Christmas, Then and NowShembull

# The Forerunner The angel’s promise to Zechariah, that he and his barren wife Elizabeth would have a child even after all those years of trying, and even in their old age, was fulfilled. The baby was born – a son, just as the angel had promised – and there was great rejoicing in both the family and the village. But the story wasn’t over. Zechariah was still dumb, and remained so until he overruled those who wanted to call the child Zechariah (following the tradition of naming a first-born son after his father) and insisted he be given the name that the angel had given him: John, which means ‘The Lord is gracious’. The minute he did this, his tongue was loosed, and filled with the Holy Spirit, he burst into prophetic praise. Called ‘The Benedictus’ in some Christian traditions (from the first word in the hymn in the Vulgate/Latin version), what followed was a divinely-inspired commentary on the significance of events that were beginning to unfold. He thanks God for His provision (see Luke 1:68-69), promise (see vv. 70-73), and purpose (see vv. 74-75); and finally, for what he is shown, through the Holy Spirit, of what his own son will be: not merely ‘a prophet of the Most High’ (v. 76 NIV); but the one who was called to go before the Messiah and ‘prepare the way for him’ (v. 76 NIV). Here was no one less than the forerunner that Isaiah had prophesied over 700 years earlier, and that Malachi had promised as the Old Testament spoke its final words over 400 years earlier. Still today, God is looking for ‘forerunners’ – those who will go ahead and prepare the way for Jesus, and for people to hear His good news and find forgiveness and salvation, hope, and life through Him. Will you be one of them?