“ To shine on those living in darkness…”

“ To shine on those living in darkness,

and in the shadow of death,

To guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Zechariah in Luke 1:79

An angel came to speak to Zechariah. The angel said that his wife Elizabeth would give birth to a baby. Zechariah thought that Elizabeth was too old to give birth. He said this to an angel that had come to him at night, and the angel waved his hand, and Zechariah could not speak for many months. That is quick punishment for not really doubting, but he just has a question for the night visitor.

Later on in chapter one of Luke’s story of the birth of Jesus, the Christ Child, Zechariah and Elizabeth become the proud parents of John. Their son is not the Messiah, but John is the one to identify the Son of Man, and he is to point other people to follow Jesus. Following the first of two miraculous births in the book, Zechariah writes a great piece of poetry or sings a great song. The church has thought it so important that it gave a name to it, the Benedictus.

The name comes from the first word of the song that was recorded in the Bible in Latin. It means blessed. Maybe John will blessed. Maybe it refers to Elizabeth to being blessed by having given birth. Maybe Zechariah is feeling the blessedness of the day, as he celebrates being a father.

After the the birth of John , we do not hear anything about John’s parents. John has a tough life; he was out in the wilderness for a few years, and then he started baptizing people in the name of a person who was to come. The religious people did not like it. John was imprisoned later on  as a follower of Jesus. He is executed on the whim of one of the religious leaders.

What did his parents think of all of this ? Zechariah’s song is all about hope. The hope that is found in the song is not fulfilled in the life of John. The kingdom of God does not come into being while John walked the earth. So, what  can we find in this old song in our journey of life and faith for ourselves ?

The final verse( at the top of the article ) of the Zechariah’s song is helpful and hopeful for me. I am looking for someone to name the darkness in my own life, and bring sunshine into my life this Christmas season. We have endured a lot of change in our work lives this year. Every time someone asks me about it, I feel that there is a light shining into my existence , just by their asking the question. I left a secure job of 25 years, and trusting God for direction, My faith in God was not just theoretical, but I have had to trust in new ways.

We have had a death to our community this year. We had been part of of a loving community for these past 25 years, and we have had to look for a new worshipping community of believers. When a community has been so much part of our faith in God, it is hard to fill in the hole that is so large in my life. We are naming the grief and loss to ourselves. What do God want to teach to us through this past year and living forward ? We are living through the shadow of death.

As Zechariah ends the song, with a call to God, to guide our lives in path of peace, I am called to be that kind of person of peace in my life. I have noticed feelings of loss, bitterness and anger in the last year, as I have lived through this change. That is all part of grief. I do not want to be a bitter old guy. I want to invite people to the ways of peace.

I will look to Zech and Liz, their nicknames, to provide me with hope this year. I am going to sing this song from my roof ( not really ), reminding me of God’s presence in my life. I will trust in God.

Fred Redekop