“Auspicious beginnings”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Friday, December 23, 2022
Luke 1:57-66 (Forward, p. 55) CEV p. 1055
Right from the very beginning, people knew that there was something different, and very special, about John the Baptist. To start with, there was the once-in-a-lifetime encounter between his father Zechariah and the angel Gabriel in the Temple—and, of course, its fallout, namely that Zechariah could not speak for a whole nine months. That, in itself, has to be counted as unusual.
Then, of course, there was the pregnancy itself, after all these years--and presumably, after all that trying. I can’t help but think that Zechariah and Elizabeth had written off their prospects of having a child long ago. And, then to have a son in their senior years, to have a son after all this time: pretty amazing. That put Elizabeth in the same league as formerly childless mothers of old, like Sarah and Hannah and Rachel of Old Testament fame.
And then, there was that profound break with tradition, in terms of the naming of the child. Those present were all for naming him Zechariah after his father. But Elizabeth insisted otherwise, and so too did Zechariah. So instead of Zechariah, ‘The Lord remembers’ (which was most appropriate), he would be known as John, ‘gift of God’, which indeed he was, in more ways than one. Indeed, in his role in ushering the reign of Christ, preparing people for His coming, and actually introducing Him he was one of the greatest gifts that God could even bestow upon humankind.
All of this puts me in mind of all the great gifts that God has given to most of us. We have been blessed with educational and health care systems which, while not perfect, are still the envy of much of the world. And we are blessed with homes and families, peaceful and relatively secure lives, things that many of the displaced peoples of the world could only dream of.
And then there are the privileges of our faith, the privilege of belonging to Jesus Christ and being known and loved by Him, or the privilege of getting together for worship. Here I think of a Jewish friend who converted to Christianity. It was, for him, a very great sacrifice. He was afraid for his life from his fellow workers as he worked at a very zealous Jewish business. And what is more, he had been disowned by his family when they found out. They had even staged a mock burial, complete with casket, as if to say, ‘Our son, he is no more. He is dead and gone.’ And in some Hindu and Moslem countries the threat is even worse, a contract is put out for your death.
So, we often do not recognize the incredible gifts and privileges we have been given—which begs a question. John the Baptist was an incredible gift from God, and he used that gift to its fullest, so, what about us? What about us and the gifts that we have been given? Amen.
Forward notes: “But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John’” (verse 60).
“Elizabeth’s choice of a name for her newborn son was unexpected. No one in Elizabeth’s family was named John. But Elizabeth and Zechariah were fulfilling Zechariah’s promise to Gabriel to call their son John.
“In my southern West Virginia community, family names were common and expected. I was named for my great-grandmother; I proudly bore her first and middle names through grade school. Eventually, I outgrew my double name and was glad for the change.
“I imagine Zechariah and Elizabeth’s family were disappointed by the lack of a family name. But the couple was faithful, and their son grew into his own double moniker, John the Baptist.
“The story of how God redeems the world begins when an elderly couple obeys God’s messenger, and the hands that rock John’s cradle set the stage for a new world order with the birth of Mary’s baby, Jesus.”
Moving Forward: “Do you like your name? Does it connect you with a loved one?”