21 December 2009
Psalm 61, 62; Zeph. 3:14-20; Titus 1:1-16; Luke 1:1-25

The time has come for rejoicing, not that the work of deliverance is complete but because the Lord has declared His intentions for His beloved. He has promised that He will act on Israel’s behalf, will return them to the land, will deal with their enemies, and will set all things to rights. In addition to all that, He will be in their midst and will exult over her with singing. Because of the promise the prophet encourages rejoicing. Worship should never wait. In this time of waiting for the fulfillment of the promises of the Lord to return and establish His everlasting kingdom we are called to worship Him for those promises and to live as those who know the future and are confident that He will do as He has promised.

Zechariah did not believe but doubted the word of the angel. One would think that an angelic visitation in the holy place where only the priest could go would be enough to convince him that this would happen, but the years of waiting and hoping had dulled his ability to believe. The incense offering Zechariah was making represented the prayers going up to God and here an angel tells him that his own prayers have been answered. The sign given is that he will not be able to speak until the promise is fulfilled. He is unable to convey the fullness of what he has seen and heard until after it is done. For someone like me it would be incredibly difficult not to talk about something as awe-inspiring as this event for the period of time necessary to bring it to pass. No promise is made concerning when this will be, I wonder if Zechariah was thinking about a similar promise to Abraham and how long that took to fulfill.

Paul writes to a leader instructing him how to arrange the affairs and leadership of the church. Paul describes himself as an apostle of the truth in the hope of eternal life. He is counting on God, who never lies, to fulfill that promise and, as we know, Paul bet the farm on that promise. Paul went to prison and continued to preach and write about the truth, went to his death proclaiming the truth. Truth is important to Paul, something to be defended and taught in the belief that the Holy Spirit was carried to the hearts of the elect in the truth and the truth itself was the hope of the world. We have a foretaste of what is to come and the promise of what it will be, now is the time to stand in that hope.

For You alone my soul waits in silence;
from You comes my salvation.
You only are my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.