare the way for Jesus. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

And that’s why you’re here this morning. You come here to be directed to Jesus, to receive Jesus, to have knowledge and faith of the salvation that Jesus won the forgiveness of sins for you. And He has. This is all yours, by faith. Your doubting of God’s promises, you’re failure or even your refusal to open your mouth and declare the praises of God are forgiven because of the tender mercy of our God.

He is faithful to His promises. He was faithful to Zechariah and Elizabeth in giving them a child, promised of old, who would prepare the way of the Lord. He was faithful in keeping His promises of visiting His people by sending His Son into the flesh. He kept His promise of redeeming His people by His death and resurrection.  There are still more promises to keep, and that is what we look forward to as well. We hope for a fulfillment of all God’s divine promises, to the immanent return of Christ, of our glorification with Christ, of eternal life with Him, to guide our feet into the way of peace until peace with God is all that remains.