John's Birthday Song

Zechariah is no longer speechless and began vocalizing with Praise.  Luke 1:68 (NIV)  "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people."  Zechariah prophesied the coming of Christ the Savior and he further predicted that his own son would pave the way.  What a proud and humbling moment that must have been.

During the Christmas season, so many of us struggle to teach our children the real meaning of Christmas. We have difficulty ourselves, remembering why God sent His Son.  We get caught up in the impossibility of Jesus work and forget His is God and nothing is impossible for Him. I heard a teaching at a Celebrate Recovery meeting that put this in such a great perspective for me.

It was pointed out that the holidays are not so 'merry' for many people.  The sins of the world weigh heavily during these days meant for merriment.  Many of us dread Christmas and just want it over with.There are too many unpleasant memories from times past and we replay those tapes every year.  The dark recollections may be of our behavior or someone else's, but either way they put a damper on the season.

Jesus came to change all that. The redemption He brought changes everything for us.  It is the Christmas gift and is meant to give peace [of mind], and comfort and joy. We who were listening to the recovery teaching were reminded Jesus didn't come to heal the healthy, but to bring wholeness to the sick. (Matthew 9:12-13) 

It was made clear that Christmas is for sinners, for the brokenhearted, for the sad and lonely; it is for you and for me. The point driven home was that Immanuel means God with us, and that he is with. No wonder Zechariah was prophesying with the words, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people."  He was aware of the difference this would make to us, as he was the proud father of the one who would prepare the people for this Christmas message.

Luke 1:67-80