A Year to Remember
Part 2 – A Year of Promise

This Sunday, Rob Lea brings us the talk in the latest of our EBC Online services. Once you have watched the video, we encourage you to reflect on the bible text and join us in the prayer that follows below.

To listen to the talk click here.
 
Readings:

Luke chapter 1 verses 5 to 25
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 

But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”
The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favour and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

 

Prayer & Reflection

Heavenly Father, thank you that you have made promises through you word on which we can rely, promises which fill us with peace and joy, and give us a hopeful and secure future. When our hearts are wavering, when we doubt your love and your promise to forgive us, reassure us by the Holy Spirit in us that you are always true to yourself.
Lord God, we ask that like John, by our words and deeds, we can prepare the way for Jesus to be known in the lives of those who don’t yet know him.
AMEN

Those people waiting outside of the temple for Zechariah, would have expected him to give them a blessing when he came out. In fact, we know exactly what that blessing was (Numbers 6:24-26), and I’m going to end my part in the service today by giving you that blessing:
 
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.



Questions to Consider

1. What promises have remained unfulfilled for you in 2020?
 
2. Apart from this year, have there been times when other people have disappointed you because they have not kept their promise? What were the circumstances?

3. If you knew the story of the birth of John, were you aware that this birth had been promised 400 years before? What does this say to you regarding God’s timing? How might this change your expectation of how and when God answers your prayers?

4. John prepared people’s heart and mind to know and accept Jesus. Do you think that Jesus’ followers today have a similar role? How can you do that?

5. It has been said that there are 7,487 promises that God makes to humankind in the bible. Whatever the number, it’s very large! How many promises are you aware of? How could you know more?

6. For you, what is God’s most important promise in the bible?