Benedictus

 Now Elizabeth' full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son.  When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.  So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 

His mother answered and said, "No; he shall be called John."  But they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name."  So they made signs to his father -- what he would have him called.  And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, "His name is John."  So they all marveled.  Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.  Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.  And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, "What kind of child will this be?"  And the hand of the Lord was with him.

Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
"Blessed is 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,
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace."

So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

- Luke 1:57-80

In the first reading for today, we have read the story of Mary's song, called the Magnificat.  Now Mary arose in those days (after Gabriel's Annunciation to her) and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.  And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.  Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."  And Mary said:  "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.   For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.  For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.  And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with His arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.  He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.  He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.  He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy,  As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever."  And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

 Now Elizabeth' full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son.  When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.  So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.  My study bible tells us that circumcision was a sign of Israel's covenant with God and the means by which a male became a member of God's community (Genesis 17:10; Leviticus 12:3).  In Christ, circumcision is fulfilled in baptism (see Colossians 2:11).

His mother answered and said, "No; he shall be called John."  But they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name."  So they made signs to his father -- what he would have him called.  And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, "His name is John."   My study bible says that John means "grace of God."  It says, "By insisting on the name God chose for her son, Elizabeth affirms God has called John to a specific mission (see also 1:31; Genesis 17:5, 15; 32:28)."

So they all marveled.  Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.  Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.  And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, "What kind of child will this be?"  And the hand of the Lord was with him.  Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:  "Blessed is 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, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham:  To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.  And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."   A note tell us:  "When Zacharias assented to God's will, his mouth was opened.  Just as prophecy is restored at the Incarnation of Christ, so Zachariaas, as high priest, can speak again now that the Savior and His forerunne3r have come.  Note Zacharias immediately declares Christ (vv. 68-69), and secondly declares the role of his own son as prophet of the Highest."

So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.   My study bible tells us:  "Dwelling in the desert, away from the stains and wickedness of the masses, John is able to fight temptation and grow strong in spirit.  According to the tradition of the Church, John was brought to the deserts by Elizabeth when Zacharias was martyred, and there was ministered to by angels."

Zacharias has been rendered mute because of his doubt of the word of Gabriel as he performed his priestly duties at the altar.  But at his assent to the name John for his son, he is filled with the Holy Spirit.  If you think about it, this name is the sign that the Baptist isn't just the property of his father and mother, he will not merely reflect family lineage -- he's not given a family name.  Rather, John is a child consecrated to God, filled with the Holy Spirit, and this is what the selection of the name tells us.  At Zacharias' assent to this name by writing it on a tablet (making certain we understand its meaning as "grace of God"), he is filled with the Holy Spirit, and a song of prophecy results.  It is a song prophesying the coming of the Lord of salvation, and the role that will be played by John, whom we shall know as John the Baptist.  It is a song of blessing; we call it the Benedictus.  It is also a song of deliverance from enemies, which is another aspect of a redeemer that we don't often think about.  It is the meaning of the term "to ransom."  The purpose for this deliverance from enemies is to worship in peace, and to spread the light of the "Dayspring" comes in visitation of His people, "to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."  The Holy Spirit speaks through Zachariah, and we are to take his words to heart.  From what do we wish to be delivered, and what for?  There is a clear expression here of the purpose of our lives, of what freedom an enemy curbs in our capture, and what we are liberated in order to do in peace.  Can we set our lives on this sort of plane, on this basis for an understanding of freedom and what it means?  Do we understand what it is to find salvation through the "tender mercy" of God, and the greatness of the mission to give light and to "guide our feet into the way of peace?"  This is the central core of the message, that a redeemer will ransom us in order to spread God's light and peace, to lift the darkness and those who suffer in the shadow of death.  As we celebrate the coming of the Light, let us remember what life is all about at its core, in the center of the message here.

To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace

Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

"Blessed is 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,

As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,

who have been since the world began,

That we should be saved from our enemies

And from the hand of all who hate us,

To perform the mercy promised to our fathers

And to remember His holy covenant,

The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:

to grant us that we,

Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

Might serve Him without fear,

In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

"And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest:

For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

To give knowledge of salvation to His people

By the remission of their sins,

Through the tender mercy of our God,

With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;

To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,

To guide our feet into the way of peace."

So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

- Luke 1:67-80

In yesterday's lectionary reading, we read the Magnificat of Mary, the beautiful prayer that echoes down the ages, through the women of the bible before Mary with whom the Lord interacted and bestowed grace, through whom we received works of the Holy Spirit. See My soul magnifies the Lord. Mary also went to her kinswoman Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, and stayed with her through his birth. As Mary helped to bring the baby John into the world, so the Baptist will be the forerunner, helping to deliver into the world the ministry of Christ, of Jesus, Mary's child. Today we read of Zacharias' first words after his child is born. On Tuesday, we read of Zacharias' vision in the temple as he burned the incense, and the visitation and prophecy of Gabriel to him. Zacharias was mute from that encounter, his failure to embrace the prophecy made to him. In today's reading, the baby John has just been circumcised, and Zacharias has stunned his relatives by giving the baby a name that is not a part of his lineage, as he was guided to do by Gabriel. John means "God is Gracious."

My study bible has a note on this song of Zacharias in today's passage. "The song of the priest Zacharias (often called the Benedictus, the first word of the song in Latin) is a prophetic hymn of praise to God. God is blessed for His gracious and redeeming acts among His people in fulfillment of the messianic promises now at hand. Verses 76 and 77 speak of John and his role as the prophet of God preparing the people to receive Christ."

Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, . . . Throughout the readings of recent days, we learn about the action of the Holy Spirit and His communicative bonding through all people whom He touches. Mary and Elizabeth met together, and immediately understood the holy connection between them and their babies. Here, Zacharias' tongue is loosened at the naming of his son according to the instructions of the angel Gabriel, and he prophesies for all of us to read.

. . . saying: "Blessed is 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 . . . " Throughout this prophesy, there are many references to Old Testament Scripture, echoes of events past, and the prayers that fill the events of the history of Israel, or the People of God. This canticle is a prophecy of the fulfillment of prophecy, the manifestation of the Messiah. A "horn" is symbolic of power or strength, and in this case it is the power of salvation ... in the house of His servant David. Jesus' name means "God is Salvation" and he will be considered "Savior" and "Redeemer." Through His father/guardian Joseph, Jesus is of the house of David.

"As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham: to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life." The prophesy of redemption lies in the freedom to worship and to serve. The enemies are those who oppose the worship of the God of Israel, who seek to enslave and curb the freedom of those who wish to worship. The entire canticle is in the tone of one who wishes the freedom to serve and to fulfill the covenant between God and God's people, sworn to the forefather Abraham. To serve in holiness and righteousness is to be redeemed by being freed from the slavery of sin. It is a poem of spiritual liberation - the divine freedom to serve God as the manifestation of the liberty promised by the Messiah.

"And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest: For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins . . ." John the Baptist will be the Forerunner, the one who heralds the Messiah and His ministry. Jesus will call him the greatest of the prophets. John will preach, echoing the prophet Isaiah, that the people are to "prepare the way of the Lord," and to "make His paths straight." He will "preach a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."

". . . Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." The Greek that is translated here as "Dayspring" is literally the word for "sunrise." It also is used to mean the East, the direction from which the sunlight comes, and the sun rises out of the darkness. The Dayspring from "on high" is the Messiah, who comes to us through the "tender mercy of our God" -- "for God so loved the world." The shadow of death is the shadow of sin and of all evil, the enslavement from which we need the liberation praised in this beautiful canticle. And perhaps most beautiful of all, the gift of spiritual liberation is the promised "way of peace."

So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel. My study bible notes that "two things in particular are important for the child John: (1) he needs to grow strong physically, and (2) he needs to grow strong in spirit. Like some Old Testament prophets, especially Elijah, John practiced solitude with God until he was called to begin his ministry." John exemplifies the spiritual freedom of the prophets, of those who are dedicated with all their soul, and heart and mind and strength" to serving the God of Israel. He is freed from the fetters of the society, liberated to God's love so that he may preach and fulfill his role as greatest of the prophets, and Forerunner and herald to Christ.

The theme in today's canticle is that of spiritual liberation. We don't often hear talk of this necessarily in a Christian context. But spiritual freedom is an essential part of our understanding of who we are, to my mind. In this context of the prophesy of Zacharias, given through the blessing of the Holy Spirit, liberation - true, essential freedom of the people - is the freedom to worship and to serve God, the God through which a covenant was made with their ancestors in the person of their father Abraham. To fulfill this prophecy is to be redeemed from slavery to death and its shadow, to the evil of the world, and to live life in communion with God, as God's people. There is a picture of this liberation in Jeremiah chapter 31, in language which is echoed (in verse 77) of Zacharias' canticle: "No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,' declares the LORD. 'For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.'” True liberation will come for the people of God through the anointing of the Holy Spirit for all the people, which the Messiah will leave as the culmination of His incarnation and ministry to the world. Liberation for the whole of the people of God comes from the lifting of the darkness and the shadow of death through a knowledge of the Lord. Knowing takes on its deepest connotation of communion here, of relatedness and relationship. We will be blessed through a ministry of the Anointed One - for whom John the Baptist prepares the way - who will in turn anoint us. This is a liberation of His people for a purpose: to guide our feet into the way of peace. This liberating Messiah is not a fearful warrior, but a guide to peace, to the peace that comes to each one of us in this kingdom linked by the anointing, by His Spirit. Jesus will teach at the Last Supper (in John chapter 14): "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives." Let us remember that His Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of Truth, and that it is in John's Gospel that Jesus teaches, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." This Helper, Comforter, Advocate is bestowed upon us all through this ministry for liberation, freedom - so that we may learn how to walk the paths of peace, which is the true blessing of a life lived in the freedom to serve and worship, to practice holiness and righteousness in this kingdom, in all the infinite ways the Spirit can teach us to do that in our lives. The Benedictus, the canticle of Zacharias, contains it all, prophesied for us - for all who can accept it, and claim this liberation, and learn the true meaning of peace.