Micah 5:2–5a, Psalm 80:1–7; Hebrews 10:5–10; Luke 1:39-55
A
homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, on
Sunday, December 23, 2012.
(Homily
text: Luke 1: 39 - 55)
St.
Luke does a wonderful job of recording the careful steps that God took in order
to prepare the way for His Son to be born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. His account is like no other of the other
three gospel accounts, and much of the information that he records is available
nowhere else. So Luke’s work is
invaluable for us to understand just how God was working with various people
and in difficult circumstances to bring about His plan to save the world.
In
this morning’s gospel account, we hear of Mary’s visit to her (distant) cousin,
Elizabeth, who was pregnant with her own child, John the Baptist. (By this time, Mary is pregnant, as well,
having been visited by the angel Gabriel.)
In
this morning’s account, then, we read of the first meeting of these two central
persons in God’s plan to save the world:
John the Baptist and Jesus, both of whom are yet-unborn. Eventually, of course, Jesus will again meet
John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan River at the time when John was
baptizing there.
But
how did all of these various parts of God’s plan come together?
As I
think about it, it strikes me that God is doing something like putting together
a train of people (remember that I am a railroad lover!), all of whom will
follow the Lord Jesus’ leading as the good news of God’s saving acts
unfolds. Each one, as they are linked (coupled)
to the other, have a role to play.
In
order to see how all of this gets put together, we might back up a little into
an earlier part of chapter one of Luke’s gospel account. That way, we can see how these various
persons are linked to one another and to God’s great, big plan.
The
birth of John the Baptist: (See Luke 1:5–25 & 1:57–66) Zechariah,
John the Baptist’s father, is a priest who is ministering in the temple in
Jerusalem. The angel Gabriel appears to him and tells him that he is to become
a father to a son who will “make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke
1: 17d) Zechariah responds to Gabriel’s
announcement by saying that he and his wife, Elizabeth, are now old, and they
have been without children all the years of their marriage. God overcomes the limitations of their human
condition, and in due time, Elizabeth does conceive a child.
The
birth of Jesus: (See Luke 1:26–38 & 2:1–21)
The angel Gabriel appears to Mary, and tells her that she will bear a son, “who
will be great,” and who “will be called the Son of the Most High.” (Luke 1:32).
Mary responds by citing the limitations of her human condition, saying
that she has no husband. Gabriel
responds by saying that the child to be born will be born by the power of the
Holy Spirit. Therefore, Gabriel says,
“The child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35d)
·
Gabriel announces the birth of a son
·
The limitations of the human condition are
cited (by Zechariah and by Mary)
·
Gabriel says that God will overcome the
limitations
·
The sons are born.
Now,
God is preparing all of these various personages for a specific role and
purpose in His plan of salvation….Zechariah and Elizabeth are the parents of
John the Baptist, the one who will prepare the way for the coming of
Jesus. Mary, by the power of the Holy
Spirit, becomes the mother of Jesus, the one who will save the people from
their sins.
And
so, this gospel train has been assembled.
It is ready to do the work God has planned for it to accomplish. The way has been prepared, and all the
signals are green, showing that the route ahead is clear. And, just as God had already overcome the
limitations that stood in the way of putting together His gospel train in the
first place, so too will God overcome any difficulties that might lie in the
pathway ahead.
Now,
this gospel train has reached us. By
now, its assemblage of persons, which follow the Lord much like a set of
railroad cars follows the leading of the locomotive ahead, is quite long. Nearly 2,000 years’ worth of believers follow
in the Lord’s train. And as it pulls
into the station of our hearts, we, too, are invited to couple up to the
believers who are in front of us, as all of us follow the Lord’s leading and
share in the Lord’s power to carry us forward through this life and into the
life of the world to come.
So
now, in this holy season in which we recall with joy the Lord’s arrival,
perhaps it is most appropriate for us to allow the Lord to insert us into His
train more securely than before. Perhaps
it’s time for us to realize that, if we are not securely connected to the Lord
and to the Lord’s power, we are as helpless as a disconnected railroad car.
After
all, we’re in very good company as we couple up to God’s engine of salvation,
for we are connected down through time to Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, John the
Baptist, and all the saints who have relied on God’s power to save through the
person and work of Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
Thanks
be to God!
AMEN.
