January 21 - Way of Peace

Read: Luke 1:67-79 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." (Luke 1:78, 79 ESV)

At the birth of John Zechariah lifted up a beautiful song of prophetic worship. This was not merely the jubilant singing of an elated new father, this was a demonstrative work of the Holy Spirit in the elderly priest's life. He boldly and worshipfully declared the calling John would fulfill as the forerunner to Jesus. Look at what this devout man declared about our savior.

Because of the tender mercy of our God... Jesus was sent because of God's mercy. The sunrise shall visit us from on high... Where Jesus goes there is warmth, light, and life, not because he showers us in material things but because he gives light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Only Jesus gives light and life to those lost to darkness. Only Jesus rescues from the clutches of death's shadowy embrace.

He came to guide our feet into the way of peace because without Jesus there is no peace. We may live lives free of obvious conflict, but without him there is no true peace to be had. There is no eternal overcoming of the great conflict of our soul. He brings resolution, restoration, and redemption.

January 20 - Real Names

Read: Luke 1:57-66

And they said to her, "None of your relatives is called by this name." (Luke 1:61 ESV)

When John the Baptizer was born he was a miracle baby. Born to an elderly couple well past natural child-bearing years, he was immediately special. He was born into the home of a righteous dedicated priestly family who loved and served God well. He was born into a family full of expectations.

It was common custom in those days to be named after someone in your family. Names were more than just labels, they were descriptions, identities, and titles. So when John was born his relatives expected him to be named for someone in the family as a sign of who he would be like. In other words, they fully expected him to be like one of them. God had something else in mind. Elizabeth and Zechariah were attuned to the special calling God has placed on the boy. They were open, and receptive, to letting God dictate John's future. Instead of slapping a family name full of expectation and history on him, they embraced the actuality of God's promised destiny for John.

Life with Jesus is the same. We abandon expectations, baggage, and our own sordid history to step into the eventuality of God's proven destiny for each of us. For the Apostle Paul and Peter that meant literally changing their names to match their new identities in Christ. For us, that means taking on the adoptive identity of the family of God. Refuse to be labelled by the tragedies, tribulations, or triumphs of your selfish past and forge ahead into a new name. No one else can be who God means for you to be.

January 18 - Blessed by Believing

Read: Luke 1:39-45

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." (Luke 1:45 ESV)

Belief is powerful. It steers people to do amazing, wonderful, and sometimes terrible things. It shapes to core of what, how, and why we think the things we think. 20th century pastor, theologian, and author A.W. Tozer in his book Knowledge of the Holy wrote, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

Mary showed the quality of her belief. There was no mere lip service or emotional hype on her part. There was complete and utter devotion to her Lord and his call on her life to be the mother of Jesus. Her cousin Elizabeth proclaimed under the power of the Holy Spirit that she was blessed for it.

Blessing may not always look like you think it will. Honestly, it probably rarely will. God doesn't rain financial prosperity and material possessions on people simply because they choose to follow him. In fact, for many he probably works to help them see the reality of a blessing apart from those things. After all, as Christians we love and worship Jesus, a homeless traveling preacher.

As a further example of great faith look to the mother of our Lord. She believed and was blessed for it.

January 12 - Faithful Old Preacher

Read: Luke 1:5-25

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. (Luke 1:13 ESV)

Zechariah was a priest in a small rural community. He presided over a small synogogue, with a small congregation, and probably had small expectations. He was an older man and childless. Yet he and his wife Elizabeth remained faithful to the place and people God had called them to. Finally Zechariah had the opportunity to minister in the most sacred part of the Jewish Temple, the Holy of Holies. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. During his time in the Temple he was visited by an angel who told him about his coming son.

Jesus spoke regularly about faith. In the example of Zechariah and Elizabeth we see incredible faithfulness modeled in Christ's own human family. Sometimes faithfulness can be a struggle. Sometimes it is far easier to put words to our beliefs than actions.

Zechariah and Elizabeth followed God's will for their lives even though it turned out differently than what they probably envisioned as a younger couple. We like to make plans and dream big, and I believe God wants good things for us, but sometimes God holds back our dream from us because we haven't demonstrated the kind of character arrived at through time honored faithfulness. Sometimes we have trouble just getting out of bed in the morning and demonstrating Godly faithfulness for a whole day. Jesus was faithful all the way to the cross.