Midweek Vesper and Sermon
Vespers at St. Luke, Rensselaer
Psalm 25:1-10 & Luke 1:67-80
The Song of Zechariah
I have to wonder how long Zechariah had been composing this song in his head before he was allowed to sing it? Or was it completely spontaneous? Regardless, Zechariah has not spoken a word for at least 9 months, possibly longer.
Zechariah is a priest. Months before this song came pouring out of him, Zechariah was in Jerusalem. It was his turn to serve at the Altar. He went into the Holy of Holies to light the incense. The Angel Gabriel was there and explained that Elizabeth would soon be pregnant and that their son was to be named John. Zechariah was not quick with his faith like Abraham or Mary. When Abraham received the promise of Land and a vast line of descendants, he simply believed. Genesis 15:6 says “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” And, of course, we know that Mary asked an innocent question before quickly acquiescing. “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Zechariah is no Abraham or Mary, so he wondered out loud how this could be since both of them were no longer young. Well, his lack of blind acceptance of this forthcoming miracle led Zechariah to become dumb; that is, until he ended the family squabble at the bris ceremony and wrote down that the boy’s name is to be John. It’s not a family name, but it is the name that the Angel said that God wanted him to have.
When he could speak again, he was full of praise to God and then moved by the Holy Spirit he sang what we call the Benedictus. It is called Benedictus because that is the first word of the song in Latin. In Greek, it is eulogetos. The word in English is “Blessed.” The word bless is nuanced and means a number of things. But here it means high praise. Zechariah offers high praise to the Lord for his salvation. He has saved Israel in the past. He will save them in the future.
From the beginning, God has made covenants. He made a covenant with Noah. He made a different kind of covenant with Abraham. The giving of the Torah or the Law on Mount Sinai is also a covenant. All of these covenants are promises. Zechariah could not have said a truer statement than that God “remembers his covenant.” Yes, God remembers. He chooses to remember and honor His covenants to us, long after we have forgotten all about them, and take His generosity for granted.
Zechariah sings of the covenant to Abraham. Zechariah has the privilege of singing about the role that his son, his only child, a gift in their old age, will play in the salvation of the world. John will grow up to be a prophet. He will point the way to Jesus who comes for everyone, regardless of heritage. No doubt there are plenty of people of Jewish heritage that do not have faith in the Lord God. Jesus comes for them. He also comes for the rest of us, the Gentiles. Zechariah sings of how his son will be the prophet that announces the coming Messiah. Jesus is coming. He is the Light who comes for every man, woman, and child, that does not have faith, and who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and who do not know the freedom of God’s forgiveness or the way of God’s peace.
While I am certain that Zechariah feels like a proud papa, he does not sing a proud pappa song. He sings of God’s mysterious and mighty acts in the world. The greatest mystery is that God chooses to continue to show mercy to sinners. The mystery continues that God chooses to save all of humanity from their sins through the death of the Son of God, Mary’s son. Through his sacrificial death on the cross, Jesus defeats the powers of sin, death, and the devil.
Zechariah’s son is the prophet that will prepare the people to receive their savior.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel! Amen.
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