A Father's Gift

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,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation

    through the forgiveness of their sins…
- Luke 1:76-77
 
Look at the gift Zechariah gives to his son John, because that’s what this prophecy is … a gift. Zechariah points John to his identity, community, and purpose.
 
Who is John going to be? Before anything else, John is Zechariah’s child. Before he’s a prophet of the Most High, before he makes social and political waves, before he prepares the way for the Lord … before all of that John is claimed by his father. What a great foundation! To be loved and claimed has a powerful effect on a child.
 
God invites us to be his children before he invites us to anything else. Before we become followers of his Way, before we serve him, before we put our gifts to work in his kingdom, God wants us to know that he claims us and loves us. We’re his. That foundation must be in place before God can build for you the destiny he wants for you.
 
Who are John’s people? Throughout Zechariah’s prophecy he talks about the community into which John is born. They receive God’s salvation, have enemies whom God opposes, and join with Abraham to be on the receiving end of God’s covenant faithfulness. John won’t pursue his ministry in isolation or in a vacuum. He joins a work already in progress. His role is a significant one, but not the only one.
 
This is also true of us. When we’re born into the new life that God has for us in Jesus Christ we’re automatically linked to a bigger, older, more-diverse, wilder, weirder community than any other community who’s ever existed. God’s people around the world and throughout history shape our sense of self. They accept and challenge us. The embarrass us at time – as all families do – but they also make our lives possible.
 
What is John going to do with his life? He’s not the savior! (Neither are we) He prepares the way for the Lord. His life serves a purpose bigger than himself. His life is wrapped up in the big thing the Lord is doing to bring his salvation to light. He will speak God’s word to God’s people and share in every prophet’s struggle to be heard. He will be a voice crying out in the wilderness. And God will use him.
 
Do you have a deep sense that God also wants to include you in his mission to bring salvation to those who are wandering lost in the darkness? This only comes when you know you’re a beloved child of God and that you’re part of the beloved community. If you’re struggling for purpose in your life, you might need to revisit these two realities and see if something has gone awry.
 
Where are you trying to earn the gift of adoption that God wants to give you for free? Where are you isolating yourself from the beloved community?
 
Take these two questions and reflect on them or share them with someone in your life who is struggling to find purpose and direction.

Leave a Comment

Comments for this post have been disabled.