Wednesday 31 July 2013

Background

This is a song sung by Zechariah, father of John the Baptist,called 'the Benedictus'. An angel had appeared to Zechariah (Luke1:5-20) when he was on duty in the temple and had told him thathis elderly wife Elizabeth would bear a son, and that this sonwould prepare the way for the Lord. Zechariah had been incredulousbecause he and his wife were elderly. He had then been stuck dumbfor his lack of belief. John the Baptist was born as predicted andZechariah's speech recovered (Luke1:57-64). Filled with the Holy Spirit, this was his song ofpraise that God was coming to bring salvation to people.

The song stresses the importance of John as the one who wouldprepare people for the coming of the Lord, and God's kingdom onearth. He would give knowledge of salvation to his people by theforgiveness of their sins, and bring hope to those who sit indarkness. This was to be a ministry to change people's hearts andminds to prepare them for the coming of God and God's reign onearth.

John would go on to begin a ministry of baptism in thewilderness (Luke 1:80). The wilderness was a symbol of aliminal, disorientating space in the Bible, where God transformedpeople. People with messed up lives came to John, repented of theirsin (wrong attitudes and actions) and were baptized in the RiverJordan with water to symbolise forgiveness of their sins (Luke3:3). Jesus himself would also, in due course, come to John andbe baptized (Luke 3:21-22). By doing this Jesus wouldclosely identify with human beings in their flawed humanity.Identified with humanity, he would die on the cross, and break thepower of sin, and through the Holy Spirit be raised in bodily formin the Resurrection. People through the Baptism of Jesus wouldsymbolically die with him (and to their old flawed way of life),and receive the Holy Spirit empowering them to live in a newcommunity in the ways of God as children of God. John said Jesuswould baptize not only with water but with the Holy Spirit (Luke3:16).

To Ponder

• Can you tell the story of a time where you created a space thatprepared someone to experience something of God? Whathappened?

• In what ways are you tempted to act like God, rather than bethe one who prepares for the work of God?

• What does Baptism mean for you?