A New Day Dawns; Luke 1

May the mumbling commence!

In my time at seminary, I spent some time trying out new spiritual practices.  Along with a group of others students and teachers and staff, I prayed a Catholic breviary.  I am a morning person, so I more often did the Morning Prayer. 

All the prayers in the breviary that we were using had Scriptures to read – mainly from the Psalms.  The Morning Prayer always included the Song of Zechariah.  And the Song of Zechariah from the end of Luke chapter one has been special to me ever since.  Read it below:

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

because he has come and has redeemed his people. 

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David 

(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 

salvation from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us – 

to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant, 

the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 

to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,

and to enable us to serve him without fear 

in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 

And you, my child,

will be called a prophet of the Most High;

for you will go on before the Lord

to prepare the way for him, 

to give his people the knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins, 

because of the tender mercy of our God,

by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 

to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the path of peace." (Verses 68-79)

Praise belongs to God alone.  All redemption and power and salvation come from God alone.  And these come as a mercy to us.  We do not deserve them.  Redemption and power and salvation are based upon the holy covenant that God made with our ancestors so long ago.  We are rescued from our own foolish ways!

We are rescued for a purpose.  We are rescued to serve without fear – to serve in holiness and righteousness before God.  Take the leading of the Spirit of God – whether it is gentle or forceful – take it like a child taking the hand of father and mother. 

Everything we do is to be before the Lord.  There is nothing that escapes God’s notice.  Everything that we do should open the way for the Lord in our hearts and the hearts of all creation.

From what do we need to be rescued?  We need rescue from our sins.  Forgiveness is ours for the taking!  Forgiveness is the rising sun.  It illuminates our darkness.  It puts in bold relief the fruit of our sins – death.  It overcomes death!

We are rescued for a purpose.  We are rescued so that we might find the paths of peace.  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Mt. 5:9).  Come peacemakers.  A new day is dawning.  Go before the Lord ever and always! 

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out