When we typically think of the Christmas story we usually come up with the same characters year after year, there’s the angel and Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, the shepherds, the angels, the wise men, even Herod. We often even remember Elizabeth, but often we forget about, John the Baptist and even more the part Zechariah plays in the whole story. Today as we celebrate that Advent is a season of comfort and peace, we want to take a look at the man of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist.

Miraculous births and announcements are part of the biblical narrative. An angel or angels announced the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah. The birth of Samson was announced to his parents. Jesus’ birth was announced to both parents by an angel and likewise so was the birth of John the Baptist. We pick up the story early in chapter 1 of the gospel of Luke. We find Luke telling us about Zechariah and Elizabeth. Both were part of the priestly line; Zechariah from line of Abijah and Elizabeth from the line of Aaron. They were righteous in God’s eyes and they had no children and they were old, much like Abraham and Sarah.

Despite his age Zechariah still served God as a priest in the temple. While he was performing his priestly duties in the temple an angel appeared to him and said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”[i]

Zechariah was amazed and didn’t believe the angel. He was rebuked by the angel and he became mute until the birth of the child. During this time the people outside were concerned, but when Zechariah finally came out the temple, the people realized that he had seen a vision from God. It wasn’t long before Zechariah’s wife became pregnant. Elizabeth praised God by exclaiming, “How kind the Lord is! He has taken away my disgrace of having no children!”[ii]

Let’s now fast forward a few months to the birth of John. All of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s friends were happy for them, because God had been so kind to them. As was the custom, on the eighth day they circumcised him. Zechariah’s still could not speak. Everyone wanted to name the boy after his father, but Elizabeth said, “No, his name is John.” Nobody could figure it out because nobody in the family had that name. They checked with Zechariah and handed him a tablet. He wrote, “His name is John,” and as soon as he did, he began to speak. Immediately, he began praising God.

Luke records it this way, “Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.[iii]

It appears this child was to be different. Zechariah became filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesized not only about this child but the coming King. We can find his words in Luke 1:67-79:

“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant—the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live.

And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”[iv]

Zechariah’s prophecy included words about the coming Messiah or Anointed One and about his own son, John. That is what we celebrate during this season. We celebrate the coming of the Messiah. Last week, we looked at how the Messiah’s coming gives us hope. Today, we want to look at how it can give us comfort and peace.

I’m sure it would come as no surprise to anyone that one of the last things we have in our world today is comfort and peace. All we have to do is look around and see the world and even our nation is torn apart. There are not many words of peace being spoken. There are not many words of comfort being spoken. Jesus came into the world to bring us peace and comfort. He came into the world to bring us salvation. Zechariah was excited because he knew that the birth of his son would mean the Savior would be born soon as well. If he knew scripture at all, he would have known that the prophet Isaiah spoke of a messenger to come before the Messiah and to prepare the way. This gave Zechariah great peace and comfort. The coming Savior not only gave Zechariah peace and comfort, but he can give us peace and comfort in a world that doesn’t know what that is. Jesus has called us to be His disciples. That means we are to follow Him and His commandments. He told us that we are to go and make more disciples and teach them everything He has told us. Jesus brought comfort and peace to the world. Jesus comforted the afflicted and afflicted the comfortable. If Jesus called us to be His disciples we should be like Him. Even if we only want to apply this to our immediate community, there are those in our community that need to be comforted. We can be Jesus to them. Zechariah said, “Because God has rescued us, we can serve him without fear…” This is the peace and comfort that Jesus can bring us.

Let me share a personal story from last weekend. Not only was I aware that Jesus was our hope, but as the weekend progressed I became aware that Jesus is our comfort and peace. As the events progressed on Thursday, I became more and more empty. I learned of David’s death early in the afternoon. For the rest of the day, I spent time with several of you who were his closest friends. Later that evening, I spoke to Jeff about what they were expecting of me. He told me I would be doing the funeral. Friday was not a good day for me. I probably sat down at the computer 6 or 7 times to begin to write a sermon for the funeral. By 5 Friday, I had nothing. I went to my blog and I wrote this by starting out with a Psalm 61…

1 O God, listen to my cry!
Hear my prayer!
2 From the ends of the earth,
I cry to you for help
when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
3 for you are my safe refuge,
a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary,
safe beneath the shelter of your wings!

The psalmist expresses all the emotions in the psalms (the Hebrew songbook.) I can really identify with the emotions expressed in this song today. It’s been an interesting 48 hours.

Lord, I feel empty; fill me up with your grace and mercy overflowing so I can give grace and mercy to others. I lack wisdom today, fill me with your wisdom so I can give to others. Lord, help me have the words to say to comfort those you have called me to shepherd. Comfort us, wrap your arms around us, and give us peace in the middle of the storm. Amen![v]

Over the next twenty-four hours, God began to fill my emptiness and he began to give me peace about what to preach. Saturday morning I met with Jeff and Kathy and the shared with me about David and some of the things he would like in the service. I went to work feeling much better. I came home and there was a message from a woman named Connie who wanted help me sing one of David’s favorite songs, “I Have Decided.” Pam and I went over to her house to rehearse and afterwards we had a chance to fellowship. She and her husband encouraged me as we talked. By Saturday night, I felt 100 percent better about what God was calling me to do Sunday. When I woke up on Sunday morning, while I still had a heavy heart, God had given me the comfort and peace to lead the services that day. Before the afternoon service, I asked God to help me once again. I stepped into the pulpit at the funeral chapel, a little nervous, but as I prayed the invocation, I felt the Holy Spirit’s power come upon me, just as it had to Zechariah, and I was able to preach a message of peace and comfort. It was awesome to be able to watch God work in my life.

Jesus came into our world over 2000 years ago so that we could serve God without fear. Another way to say that is that we could serve God in peace and comfort. Jesus came to give us peace in a world that knows no peace. Into a world that is dark, Jesus came to be the light. Listen to the words Zechariah spoke, “Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace”

This morning we celebrate Emmanuel, God with us, Jesus Christ. He is the world’s light. He is the world’s peace. He is the world’s life. Let us rise and give Him the glory by singing hymn 150, “Christ is the World’s Light.”