Luke 1 shows us many crossovers, new empires have taken over the known world of Luke’s day. New Kings are on thrones chosen by a supreme emperor in Rome. These crossovers are needed because we have learned that Jesus does not work with only one generation, but mostly works over 2 to accomplish a goal.
Zechariah we saw in our last message, how he is the focal point in Luke in that “God has remembered” in that he brings to birth with Elizabeth John, “God has favoured“, we saw how there is an interchange, especially at the birth, and the last story of Zechariah is told with him declaring “he shall be called John,” he is able to then speak and being taken up into the Holy Spirit, begins to prophesy over John and his generation. This is a certain and fitting end to Zechariah’s part in the Christmas story. We do not meet him again. However it is interesting that when there is a change of generations, it is obvious as we see leaders and nations change, we see Church leaders give their leadership to another generation, we see makeup of nations change. The Christmas story is about the start of a new phase at every level, earthly and heavenly.
What we see in the prophetic word of Zechariah is the depth and length of insight. He speaks of two phases of God’s people.
57 Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him. 67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
For he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us
In the house of his servant David;
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets,
Which have been since the world began:
71 That we should be saved from our enemies,
And from the hand of all that hate us;
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
And to remember his holy covenant;
73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies
Might serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him,
All the days of our life.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:
For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord
To prepare his ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people
By the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God;
Whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Lk 1:57–79.
The wording is very curious, “He has visited and has redeemed His people”. This is past tense. This means that in the Holy Spirit Zechariah is lifted to an understanding that what God has spoken by His prophets was now beginning to unfold. He also says : “Has raised up a horn of salvation in the House of David” so this is a witness that the birth of John, his son was also a witness to this “horn” being raised up in the House of David, which indicates the messianic mission coming up.
This prophetic word has such profound insight and richness of the things which God was about to perform. Perform by covenant. When God brings profound crossovers and changes the prophetic words surrounding them are rich in their insights, they tie up former covenants, and former words spoken by such people under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I sense that the Christian walk is made up of those changes we need.
What distinguishes Zechariah through this dimension he found himself prophesying from is that a huge change was coming. Christmas is about transition, crossover, change. It is about being involved in a part we are invited to play. For Zechariah it was to interact with Elizabeth on a process howbeit natural but to bring to birth John, the one “God has favoured”.
It makes us understand that in the Christian walk in 2024 whether we discern and understand the changes taking place, whether we understand what the objectives are for these changes. For Zechariah it was for being a forerunner for the Messiah, and I believe today we have an objective, the Church being a prophetic forerunner for the return of this same Messiah. So what do we need to do to bring to birth the forerunners?
When there is a crossover there is a birthing of the forerunner. The Bible is full of examples. Joseph is a forerunner of the family becoming a nation. We read of the cost of him being a forerunner from Psalm 105. We see the Word trying him. He was despised, sold, imprisoned, falsely accused, until he is promoted. Yet it seems that the cost of the forerunner had nothing to do what was to come. For this reason, John the Baptist, became offended by the One who he prepared for. For John, the cost of being a forerunner, meant separation from normality, live in very inhospitable conditions, for this reason he sent 2 messengers to ask if Jesus was the One prepared for, or should they look elsewhere. He saw Jesus living opposite to him, eating and drinking, living in the towns, yet John suffered separation and very meagre fare.
The cost for birthing things of God require great sacrifices, and it seems for the most part this characteristic has filtered into customs of Christmas. The gift giving, the communion around the Christmas table, the cost of doing and celebrating, can sometimes also be empty without understanding that forerunners have all the pain of sacrifices to birth what others may enjoy without cost, we cannot be offended by what God asks of us in the preparation.
John was offended, and Jesus was direct of reminding him of what God revealed to him. John saw heavens open, the Spirit descending and the Father speaking. This was a special privilege. Yet because John saw how Jesus moved, ministered, without apparent cost, said it was unfair in the preparation.
Yet it is always the same, and Christmas shows us that change is a costly business. A transition, a crossover, needs those who can sacrifice their natural ambitions for heavenly objectives. Many things and processes this year have taught this special truth.
“Through the Tender Mercy of our God”, reference to Jesus being the fullness of the Tender Mercies of David we find in Isaiah 55, that He would make accessible the intimacy with God that David enjoyed through Christ. Zechariah is seeing via the Spirit a new platform for walking with God. Christmas is the story of how this is birthed and how this grows from the babe to the man.
The Day Star that appeared prepared heaven and earth for a great change. This change is positive for those who care to walk with God. However, the world does not, and has invented a parallel narrative. Jesus is replaced by Father Christmas, spiritual gifts replaced by material gain, spiritual songs proclaiming salvation to mundane and empty songs of a cosy at home Christmas by the fire, eating and being merry, having a rest. Yet for us who walk with God is changes for the better.
This is not to despise the elements that make up Christmas, like decorations, family gathering, presents, no, but they are not the centre. The centre message is what Zechariah prophesies, the new and glorious way Jesus opens for us.
We are forerunners of the Christmas eternally coming to us, may we not despise the sacrifices of the preparation for the joys of others. May we see that in birthing the preparation we are opening the way for the greatest days to come to the world, and to heaven itself.
May He be our Christmas!
Maranatha!
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