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68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. 72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. 78 By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." (Luke 1:68-79 New Revised Standard Version)
A most joyous of days in which to be grateful for life and the fullness thereof; all gifts from the Most High, even to us at times, at the Most Low of all points in our lives. And, dear Friend, may this December be the best ever for you and all you face! This is the last month of this year, and we have 31 days in which to make it even better than you feel it might be! God is on our side; let's be on God's side as we seek His will for our lives. Let me thank all of you for your prayers for my better half; Nellie is feeling much better since our doctor injected her knee with a steroid and she should be up and around soon! That's great news to me, and I rejoice in the fact she may just be on the road with me to the Valley this weekend for the funeral of our beloved brother, mentor, and friend, The Rev. Francisco Gaytan. Please pray for the Lord to bless this old man with what He would have me share.
We come to The Song of Zechariah which is this passage. It's a biblical theme for those inspired and blessed in unexpected ways to write a song or psalm that expresses what they are feeling as a response of, in this case, news revealed of an important coming event, such as the coming birth of a child. They all begin by giving credit and praise to where it is due, and that is to God. Zechariah speaks of God's action to being the redemption God was sharing with His people through the coming mighty Savior, and from the lineage of their greatest king, David. The hope is based on the security that all people long for. I don't know about you, but there have been times when I have felt completely helpful, or alone, or completely vulnerable. And safety was what I longed for, as perhaps you desired as well. Nothing blesses us more than the warmth and security of our own home. I once ran out of gas eleven miles from Fort Stockton on Interstate 10 after midnight on a cold night. Thankfully it was in the height of CB radios and I soon had a ride from a couple relocating to Austin from California. They owned a two-person convertible and so he drove his wife to a cafe in Ft Stockton, returned for me; he arranged for a gas station to lend me a ten gallon gas can and even for the worker in the gas station to radio for another CBer headed West, to give me a ride. My moment of despair was only that, a moment. Can you imagine a history of despair? Into that history comes hope of a coming event of liberation and freedom. A future free from enemies and fear; instead filled with holiness and righteousness, and all in the presence of God. This was all because of the coming birth of this child, whose main responsibility would be to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. His would be the job to share the knowledge of salvation to God's people for the forgiveness of their sins. And the message would also share that God's tender mercy, the bright light of dawn would shine upon those who for too long lived in darkeness; and to those on whom the shadow of death had stayed for so long, theirs would be the guidance needed to be guided into the way of peace that only God could give.
This is good news. This is the ray of hope that all long to see especially when they believe the end has already come and it was not the ending they expected or wanted; theirs is the right now of hope with the promise of a bright tomorrow thrown in for good measure. This is the purpose of Advent. May our preparations lead to reparations that we need deep down in our spirits. May we tell the old sins in our lives their eviction notice has been served and now they are on the road to their death, on the cross. And the death we merited and expected, has given way to new life and life in abundance. May these news speak to your heart about what you truly need to better enjoy your life and your situation. God is in control and has worked all this for you and your life.
PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus, and make us know the way to You is an easy path, lit with the light of Your love. All obstacles have been removed and made smooth; may we take those opportunities to betteer ourselves; we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Seek to bring God's peace to all people.
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
