Day 74 Luke 1:57-80 YHWH's little surprises!

"There is no one among your relatives who has that name."

I have a friend who gave birth last night to a little boy who is going to be called Mattrix. I know that, what was said of John the Baptist will be said in this little boys life. "There is no one among your relatives who has that name."!!

What happens when we break the mould of the set ways and traditions in our families?
We often meet misunderstanding, sarcasm and ridicule at best.
Like 1 :57-80 Not only has this son John, "senior saints' as parents, now the name is different. What next....he grows up and appears to live in the Desert, rants and raves against the conservative religious order of the day, calling them a brood of vipers!

When I think about John the Baptist I think about the mercy of God on his parents. It seems to have a child in old age brings it's own strains but to have a son so out of the regular stream of religious life would have been difficult to understand, no matter how we love our children. I imagine that by the time John goes to live in the desert, Elizabeth and Zechariah have been in paradise with Abraham already!

Also, I doubt that Zechariah's prayer for a child had been prayed the morning Gabriel visited him. I think that God remembers our prayers and weaves time and circumstances together with our tears to produce an answer.

I wonder whether Zechariah had aspirations for his unborn son and they all culminated in this prophetic song?

"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 by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God,the dawn from on high will break upon us,to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace."


Well, my little new friend Mattrix, Welcome, I am glad you have arrived safely.
May you grow in wisdom and the knowledge of the living God and may you lead many to share in His grace and see HIS face.

Siobhan



Further Study :http://www.lakegrovepres.org/sermons/S2005/sermon_2005-12-18.htm