Christmas Wishes
Luke 1:68-79
68 “Bless the Lord God of Israel
because he has come to help and has delivered his people.
69 He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,
70 just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.
71 He has brought salvation from our enemies
and from the power of all those who hate us.
72 He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and remembered his holy covenant,
73 the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.
He has granted 74 that we would be rescued
from the power of our enemies
so that we could serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,
for as long as we live.
76 You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.
77 You will tell his people how to be saved
through the forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of our God’s deep compassion,
the dawn from heaven will break upon us,
79 to give light to those who are sitting in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide us on the path of peace.”
This proclamation of Zechariah is one of the most beautiful proclamations of who Jesus is. He is the one to save humanity, not from some external force, but itself. The world needs this Savior, the true Savior. We don’t need another idol or earthly savior figure to disappoint us, yet again. We need the real Savior of the world. The earth is waiting. We need to live like we know the answer.
Let us be true followers of Jesus that love our neighbor, not people who turn people away from God with worldly hate.
As we celebrate the birth of Christ and the generosity of those who truly follow him, let us take time to give thanks to God, see the work of the Divine in our lives, and share the true Spirit of Christmas with everyone we see.
A wonderful and often not sung hymn that comes to us from Catalonian is “All Earth is Waiting.”
The first verse, “All earth is waiting to see the Promised One, and the open furrows, the sowing of the Lord. All the world, bound and struggling, seeks true liberty; it cries out for justice and searches for the truth.” Is explored by the other verses and finally answered with the last, “In lowly stable, the Promised One appeared, yet, feel his presence throughout the earth today, for he lives in all Christians and is with us now; again, with his coming he brings us liberty.”
Merry Christmas!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Brian
