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The past couple of weeks have been very busy for Michael Ringelsten. Who’s Michael Ringelsten you ask? He’s a guy who runs a massive operation outside of Chicago where he buys literally truckloads filled with returned merchandise that was ordered online… and he takes it and with an army of employees sorts through and then resells it all online for bargain bin prices.
This Christmas season about one quarter of all online purchases will be returned… with an original retail value of nearly 20 billion dollars… and when these items are returned most of them never end up being resold for full value. Instead guys like Michael Ringelsten make their living by reselling Christmas gifts that just weren’t worth keeping.
I’m guessing nearly everyone in this room has returned or at least re-gifted a Christmas gift at some point in their life… And you know people have done it to your gifts too… let’s face it… it’s tough to know just what to get people for Christmas sometimes. You’re standing there in the aisle wondering what your mom or dad could use or what your daughter will like… and if you’re like me… you’re just kind of lost… “Is this even a gift they’ll think is worth keeping?”
When it came to the first Christmas gift though… there was no question… God didn’t wonder what you might need or want… he knew exactly what to give you… the gift of salvation wrapped in human flesh… no returns or exchanges needed. And that’s because in Jesus, God gave us a Christmas gift that filled our wants and met our needs. In Jesus you and I have a Christmas gift worth keeping. And to help us better remember this truth today as we close out the Christmas season… we’re gonna turn our attention to a section of God’s Word that features a man who was excited for this gift of Jesus… because he knew just what it meant for him and for us.
The man we’ll hear from today is named Zechariah. When we meet Zechariah in the Bible he is already an old man. He and his wife Elizabeth were both descendants of Israel’s first high priest – Aaron, the brother of Moses. The Bible tells us that they were faithful believers and devout servants of God. And the first thing we see Zechariah doing, in fact, is serving. As one of the descendants of Aaron, Zechariah was a priest. And although there were many other priests who would serve at the temple, Zechariah would occasionally be on duty when his priestly division was called on. Once when this happened we’re told that Zechariah was chosen by lot to get the awesome privilege of offering incense in the temple… an opportunity that may have only come once in a lifetime for many of these priests. And yet as Zechariah looked back on that day it was not the chance to offer incense that he would remember… but how God would change his life forever. Why? Well Luke tells us early in chapter 1 of his Gospel:
An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John… Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord… to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:11-13, 16-17.
Zechariah had not been forgotten by the Lord. God had heard his prayers for a child, even in his old age, and he answered them in a far greater way than Zechariah could’ve ever imagined. His son John would be the last great prophet sent to prepare the way for the Lord, who would come to rescue his people. And what’s the response of this faithful and pious believer who had just been given such an amazing blessing from his God?
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” Luke 1:18. Well… I guess even a pious priest like Zechariah is still a human being… with a sinful and doubting human nature… But those doubts would be silenced for Zechariah… quite literally in fact… Maybe some of you know what came next. The angel Gabriel who was speaking to Zechariah told him that he would be unable to speak until his son John was born because he had not trusted in God’s message.
And so for nine long months Zechariah’s wonder and joy in his pregnant wife were all bottled up. His grateful heart could only cry out to God from within as he waited in silence for God’s Word to be fulfilled. And then it came… first the cries of a newborn son… and then his own cry… as he called out to the Lord on the day he named his son John… crying aloud in a song inspired by the Holy Spirit… a song that certainly talks about his son, but begins with our sermon text and a message of praise to God for the Savior that his son John was born to serve and proclaim. He says:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Luke 1:68-71.
Nine month of silence… probably a little bit more even… and the first words out of his mouth are “Praise be to the Lord!” But his praise was for more than simply having his speech back… more even than for his own miracle child, John… his praise for God was because the Lord had kept his promises and sent a Savior. A Savior who had lived in his home in fact for about three months in the womb of his mother Mary… Yes, God had promised to save his people and now that salvation was here. A horn of salvation… raised up from the house of David… just as God had promised.
By the way if you’re wondering about that picture of the “horn of salvation” it’s really an image drawn from the Old Testament. The strong and fierce horns of wild animals were a picture of strength. God in fact had promised that he would one day raise up this powerful horn for his people saying in Psalm 132:
The LORD swore an oath to David, a sure oath that he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne. “[In Zion] I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one. Psalm 132:11, 17.
This echoes our first lesson today, where we heard that oath God made to David, an oath that spoke of David’s house… and of David’s greater Son… the coming Messiah who would truly rule God’s people in a heavenly kingdom that will never end.
This is what Zechariah was referring to as he praised God for raising up a “horn of salvation.” Because after all, where is God’s mighty horn, his saving strength best seen? It is in his plan of salvation carried out by Christ. Jesus is the horn of salvation by which God would rescue his people and destroy their enemies.
And yet as you well know… this mighty horn of God’s salvation did not really look like the embodiment of God’s strength… We heard in our 2nd Lesson today that, “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Christ].” Colossians 1:19. But when we see Jesus’ life play out… strength is not the first thing many would’ve had come to mind when it came to Christ…he was despised by his fellow countrymen… he was rejected in his hometown… he was betrayed by a disciple… falsely accused and put on trial by the religious elite… and beaten and killed by a foreign government. And yet… that’s exactly how God’s plan of salvation was meant to play out. Again as we heard at the end of our 2nd Lesson: God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians1:19-20.
This was the way salvation came… the way peace was earned for a world at war with God… through God’s horn of salvation… raised up to be cut down in death and raised once more in life eternal. This was our God – mighty to save… mighty to save us.
And why did he do this? What compelled God to send his Son into the world to earn salvation in such a way? Well… Zechariah tells us as we look back to our sermon text… God did all this: to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. Luke 1:72-75.
Our God is a God of holiness and a God of mercy… and a God who makes and keeps his promises. This world has a holiness problem… the problem is we are not holy… we are not righteous… we fall far short… we don’t perfectly do the things God wants for us… in fact often we don’t even try.
As you look back over the past year… or even just the past few days… how often did you find yourself falling short? How soon after New Year’s do those resolutions fall by the wayside…? How often do you find yourself looking in the mirror at a faithless father? Or a bitter mother? Or a self-centered teen? How many times have you promised God you wouldn’t drink so much next time… or get in bed with that person again…? How often have you found yourself failing to love and trust God above all things… and instead have found yourself doubting God’s care or his power because of illness or loneliness or financial hardship?
If you’re like me… “often” probably isn’t the word to describe what feels like a constant battle going on inside your heart… But you see, that’s why Jesus came. He came to bring mercy as God had promised. Mercy that would be for those who had put their hope in his appearing… and mercy for us who live on the other side of Christmas. Because when it comes to promises… it is God’s perfect promises to us – and not our broken promises to him – that make all the difference.
But notice too… the promises of God don’t end with mercy to cover our sins… Jesus also came “to enable us to serve him without fear… in holiness and righteousness all our days.” This promise of fearless service is an amazing blessing… and something that I pray you take with you today as you enter this New Year seeking to live for God. You do not have to be afraid as you serve your Lord. And believe me, there are plenty of reasons people are afraid when it comes to their relationship with God. Sometimes people are afraid because they know they are living in open rebellion… they know their sin and they know God hates it. And so their service to God is marred by fear… knowing that at any moment that hammer could and should drop on them for their wickedness.
For others the fear may come, not from living a life that embraces sin, but from living a life that is never good enough… at least… not as good as you know God wants. Your love for his Word and his house is not perfect… your care and concern for family is not perfect… your effort at work or school is not perfect… and without realizing it you are serving God in fear too…
And so whether it’s because our sin creates hostility between us and God… because our sinful hearts think they must make up for what has been done wrong… or because we’re just afraid that our lives don’t reflect hearts that are truly saved… we find ourselves fearful.
If you are fearful today… then take these words of Zechariah home with you… rip them out of your bulletin and put them in your purse or wallet… circle them in your Bible… engrave them on your hearts… because God has given you a Christmas gift worth keeping. He has raised up the horn of his salvation – our Lord Jesus Christ – who served his Father perfectly… and then having lived so perfectly he also brought us the redemption and rescue we so desperately need.
This is what allows you to serve God fearlessly in this New Year… because you know that your perfection is found in Christ and your imperfections are paid in full by Christ. God does not see your faithlessness or bitterness or selfishness… he doesn’t see your lies or your immorality… no… when he looks at you he sees Jesus. He sees the perfection of his Son… the Son he gave as a gift to this world. And so let us praise him brothers and sisters! Let us praise the Lord who has visited us, his people, and given us a gift that meets our needs and fulfills our deepest desires! Let us praise the Lord now with our fearless service until the day we praise the Lord forever and ever! Amen.