Today’s passage is Luke 1:67-80. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Zechariah sings a song of praise and prophecy. It summarizes redemption history and God’s love. John will be a prophet and prepare the way of the Lord. John grew up strong in the spirit. He lived in the desert until the time of his public ministry.
Why does John live in the desert? Why does John have to prepare the way for Jesus when for hundreds of years he’s been prophesied?
Because of MERS, the last week has felt like I was living in the shadow of death.
Government incompetence in handling the situation is reminiscent of the Sewol incident last year.
It has meant that panicking parents fear for their children’s lives, which has led to cancelling school events at first and then an almost daily changing of my school’s closing date in response to ever changing news reports and parents’ pleading.
There is no worldly salvation to the situation, only individual measures taken in hope of avoiding what we know little about at the moment.
Today was my High School Graduation.
We worried we might have to cancel it, but we didn’t. It was a divine moment of refreshment.
A pastor gave a moving prayer asked for God’s help in our lives.
A choral group sang “When Jesus Walked”.
Although my school is officially secular, it was once Christian and we still have a small Christian witness.
This is important in our MERS situation because it reminds people that God is there and he loves us.
In my welcoming speech, I said that we should give thanks for MERS because, in giving thanks for things that are unwelcome from a worldly perspective, our attitude shifts from fear and panic to praise and hope.
Last week I encouraged our convocation speaker to talk about the death of his mother a few years ago and how that changed his attitude to life.
He made a good speech that touched the students.
His main point was that we don’t have much time.
And that’s the message of MERS.
We don’t have much time. We will die sooner or later.
Get ready. Be prepared. Confess your sins and call upon the Lord for salvation.
Our faith in Jesus’ life-giving sacrifice puts one foot in heaven now.
The other will come at the time of God’s choosing. Jesus is the “knowledge of salvation” (77).
Application: to continue to praise God and give thanks in all circumstances.
Lord, let me not panic with others but trust in your great mercy of salvation.
