“The Promise of Hope”

Scripture: Luke 1:67-79

We continue with some more of the strange happenings and strange people that surrounded Jesus’ birth and life, and today, they are in regards to the prophesy that involved Jesus’ cousin, John. But first, a refresher on his family.

As you will remember, John’s parents were Zechariah and Elizabeth. They were both descendents of Aaron, and were, therefore, a priestly family. Luke 1:6 tells us that they both were “upright in the sight of God”, and were faithful in the way they lived their lives. As the Gospel of Luke opens, Zechariah is serving as a temple priest, and was chosen this day as the one who would burn the incense. And, to condense the story, he meets the Lord, who tells him that he and his wife, both of who are rather advanced in years, will have a son whose name is to be John. Zechariah doubts the word, and is struck mute until the day the baby is born. (Luke 1:5-25)
And when the child is born and is named John (which, incidentally, was not a family name for Zechariah, and therefore was not a normal choice for his son), Zechariah’s voice is restored, he is filled with the Holy Spirit, and he begins praising God.

Read Luke 1:67-75

John could have grown up to become a priest in the house of Aaron, with all of the many honors and benefits that this could bring to him. But from the moment that he was given a name that was totally unusual, unexpected and unconventional; from the moment that his life was dedicated in service to Jehovah God in a new way; from the moment that the angel Gabriel announced that he would be great in the sight of the Lord and would be filled with the Holy Spirit; from the moment that it was revealed that he would be carrying the word and truth of God to all the people; life for this child would begin to move in marvelous and mysterious ways - ways that would bless many and confound many others.

And his father, who had been rendered speechless for 9 months because of his understandable doubt, offers nothing but praise for his Lord. And even though he had been a faithful member of the nation for many years, he had finally come to the understanding of just how great and full the glory of Almighty God truly is. Consider some of the aspects of his prophesy – v. 68 – “the God of Israel … has come and redeemed his people.” He didn’t say “will come”, he didn’t say “can come” – he said “has come”! The Redeemer for the nations had yet to be born, but he had truly come and was growing within his mother.
Zechariah didn’t know the baby yet, but just as the unborn John leapt within his mother’s womb at just the sound of Mary’s voice (Luke 1:39-45), Zechariah’s heart swelled and his voice rejoiced with the great news that the Savior, who had been proclaimed by the saints for so many years, had finally come to earth. The people would be released from the hatred and oppression that had plagued them for hundreds upon hundreds of years (v.71), but it wouldn’t come that day. The Savior would bring the long needed mercy for all who lived within his covenant (v. 72), but it wasn’t to be just yet. This Incarnate God would free the people to serve him, through the power of the Holy Spirit, without fear and doubt, and in holiness and righteousness (v. 74-75), for all their days.
And the word of God that was being revealed through Zechariah wasn’t finished yet.

Read Luke 1:76-79

The first part of Zechariah’s prophesy was about the newly arrived Redeemer, and the second part was about this new prophet who had come to trumpet the Lord’s arrival.
His child would prepare the way for this Savior to bring his message to the hearts and minds of countless seekers. He would bring knowledge and wisdom regarding this new message of salvation. He would announce the hope that comes in the Lord’s mercy. He would lead the people into the dawn of a new light, and the promise of a new life, and the glory of a new day. And this prophet of the Most High would be the most unusual, unconventional, strangest man who had ever been called into service for the Lord.

And you think that the Lord’s call on your life is strange! The truth is that it is no more strange than all of his works and calls. As we saw last week, Jesus’ ministry was all about strange. It is about the new, the unconventional, the previously un-done. You’ve heard the old saying about insanity - that it is defined as the act of doing the same thing over and over, while expecting different results each time. Why would God call us to do the same thing that others have done? It’s been tried and worked until it is no longer effective. So now he calls us to share the same wonderful message in a new, previously untried way. The “old” only works for so long, and then it’s time to be trusting and excited about the “new”.

It’s the Holy Spirit who fills us with the strangeness of “new”. The unborn John was so filled with the Spirit of strangeness that he leapt for joy in his mother’s womb. And in this act, Elizabeth was also filled with that same Spirit to the point that she pronounced a blessing on this young girl before she was told why – “But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? .. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (Luke 1:39-46), and now Zechariah was filled with that same strange Spirit, to prophesy to the glory of God that would soon be proclaimed by his child. Think about it – an unborn child, an elderly woman, and an doubting priest – if these aren’t all very strange folks to receive the Holy Spirit, then “strange” doesn’t exist!

Do you still think that it’s strange that God would call you? Let me tell you about some other strange folks who the Lord has brought into my life to share his promise and hope for a new life in him.

His name is Bill. Bill was a very “worldly” guy – some would call him a “free spirit”, a “flower child”, a “hippy”. And then one day, the Lord got his attention, and his life completely changed. His outward appearance wouldn’t change all that much - he still acts a little different than the rest of us, but the reasons for his life have become completely new. “Shy Billy” has become anything but shy when it comes to sharing the grace and mercy of his Lord Jesus Christ, and he joyfully does that with anyone who will stand still long enough to hear. His Spirit-filled soul loves the people in every way that he possibly can - in word, in prayer, in music, and in the very life that was saved by his renewed faith in Jesus Christ.
Several years ago, Bill & I had the opportunity to be prayer partners one afternoon, and while I still don’t know how long we prayed, I can tell you that we both wished that it could have been longer. Prayer bounced back and forth between us for a long time, blessing us, blessing those we prayed for, blessing our Lord who had brought us together, both years before and on that day.

Her name is Bonnie. She was much younger than I was, and she was a very reserved, almost shy, young woman. We had been friends for several years, but had never experienced a faith connection. Then one day, she took a very risky step in faith, and encouraged me to move in a new direction in my faith walk. It lead me to a prayer group; which lead me into nursing home and prison ministry; which lead me deeper into my examination of this life in faith; which lead me into pastoral ministry. Over the years, our paths have crossed a couple of times, usually only for a few moments, but the impact that she has had on my life is constantly before me. But, as Paul Harvey would say, that isn’t the end of the story.
I felt the need to write a letter of encouragement to her father who I had met on a faith retreat. He had left his family to start a new life, and had caused them a lot of pain in doing so. I had delayed writing the letter for a week or two, but finally did. But I didn’t have his address. I ran into Bonnie at church on that Sunday, and mentioned the letter. She paled, and then told me that she had felt the need to write to him also, to offer him forgiveness for the hurt he had brought to the family. I gave her my letter to add to hers.
I never heard back, but I know that it wasn’t my letter that he had to read – it was hers.

And the last “strange” person that I want to mention today is me. I may not have been the “chief of sinners”, but suffice it to say I was bad enough. I have told many that even though I was in the church throughout my life, the “Church” just wasn’t in me. For many years, I had searched for the truth of what God wanted me to do, but I never received an answer, so I just made my own way in the world. Then one night, I discovered that the only thing he really wanted from me to do was to give him my trust. “Trust me” was what I heard, and after I processed those words, and began to understand that he wasn’t going to give me any specifics, we began to have a marvelous walk together. And it continues to get better every day.
And why am I one of the “strange”? As an introvert who wants to plan out every detail to the nth degree, I should be the last person that God would call to be a pastor who doesn’t have all the details!

The truth is that the Lord’s Promise of Hope for the world needs to be carried by someone who is just like the people who need to hear it. The “hippys”, the “shy”, the “introverts”, and all of the other inadequate people who think that other people, the “normal” people, are the ones who God wants. But the truth is that we are the normal ones, whatever that may mean. We are the ones who God wants to proclaim that Jesus has come to redeem us from our sins, to save us from death, to show mercy to all who will honor his covenant, to rescue us from the enemy of the world, to take our fear away and change it into holiness and righteousness.
Was John a strange choice to fill with the Holy Spirit? He sure was! But no stranger than the Lord’s choice of you and me! Receive his Spirit today, and share the Good News of Jesus Christ, his message of Hope and the promise of New Life with all who will stand still long enough to hear it.
Be blessed, that you might be a blessing to the world.