“You,
child (John the Baptizer), will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you
will go before the face of The Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of
salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender
mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give
light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet
into the way of peace.” Luke 1:76-79 NKJV
Zacharias,
after a long silence imposed by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:19-20), found
his voice upon the birth of his son. Finally having a voice with which to
speak, Zacharias praises The Lord who has not only brought to him and Elizabeth
a child they had longed for but Who also blessed them with the one who would
“prepare the way” for the One to come.
I
wonder how many of us had ever stopped to consider how our own newborns would
be used by The Lord to do such an awesome thing as to “give knowledge of
salvation”. I have no doubt most of us gave thanks when our own children
were born, but have we ever listened to the Spirit? I mean really
listened?
Some
plan to have their children baptized and then later confirmed in the faith, but
how many of us have earnestly sought Divine Will to determine exactly how our
children should raised and taught? I freely admit it never occurred to me
to consider that The Lord may have a unique claim on each of my own children
beyond simply believing. Surely this Divine calling did not end with
John!
The
Lord has more in store from us, but I am afraid we have been programmed more
toward “taking” Divine blessing than “offering” it back. The Law of The
Lord stipulates a unique, Divine claim on the first-born – and surely for this
very purpose. How much have we missed out on because we have tried to
insist that The Law is no longer applicable to us as Christians? How many
children have been withheld from The Lord because we have been convinced that
some “magic spell” from a spiritual and religious void will awaken our
children? How many of us have failed to teach our children about The Lord
so that one day they would even recognize His Voice?
Zacharias
had to be struck mute in order to be reminded that his son would not be brought
into the world only to bring him and his wife pleasure and joy; his child was
claimed long before. So have we and our children been so claimed.
Let this Christmas bring to The Church a renewal of our sense of purpose and
peace in The Lord’s will. Let us realize we, too, were born to “prepare
the way”; and so let us go about His business.
Blessings,
Michael
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