1st Sunday of Advent: "Prophecy, and the birth of Jesus"

Prophecy! The word brings up mental images of wild-eyed, shaggy bearded old men thundering 'Repent, repent, the end is in sight!' It is generally associated, in my mind, with bad news being forecast by very unpopular people who met ignominious ends.

In Luke chapter one the story unfolds with Mary making a long trip down south to visit her relative, Elizabeth. It is thought that Elizabeth, given the tense of the word translated "relative," and given her elderly status, was possibly a sister of Mary's grandmother, or perhaps an older cousin of Mary's mother.

Toward the end of chapter one (verse 67) we have this statement: "Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied..." 

Let’s read this: Luke 1: ⁶⁷ His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

⁶⁸ “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, 
   because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 
⁶⁹ He has raised up a horn^[c] of salvation for us 
   in the house of his servant David 
⁷⁰ (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 
⁷¹ salvation from our enemies 
   and from the hand of all who hate us— 
⁷² to show mercy to our ancestors 
   and to remember his holy covenant, 
⁷³ the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 
⁷⁴ to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, 
   and to enable us to serve him without fear 
⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

⁷⁶ 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, 
⁷⁷ to give his people the knowledge of salvation 
   through the forgiveness of their sins, 
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God, 
   by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 
⁷⁹ to shine on those living in darkness 
   and in the shadow of death, 
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

⁸⁰ And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

What he prophesied was a powerful benediction for the Old Testament system of law and prophets. Introducing his newborn son, John, as the last of those prophets, and a prophetic announcement of the impending arrival of the "horn of salvation..." This was the end of the time of the law and the prophets. It was time to move into a relationship between God and humanity of love, grace, and salvation.

This simple prophetic passage is packed with Divine announcement. It isn't merely the proclamation of a happy new father about his newborn son. This son would not follow in his father's footsteps as a priest with temple duties.

Not only was Zechariah a priest in "the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron."

This son of Zechariah and Elizabeth would be a prophet, a voice crying in the wilderness. He would be the man blessed with the privilege of publicly introducing the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God!

This wouldn’t be real clear to him, though. Some of his ‘disciples’ would leave him to follow Jesus. He would send word to Jesus asking whether Jesus was really the One they were looking for.

John was just ‘doing his job’ as a prophet -- a ‘proclaimer.’

He didn’t have to have the faith to raise the dead or walk on water or turn water into wine. All John had to do was proclaim what God was impressing upon him. That was the sum total of the requirement of his faithfulness.

This arrival of the Anointed One was orchestrated to include shepherds and wise men, angels and a star...and a prophet of the genre of old Elijah.

This was the event of the ages, the culmination of prophets and priests, sacrifices and saints - that which all the faithful of old had looked forward to and died, without having seen the fulfillment of the promise.

This was Jesus...Matthew 1:21 "..She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23. "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us."