“His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them.”” (Luke 1:6-7 NIV)
Zechariah finally broke his months-long silence with an act of divine obedience. He named his son John. And then he burst out in song. We recognize that Zechariah is the third person in the Christmas narrative to be filled by the Holy Spirit. It turns out, the Holy Spirit is quite contagious. One receives Him with a wide-open heart and soon several have surrendered their tongues and, ultimately, their story.
Furthermore, the Holy Spirit brings insight. Finally, Zechariah could both see and speak. The thing he saw most clearly? God’s redemption of man. Zechariah had tasted it firsthand. Redemption upended everything, flipped the script, began the emptying of hell and filling up of heaven.
Zechariah himself had moved from mocking to fearful. From barren to fruitful. From dutiful to delighted. From disbelief to utter trust. From doubtful to faithful. Zechariah was a microcosm of what God was about to do in the whole of the world. Zechariah’s experience was a foretaste of what would happen next for all of humanity.
“O Israel, I’ll never forget you. I’ve wiped the slate of all your wrong doings. There’s nothing left of your sins. Come back to Me, come back. I’ve redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22 MSG)
O Lord, Christmas is really about redemption unfolding for all humanity. We are so grateful that You have set us free and filled us up with Your Spirit. These two truths are enough to keep us singing for the rest of our days. May we employ our mouths in praise! Amen.