December 17: In Holiness and Righteousness
♫ Music:
Zechariah's Prophecy
Scripture: Luke 1: 67-80
And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “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, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that 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 our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Ut Queant
by Paulus Diaconus
In that hidden nest of Mary’s womb
You saw a king waiting
In a bridal chamber.
Your leap brought both mothers to unfold
Secret joys.
Little more than a boy, you sought desert caves,
Fleeing the crowds of town,
That you might not take one stain, speak
One false word.
A camel covered your shoulders
With his skin.
A goat became a belt for your waist.
You shared their water, their food,
The locusts and honey.
True, other prophets saw and sang from afar
The approaching light.
But your very forefinger
Picked out
The Lamb Himself.
Go, circle the immensity of space --
Never was a holier one born than John.
Who but he worthy to bathe the one
Who bathes the world?
How high you stand above us -
Your soul a peak of snowy whiteness!
Greatest of martyrs,
Who taught the desert to bloom,
And prince of prophets.
IN HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth struggle to have a child; and then in their old age, an angel of the Lord visits Zechariah and tells him they will indeed have a son. Because Zechariah questions this declaration from the Lord, the angel tells Zechariah that he will not be able to speak for the duration of Elizabeth’s pregnancy (it seems as though Elizabeth receives a double blessing here - a child and a husband that can’t speak). When the time comes for Elizabeth to give birth to their son, Zechariah’s voice returns and the first thing he utters is a song of blessing to God.
In this song, known as the Benedictus (“blessed be the Lord God of Israel”), Zechariah praises God and declares that he is powerful and faithful in fulfilling his promises. Through the lens of God’s faithfulness, Zechariah contemplates the events that are transpiring concerning the birth of his son, John, and the anticipated birth of John’s cousin, Jesus. The births of these two babies are part of the grand story of a God who keeps promises and acts on behalf of his people.
This first part of the song is thanksgiving for the realization that Jesus, the Messiah, is coming, the long awaited Messiah, hoped for by generations upon generations. This not only brought hope to the people of Israel, but a renewed strength to carry on. When Zechariah mentions the horn of salvation (verse 69), the people of Israel would have thought of the mighty power of deliverance which would now be at hand.
This deliverance is pointed to by Zechariah as the fulfillment of God's oath to Abraham; not for personal gain of things on this earth, but that (74b-75) "we may serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness all our days.”
But what is the goal of this deliverance/salvation? Here is perhaps the most insightful part of the song. Zechariah is not retreating from life or looking only to a future reward in heaven. His heart's desire is to serve God with everything that is within him. The Amplified Bible puts it this way, “To grant us that we might serve him fearlessly in holiness (divine consecration) and righteousness [in accordance with the everlasting principles of right] within his presence all the days of our lives.” The meaning of life comes in faithful service to a holy God. By saying “our days,” Zechariah represents many who strive to serve God wholeheartedly.
The second part of Zechariah’s song is addressed to his own precious son. John was to participate in such an important way in the redemption of God’s people. He would be a prophet, preparing people, and preaching the forgiveness of sins brought to fruition by the coming of the Messiah.
Jesus, the light of the world, has come to dispel the darkness (verse 79). God has visited us in the form of a man. And it is he whom we must be dependent upon for our salvation. Even the righteous Zechariah recognized the need to be totally dependent on the one God would send. This Advent and Christmas season, let us renew our commitment to “serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness all our days.”
Prayer
We thank you, God, for the wilderness. As we wait for the land of promise, teach us your holiness and righteousness. Lead us to the place where we hear your word most clearly, renew us and clear out the wastelands of our lives, prepare us for life in the awareness of Christ’s coming when the desert will sing and the wilderness will blossom as the rose.
Amen.
Steven Brooks
Adjunct Professor (Music in Worship)
The Ancient of Days
William Blake
Hand colored printed frontispiece to
Europe a Prophecy, 1794
About the Artist and Artwork:
William Blake (1757 – 1827) was a 19th century writer and artist who is regarded as a seminal figure of the Romantic Age. His writings and works of visual art have influenced countless writers and artists through the ages, and he has been deemed both a major poet and an original thinker. Blake began writing at an early age and claimed to have had his first vision, of a tree full of angels, at age 10. He studied engraving and grew to love Gothic art, which he incorporated into his own unique works. A misunderstood poet, artist and visionary throughout much of his life, Blake found admirers late in life, and has been vastly influential since his death in 1827. The Ancient of Days shows Urizen, the embodiment of reason and law, ablaze with light and holding a compass over the dark void below. Ancient of Days is also one of the names for Christ. It seems like an appropriate image to accompany Zechariah’s Song.
About the Music:
“Zechariah’s Song” (Fill the Night)
Lyrics:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel.
He has brought redemption to his people.
The Lord will show the mercy he has brought us
That we may ever serve him, holy and righteous.
From the shadow of death, he’ll guide our feet,
Into the way of redemption and peace
And we’ll find salvation by the tender mercy of our God.
He has raised for us a mighty Savior
And as he swore, he’s looked on us with favor.
The dawn from on high will break upon us
To give light to those who sit in darkness.
About the Composers/Performers:
James Beauregard and Keri Taylor have been playing together for approximately six years. Each has a solo career of their own but decided to team up for a few projects. One of these projects was a full length recording entitled, Fill The Night. A friend suggested doing this Advent Album and basing the songs on passages from the book of Luke. The couple says, “As we set about composing these songs, we drew from the prayers and songs spoken by the biblical characters in response to the birth of Jesus.”
http://www.jamesbeauregard.com/
About the Poet:
Paulus Diaconus (720 – 799) was a Benedictine monk, scribe, and historian of the Lombards. Most likely born to a noble Lombard family, Paul received an exceptional education, probably at the court of the Lombard King Ratchis in Pavia, learning from a teacher named Flavian the rudiments of Greek. He entered a monastery on Lake Como and became a resident at the great Benedictine House of Monte Cassino, where he made the acquaintance of Charlemagne and became a potent factor in the Carolingian Renaissance.