By Brenton Lehman
Advent is one of those great seasons in the Church calendar when the full story of God is in view: past, present, and future. When Luke wrote about Zechariah in the temple at the altar of incense, he provided details that anchor us in a time and place in Israel’s history where the old forms of worship and sacrifice were on a precipice. Luke’s language in these scenes with Zechariah and Elizabeth is drenched in Old Testament allusions, and it’s also greatly enhanced when we read it with the knowledge that the Messiah, the One to whom these rituals always pointed, was about to come.
I’m struck by all the details of the particular people and places in this narrative. The prophetic nature of the birth of John the Baptizer, the details surrounding John’s imprisonment, and what I read as his hopeful questioning that Jesus really was the Messiah, all bear witness to intimate knowledge the Gospel writers have with these events. And while God relieves the distress of the whole world through His Son, He also came specifically to Zechariah and Elizabeth knowing their names and their needs.
When we come to the season of Advent at our place in redemptive history, we, too, can imagine the broad scope of God’s story that began long before us. We have a hope that cannot disappoint as we now live on this side of the first advent of Jesus. We now live in a world in which Jesus has been crucified, buried, and has been raised to life again. We are caught up in this sweeping, glorious story. We know Christ has come and is coming again. And still we are on the precipice of something new; the consummation of the promises of God. Christ is coming again, but not yet. So we join Zechariah, Elizabeth, and even John the Baptist as we wait for what is sure to come but hasn’t yet come to pass.
And like He did for them, He has come for you and your loved ones. He knows your names and needs. His goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life (Psalm 23:6), and “because of our God’s merciful compassion, the dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79).
By the mercy of God, Christ has come to relieve us from the misery and death that sin brings. His love has compelled Him to such lengths that He would include us in His family and make us a part of His people and His promise (1Peter 2:9–10). We are not alone; we are not left to ourselves. Because of the great love with which He has loved us, Christ has come, and He is coming again—for the world as a whole and for you in particular.
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