He has raised up a horn [mighty Savior] of salvation for us in the house of His servant David. (Luke 1:69)
In Luke 1:5-25, Zechariah receives a visit from Gabriel, the angel, who informs the priest that his elderly wife, Elizabeth, will bear a child. When Zechariah doubts the angel’s good news, his power of speech is taken away until his child is born. After the birth of his son in the final section of Luke 1, Zechariah’s ability to speak is restored. The first thing he does with his voice after months of silence is to praise God (read Luke 1:64-79). A portion of his celebration is found in Luke 1:68-79, a passage that we often call the “Benedictus” (the first word of verse 68 in Latin, meaning “blessed”). In this hymn of praise to God, Zechariah proclaims that God “has raised up a mighty Savior for us in the house of His servant David” (v. 69). Through this Savior, the people of Israel would be saved “from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.” For Zechariah, these enemies and haters were the armies and leaders of the Roman empire. Notice what follows. Zechariah says that when God rescues us from our enemies, it will “enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness.” (vv. 74-75). God’s people are saved so that they might respond by serving God. How does this service happen? To be sure, in Zechariah’s day, it included the offerings presented in the temple and the other actions of the priests. But the Old Testament concept of serving God also embraces our daily work. The Hebrew word for “service” (avodah) can mean “work” or “worship.” Those whom God saves will serve God, not just in their religious activities, but also in every part of life. Those who have been saved by God’s grace, through Christ, have the same experience and calling. We have been saved to serve the Lord in a variety of ways, including our daily work. In Ephesians 2:8-10, for example, we learn that we have been saved by grace through faith and that when we are saved we are also recreated in Christ for good works. When we do our ordinary work “in holiness and righteousness” (v. 74), we live out our salvation by serving God and contributing to God’s work in the world. As we do our daily work today – whether paid, unpaid, or both – let us be intentional about offering our work to God in response to God’s grace in our lives. Heavenly Father, as we receive Your gift of salvation, may we receive it with joy and gratitude And may we offer ourselves as Your servants in every part of our life. Comments are closed.
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