Dreams for the present and future – December 19

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 55; PM Psalm 138, 139:1-17(18-23); Isa. 10:20-27; Jude 17-25; Luke 3:1-9

Several friends have welcomed new babies in this last quarter of 2020. As I see photos of these darling bundles of soft skin and squeaky grunts, there are parents in the wings who are simultaneously thrilled, confused, and overwhelmed. Whether or not you’ve raised children of your own, we all have a common connection here: we were all once those tiny people, vulnerable and fully reliant on someone else to raise us. Someone gazed upon you with a loving countenance and said our name. They spoke hopes for your future. They wondered what you would become. What do you know of those hopes and dreams others held for you?

And now, you are grown. Perhaps you have children in your life today and wonder what life will be like for them as they grow. Maybe you pray for those children to be smart and kind, healthy and accomplished, courageous and happy. What of those hopes and prayers do you write down or share with that child as she matures?

We hear the hopes of one child when we read Canticle 16 during Morning Prayer (page 92 in the Book of Common Prayer). This is called the Song of Zechariah and is a prophetic vision from the book of Luke (1:67-79). Zechariah was a priest of advanced age. He and his wife Elizabeth had no children, until one day when they were visited by an angel, who forecast the impact their child-to-come would make on Israel. Elizabeth did have a child, and they named the baby John. When the boy was eight days old, Zechariah had a moment of divine inspiration and proclaimed a prophecy about God and the path his son would take. John would be called a prophet of God, for he would “go before the Lord to prepare his ways”. He would open people’s minds to the saving grace of the Lord through calling them to repent and be forgiven for their sins. And always with God’s help, light would shine on “those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” and “guide our feet into the way of peace”.

Whew! That’s a tall order and high bar set for a baby boy…and yet, in Luke 3 today, that is exactly what we hear happening. Amid the esteem of earthly powers laid out, the author writes that the word of God came to John son of Zechariah. He proclaimed “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” – and not just to get right with Yahweh and neighbors, but for a bigger purpose: to prepare the way of the Lord. John recited prophecy from Isaiah to open the ears and hearts of those around him. He confronted people brusquely, that the ceremonial baptism they might be seeking was much more than that. God was calling for transformed lives, and for Israelites to bear good fruit – of care of the needy, of humility before God, and dedication to leaving behind the darkness to live in the light of salvation.

God’s work is not yet complete in you or me. The hopes and prayers of those who raised us, and of God who loves us, are still present. Whether or not your approach is like the firebrand John the Baptist, let us each pray about our role in making the path straight for the Lord. What in our lives needs redeeming? What stumbling blocks are littering the path of our relationships with God? Now is the time to make that path straight…and the promise is God’s saving grace.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

What hopes and dreams did your elders have for you? What are the hopes and dreams you have for a child in your life?

Daily Challenge

Write down what prayers, hopes, and dreams you have for a child in your life. Set them aside, so that as they grow older, they can one day read these special words from you.