24th June 2007: Luke 1 v 56-66, 80: John the Baptist: Revd. Julia Boothby

St. Michael’s at 11.15am and St. Mary’s Evensong at 6.30pm

Today we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist and to mark that we heard those wonderful readings from Isaiah and Luke. The Luke account of the birth of John the Baptist is rather wonderful. Our lectionary reading stops short of the wonderful song of praise that Zechariah bursts out into after he is able to speak again. That song, the Benedictus is part of the service of Morning Prayer, in the way that the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis are part of our Evening prayer, all great songs of praise to God.

Yesterday I was back at Aldenham where my husband teaches and two of our sons are still at school. They were having their speech day, and, as always, the day begins with a chapel service. As usual they used the readings from today for their service and it was not unnoticed by the school chaplain that they really are rather wonderful readings for such an occasion. The cry of the neighbours and friends of Elizabeth and Zechariah on the birth of John is a truly fitting text for a school;
“What shall this child become?” they ask, and yesterday we thought about what our children might become and the part that their schooling has to play in it. But what about us, whose school days are behind us, what is God saying to us through these readings?

The word that has stuck in my mind as I have pondered that question is the word preparation. It is a word not unconnected with school, my children do their prep, their homework as it is often called, to prepare work for the next day. And we all do lots of preparation in our lives. We prepare meals, we prepare for events, we prepare our gardens for sowing. In Church we run wedding and baptism preparation classes and at the moment, as we approach July 8th we are running confirmation preparation classes. In all sorts of ways throughout our lives we prepare, in other words, we make ready.
I have wondered how prepared Zechariah was for the announcement that he would have a son. Hearing that you are going to be a father is always a dramatic moment, but Zechariah really gets the full works! The angel Gabriel no less, turns up to tell him whilst he is at work in the temple. Not surprising that Zechariah is somewhat overwhelmed at being told in such a fashion. After all, usually it is the mother who knows first! But here the angel of God tells Zechariah before Elizabeth knows anything about it. Nor is this to be just any child but a prophet, one who will go before the long awaited Messiah, a child filled with the Holy Spirit before he is even born. But this child comes in their old age and Zechariah is understandably somewhat shell shocked and has a few doubts, which he voices, and as a result is made mute until the day his son is named. Then, when he confirms his wife’s choice of name suddenly his tongue is loosed and he is able to speak again and bursts into praise.

And what about Elizabeth, how prepared was she? We don’t know how much Zechariah was able to make her understand. For example we don’t know if he had told her that the child was to be called John or if she had been told separately, or had chosen that name simply because of its meaning, John standing for ‘God’s gracious gift’. We do know that she was thrilled, but could anything prepare her for motherhood in her old age? And this was to be no ordinary child. This would be a child filled with the Holy Spirit, a child who would be great in the sight of God. What could prepare them for the task of bringing up such a child?

If we go back to Luke 1v 5 we read this about Zechariah and Elizabeth:

“In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.”

Let’s put that into context for a moment. Zechariah was of the priestly tribe of Levi. His tribe had been set apart by God to serve in the temple and to be priests. Elizabeth was descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses, and his spokesman, who was also of the priestly tribe. They were Jewish through and through and descended from those who had been instrumental in bringing the people of Israel out of slavery. Not only that but they were righteous and devout, obeying all the commandments of God.

It seems to me that actually God had prepared Zechariah and Elizabeth pretty well. Their heritage and their lives meant that they were the right people and their obedience and devotion meant that they would do what God had said. Surely God had prepared Zechariah and Elizabeth for just this task, to be the parents of John the Baptist.

And what of John himself? I am sure that as he grew up he was told of the prophecies and the events concerning his birth. We read that he grew and became strong in spirit and was in the wilderness until he appeared publicly. What was he doing there all that time? I am sure that God was preparing him for the ministry that he was to have. In a sense that preparation had begun in the womb as God filled him with the Holy Spirit. But now it continued in the testing place of the desert as God prepared him for his ministry and for all that would mean.

But if God prepared Zechariah, Elizabeth and John what had he prepared them for? He had prepared them to make ready for Jesus. John was to be the voice that cried:

“Prepare the way of the Lord”.

John came to prepare the hearts and minds of the people for the message of salvation that Jesus would bring. He was to be the forerunner, to make ready, to proclaim that God was indeed coming and soon, bringing the promised Messiah and Saviour to Israel.

God prepared Zechariah and Elizabeth to be the parents of John. He prepared John to be the one who prepared the way for Christ. Like them we have all been prepared by God to do what only we can do. For each of us God has a plan. As Paul puts it

“For we are what (God) has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

We have all been called by God and he has prepared us to do those things that he calls us to do. What has God called you to do? So often people say to me…oh I couldn’t possibly do that, or I haven’t God the time/the talents/ the resources for that. But if God calls us then he will prepare us and enable us, just as he prepared Zechariah, Elizabeth and John.
Are we really listening to him, are we ready to do what he asks? When someone mentions a job that needs doing how quick are you to say no without even asking God if that is what he wants you to do? In our churches at the moment we are in need of people to do all sorts of things. People who are willing to do what God has prepared them to do, who are willing to put God first, people who will give sacrificially of themselves and their time. What good works has God prepared for you to do?

But if we have all been prepared by God to do things that only we can do, we have all also been called on to prepare the way for Jesus. We are all in a sense heralds of God, preparing the way for Christ to come into the lives of those around us, to prepare the way for Christ to come again in glory. As Isaiah so beautifully puts it, we are all called to;
“Get you up to a high mountain…lift up your voice with strength…to say ‘Here is your God’.”

May we, as Zechariah, Elizabeth and John were, be those who are prepared and who prepare the way of the Lord. Amen