Blessed Be God

Celebrating God

God's People Offer Praise
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

 

Moses and Miriam Praise God

Luke 1:67-75
New International Version

Zechariah’s Song

67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised a horn[a] of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
    and to remember his holy covenant,
73     the oath he swore to our father, Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him without fear
75     in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

For Reflection

For better or worse, our modern civilized world owes much to the influence of Christianity.  From a small group of people who, in the manner of Jesus served each other and the community sprang a movement toward peace. Yes, the movement was sometimes perverted, but the remnants of righteous people carried the truth through centuries. So the Holy Spirit guides us into the way of peace despite our tendency to profane it.

Isn't it remarkable (yes, perhaps miraculous) that righteous actors have amplified the core truths which Jesus exemplified for over 2000 years.  And though it may seem to be under insurmountable threat, the Jesus Movement survives. As MacLaren writes in his Expositions, "The national reference has faded from the song, and though it still speaks of ‘us’ and ‘our,’ we cannot doubt that Zacharias ... saw more deeply into the salvation which Christ would bring..." The Jesus movement was (and still is) unconfined to narrow precepts and dogmas. Its practice overcomes the darkness the movement was intended to banish in this world.

Pray

Pray and have the courage to act the promise of the Jesus Movement. Pray and commit yourself to the service of the Holy Spirit. Pray and place unreasonable trust in God.

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