Zechariah, a priest, has a vision where the angel Gabriel tells him that his wife Elizabeth will give birth to John the Baptist, who will prepare the way for the coming Messiah. Zechariah sings the Canticle of Zechariah praising God for sending a horn of salvation. The canticle references God's promise to Abraham and covenant with Israel to redeem them and show mercy. John will go before Jesus to prepare his way and give people knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of sins.

1. BENEDICTUS
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

2. WHO ARE ZECHARIAH AND MARY
• Zachariah and Elizabeth were righteous people. Elizabeth is related
to Mary and is also a descendant of Aaron. Zechariah was a priest.
Some translations use the word barren – is unable to become
pregnant.
• Zechariah had a vision of Angel Gabriel at the altar of the temple
who tells him about the birth of a child – a special child in his house
– John the Baptist. The Angel sings a song to Zechariah. Zechariah
repeats the second half of the song in his own song.

3. ZECHARIAH MEETS THE ANGEL Blake devoted much of
the year 1799–1800 to
fifty visionary scenes
drawn from the Bible, a
commission he received
from his principal
patron, the government
clerk Thomas Butts. This
scene, the earliest in the
New Testament narrative
cycle, illustrates verses
from Luke (I:11–13), in
which Gabriel appears to
the righteous Zacharias,
a high priest of the
Jewish Temple in
Jerusalem, to announce
that Zacharias’s elderly
and barren wife will give
birth to a son, Saint John
the Baptist.)

4. VISITATION OF MARY TO ELIZABETH
"Visitation" with donor
portrait,
from Altarpiece of the
Virgin (St Vaast
Altarpiece) by Jacques
Daret, c. 1435 (Staatliche
Museen, Berlin)

5. CONTEXT
• In Asian context, from birth until death songs play important role. From Lullaby to
funeral songs Asians would continue to sing which were similar to African and
possibly early European culture as well. Second, when they sing the song, they praise
child, they also place their wishes and expectations of the child in futuristic tense and
they reflect the context – socio-economic, political context of the parents and child in
the song.
• Anglican prayers on “Thanksgiving for the gift of a child” - O Lord our God, creator of
heaven and earth, and our creator: we give you thanks and praise for the gift of this
child . We thank you for creating him/her in your image, and breathing into him/her
the breath of life. We thank you for the love which these parents have for each other,
and for the welcome they are giving to N . By the power of the Holy Spirit, fill their
home with love, trust and understanding; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

6. ZECHARIAH NAMING JOHN THE BAPTIST
Zechariah, the
father of John the
Baptist, holds his
infant prophet son
in this 1535 work
of Teramo Piaggio.
According to early
Christian belief,
Zechariah, a priest
in the Jerusalem
Temple, died a
martyr’s death
while serving at
the altar.

7. PALESTINIAN CONTEXT
• At the time of birth of John, the whole region is known as Palestine, which was divided into many regions.
Judea, Idumea, Samaria, Galilee and other regional governments were operating under Romans. Earlier Syrians,
Babylonians, Egyptians and then Greeks and Romans ruled this part of Middle East. At the time of Zechariah
the Judean region was under Roman Empire. During the intertestamental time, many messiahs from Judea
arose and fought against Romans but were crushed mercilessly by Romans and by others.
• That was the dream of all newlyweds in Israel. Every Jewish bride was taught early to have a large family
because the next son born might be Messiah, the heaven-sent Deliverer of Israel. Every Jewish husband
married with that theological hope. If ever there was a couple that had all the right ingredients from a strictly
human perspective to be chosen as the instrument through whom God sent this Hero to set all things right, it
was Zechariah and Elizabeth.
• However, in this specific context John is seen as a forerunner and the horn of Israel that comes from God
points to the person whom they are waiting for. Benedictus Dominus Deus Israhel, “Blessed be the Lord God
of Israel”).

8. BLESSED BE THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, SENDS
HORN OF SALVATION TO HUMANITY
• Blessed be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.Psalm 72:18
• "Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one. Psalm 132:17
• He has raised up a horn of Salvation for us . To whom it refers to? Is this to Jesus or expressing a
general expectation or hope? While Jesus is not born yet and the story is not familiar yet. Luke
writes this story in order around 80 to 90 AD. In verse 65 Luke refers to the speaking of
Zechariahs as
• Luke 1: 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people
were talking about all these things.
• The question about whether John the Baptist was the messiah was raised to him and he clearly
stated that he is not the one.
• There was a promise to Abraham and a covenant with people of Israel.

9. PROMISE MADE TO ABRAHAM
• Genesis 12: The LORD had said to Abram,
• “Go from your country, your people and
• your father’s household to the land I will show
you.
• 2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”[b]
"The Lord did not set his love
upon you, nor choose you,
because you were more in
number than any people; for you
were the fewest of all people; but
because the Lord loved you, and
because he would keep the oath
which he had sworn unto your
ancestors." (Deuteronomy 7:7–8).

10. IN CHRIST THE PROMISE IS FOR ALL
• John the Baptist last week reading - 9Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have
Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up
children to Abraham. Matthew 3
• "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did" (John 8:39).
• Galatians 3: And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring (seed), heirs
according to the promise (vv. 28, 29).
• "In you shall all the nations be blessed!" So then, those who have faith are blessed
with faithful Abraham (vv. 8–9) . . . In Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham comes
upon the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (v. 14)
.

11. SYMMETRIC TEXT – WITH MEANINGS
BUILT IN!
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn[c] 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.
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
77b by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most
High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for
him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,

12. God comes to us - God’s Initiative and
Intervention
 The redemption of humanity is God’s initiative – God has come to his people,
redeemed his people, raised up a horn to do - to save us from enemies and
those who hate; to show his mercy; to remember his covenant; to rescue us;
to enable us to serve him.
 We have a powerful saviour to redeem us. God takes sides with people who
are hated or oppressed and so comes to redeem.
 The horn of an animal is the symbol of its strength, its sheer brute power
 The redemption of all – not only individual, communities but also nations – is
here and now; and yet to come.
 This redemption is God’s initiative in which we are invited and welcome to
participate and respond.

13. God uses people to invite others – various tasks -
Preparing, give light, give knowledge
 John accepts that he is forerunner. John the Baptist humbles
himself very often, thought strong at times with his prophetic voice.
John sends his disciples asking Jesus whether he is the messiah or
not?
 John was brought up to tell the truth at times facing death.
 Christianity is not birth right nor by affiliation rather by invitation,
welcome and response to God’s call to be part of the promise and
covenant made to humanity.
 Invitation is for all – Universally, here and now and also for the
future eternity

14. SADHU SUNDAR SINGH – AN INDIAN
JOHN THE BAPTIST
• A Sikh who had the vision of Christ on the Cross – He was about to be killed by his
family – He is considered as an Anglican Saint – He walked across India, Tibet, Nepal,
Myanmar, China barefoot preaching and converting many to Christ

15. REFUGE – INDIAN KING AND JEWISH
CHILDREN
• A group of about 1,000 Polish
children departed for India in
1942 from Siberia, where, lost
and orphaned in the midst of
death and destruction caused
by WWII, they had been
shifted after the 1939 Soviet
invasion of Poland. The
children were welcomed by
their benefactor, the Jam
Sahib, but only after a tortuous
journey.

16. Reflective Meditation
 What are we doing to bring God’s Kingdom closer?
 Are we ready to welcome the arrival of Messiah?
 How much are we ready to prepare the way of Messiah in our own context?
 Are we happy to give light to those in darkness?
 Are we prepared to give knowledge of salvation to all?

17. Prayer
 Lord Jesus Christ, You came as servant of All willing to take on
human flesh, to give of yourself on the cross, You showed us
that to discover what life truly means we must be ready to
offer it to others. Like John the Baptist, give us a readiness to
serve in turn, to point away from self and seek your glory
rather than our own. Forgive us that we find it so hard to
follow, preferring instead the way of self –service our own
interests before those of anyone else. Help us to recognise
that it is in giving that we receive, and so may we commit our
lives to you and bring glory to your name. Amen