Monday, December 29, 2008

Luke 1:67-80

When Zechariah found his voice again he had a lot to say. His son John has been born while Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth are beyond even their twilight years. Now Zechariah’s voice fills the air with proclamation and prophecy. Certainly he would have known what we called the Old Testament scriptures and their foretelling of not only a Messiah but one who would prepare the way.

By the Holy Spirit’s full engagement with Zechariah he sings his praise to God remembering God’s faithfulness in the past and now he turns his attentions to his eight day old son as he declares, “And you my child will be called a prophet of the most High…” This is a powerful moment for it combines both prophecy and blessing. The blessing of the father to his child in that culture was itself a form of prophet utterance. The blessing set in motion the fulfillment of the words that were spoken.

It makes me mindful of the power of words in general and in particular the power of a parent’s or grandparent’s words to the children. We’ve all heard of self-fulfilling prophecies in psychology and I believe there is genuine power to encourage, affirm, or hurt, shame in our words depending on how we choose to use them.

Notice Zechariah honored God first and then blessed his child. I wonder if there’s something to that?

Prayer: O God, today, just for today, may I be ever mindful of my words. May I use them less as weapons and more as tools to help build a strong enduring life for someone I love.

Blessings,
Pastor Ken