Love
"and
to everyone’s astonishment he wrote,
“His name is John.”
… And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
“His name is John.”
… And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Luke 1:76-79
Reflection
There are not many things closer to a miracle
than the birth of a child. With each and
every life that comes into the world, also comes a very specific purpose. Each life is uniquely
created by God and every parent has high aspirations for their children. When a mother or father looks into their baby’s eyes for
the first time, there is no limit to the dreams that they imagine. The love that is created in that moment knows
no end and has no limit. Love is such a
powerful emotion and encompasses the theme of our verse for today.
These words that we read from the Gospel
According to Luke are just a portion of what is often referred to as Zechariah’s Song. Zechariah was
the father of John the Baptist, who upon his birth prophetically declared that his son would go before Jesus to prepare the way for his ministry. In that moment, he not only declared his
love, hopes and dreams for his son, but the hopes and dreams of the entire
world as well.
Zechariah knew that his son was chosen
by God to prepare the way for Christ. And
although his love for his son outweighed anything that he ever imagined, he
knew that his purpose was much more than just carrying on a family name. For in the moment that he gave the name John
to his son, he acknowledged that he was destined for something much
greater. Zechariah acknowledged that God
would eventually use his son, to reveal his love to the world, manifested
in the one that John would go before: Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Lord, it’s hard for us to imagine a love deeper than
that between father and son. As we
read these words of Zechariah, let us remember the deep love that you have for
each of us. A love so deep that you sent your only Son to one day die for the same world into which he was humbly born.
Amen
Amen
