Searchers - Advent 3 - Speaking out

Dorothy read to us from Luke 1:57 – 66 about the birth and naming of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son. The boy’s dad was still “on mute” after disbelieving the promise from God that he and his wife would have a son. It was down to Elizabeth to speak up against the tradition of the day that said a family name was always given to a baby. Zechariah must have made it clear to his wife that God had chosen the name for their baby - John.

We are not told why God went against the custom of the day. Maybe because this child was a gift from God and he was given for a special purpose in God’s plan, so God chose his name rather than the parents. We noticed the comparison with how Jesus was named and remembered that John was a forerunner of Jesus. Or maybe because God answered the prayers of the couple and was kind to them; John, in Hebrew, means ‘God is gracious”.

In the story, it was right to break with the traditions of the day because God had directed it and he was doing something new.

Traditions can be comforting and supportive but sometimes, to stop stagnation and to allow for the necessity to learn and grow, some traditions need to be changed.

God doesn’t wait until he has the “dream team!” You can’t be too young or too old, too quiet or too insignificant for God to use.

A prayer, “Father God, give me the passion to tell my story at the right time and in humility see it as part of your bigger story.”

We were encouraged to find opportunities to share ‘1 to 1’ with others and invite them to be part of God’s story.