ニューイングランドの母校からアドヴェント 12月21日（日）

Day 22
Seong Hyun Park | Luke 1:67-80

Zechariah sang.
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David…”

Nine months after having lost the ability to speak, old Zechariah sang today.
Fearful reverence toward God (cf., Luke 1:12) and respectful disdain from a heartfelt amen (cf., vv. 18–20) have now given way to new vocabulary—a sacrifice of praise that he, both as a worshipper and as a priest of Israel, had hardly known before.

“that we…might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child…will go before the Lord to prepare his ways…”

What a thrilling promise! What exuberant joy for father Zechariah that his son, John, will grow to serve the coming Messiah—the horn of salvation!

May we now speak a new language of salvation. May the fathers raise their voices and sing God’s promises into the ears of our children. And may God favorably look toward us and bless, according to his enduring love through his Son.“…to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant…”