Monday, November 14, 2022  

Today’s Scripture Reading
Luke 1:68–79

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (NRSV)

Reflection

This passage was a Spirit-inspired prophecy spoken by Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. This prophecy is laid out in its historical context in this long chapter of the Bible. While it speaks directly to the calling of John the Baptist, what does it say through time and place to us today in the twenty-first century?

If we recognize sin as separation, of living as if we do not have the inner software for union with God, it is easy to see how this time is also when people are feeling lost, alone, afraid, disconnected, and utterly on their own in the darkness. It is also easy to recognize how dangerous and hurtful it is to live this way with great fear and in the shadow of death as people tend to either turn in despair and anger on themselves or others. This passage surely holds a call for this day and age.

What if the prophecy was about you? What if you were being called to bear witness and prepare the way for God’s tender mercy like the sun rising each day to dispel the darkness and make clear a path of peace? As Mary Oliver gently yet pointedly asks in her poem “The Summer Day,” after laying out a poetic belief statement of union with the Divine: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Prayer

Dear God, I choose to live in union with you. I choose to light up the software of connection with all of life. I choose to live in awareness with the oneness that allows me to see the beauty of you in others and all things. Thank you for lighting the way, offering tender mercy and a path of peace. Amen.

Written by Susan Schemper, Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being

Reflection and prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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