Gospel Lk 1:67-79
Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hand of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
The Audacity of Expectant Hope
by Mayzelle Atienza
I’ve always considered myself a patient person! I don’t mind long airport layovers (been in one for 27 hours a few years ago), I recently went for a 12-hour overnight train ride for a quick weekend getaway (and another 12-hr trip going back), and I can binge-watch a 16-episode KDrama series in one weekend. I have found creative ways of making the waiting worthwhile and the thought that it is temporary and that a final and exciting destination/ending awaits makes the whole waiting phase bearable, even inconsequential.
Sometimes though, I find myself hitting the fast forward button (or dragging the touch screen) to look at a movie’s ending (I do the same with books also!) – I want to see if the couple ends up together and if they live happily ever after or if the struggling guy becomes victorious in the end. After knowing that it is indeed a happy ending, I will joyfully watch the rest of the movie, comforted by the thought that the struggle/hardships in the story will be rewarded in the end – and goodness ultimately wins!
I am trying to reconcile this paradox of me as a self-proclaimed (very) patient person with that other part of me that cannot wait and had to see the ending. It perplexed me why this is so, and I realized that it’s not the waiting I have a problem with but rather, the uncertainty of the outcome. There is in fact, value in waiting and God is also accomplishing something in that lag time but what pushes me over the edge, personally, is if I am unsure of what will happen. I don’t have an issue with waiting so long as a (good) ending is assured!
The next conundrum then is the question of assurance of a good ending? Is it certain? Is ‘good’ guaranteed? To say that every single outcome is ‘good’ will probably border on delusional but as Christians, what we have is expectant hope! As followers of Christ, we have hope and we are assured that God, in His goodness, meets us where we are and gives us exactly what we need, even before we realize that we need them! We can audaciously hope since we have a God who fulfills His promises; we have a God who, despite all obvious odds, comes through with an answer to every prayer!
In the gospel reading today, Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, was proclaiming the message of God, filled with joy for a promise of salvation fulfilled. This is the first time that Zechariah spoke after the Angel Gabriel muted him because of his unbelief when he announced to him that his prayers were answered and that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son. Zechariah was unable to speak for the duration of Elizabeth’s pregnancy – at most the whole nine months! I can just imagine how much patience and faith it took for Zechariah to live through those silent months and how much joy it must have been when he was finally able to speak and proclaim God’s faithfulness of bringing forth a Savior and that his son, John, will have the privilege of preparing the path for this Savior.
Today is Christmas Eve, and the Holy Door for Jubilee 2025 will be opened! Let us have an unwavering and expectant hope and patiently wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lives.
Prayer:
Lord, we pray for a heart full of expectant hope, hope that is unwavering even in the face of uncertainties. We pray that we may draw closer to you in this season of Advent and Christmas and through the Jubilee Year 2025. You have called us, at such a time like this, for a special purpose, allow us to partake of your special grace. Continue to reveal yourself to us and help us to truly be pilgrims of hope and builders of peace!
Gift for Jesus
Gift of audacious expectant hope: Having bold confidence that God is faithful, and He is working all things for good.
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