Tawa Baptist

John’s Birth

Scripture: Luke 1:5-25 & 39-45 & 57-80

Video Link: https://youtu.be/ezvbkI-Yymk

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • John’s parents
  • John’s purpose
  • John’s power
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Did you know there are over 500 active undersea cables connecting the continents of the world? 98% of all international internet traffic flows through these undersea cables. Inside the protective casing there are many strands of fibre optic cable all carrying data from one country to the next. Pretty amazing.

Before the new seal was laid on the church carpark we had a trench built and laid a pipe under the carpark so we could run cabling to provide a more reliable internet connection between the church office and auditorium. Similar principle to the undersea cables, just not as far. 

The Bible, as you know, is a book of two halves. The older and bigger half, what we call the Old (or First) Testament, was written before the time of Christ. The second half, what we call the New Testament, was written shortly after Jesus walked the earth.  

Sometimes people think of the Old and New Testaments as separate, which is understandable given there is a 400-year gap between them. But actually they are connected. Both Testaments are concerned with God’s plan of salvation and both testaments point to Jesus, the Messiah of God.

Today we begin a new sermon series on the life of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was like an undersea cable, carrying valuable information, connecting the Old and New Testaments. John’s life and work demonstrate a clear continuity in God’s plan of salvation.

This morning we focus on John’s birth in Luke chapter 1. Listen for the connections with the Old Testament. From verse 5 we read…

5 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. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. 8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 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. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 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. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In thinking about the birth of John the Baptist, this morning, we consider three things: John’s parents, John’s purpose and John’s power. Let’s begin with John’s parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth.

John’s parents:

When we get what we want, we call that satisfaction. But when we get something less than what we want, we call that disappointment. Disappointment is the difference (or the shortfall) between what we get and what we had hoped we would get.

The more disappointment we experience in life the more inclined we are to clip the wings of our hope; to hope less. That may be a necessary survival technique but it makes for a pretty sad life, because joy and hope are intimately related. Joy is the energy of hope. So the less you hope for the less joy you have. Risk and reward. 

The Rolling Stones have a line in one of their songs: “You can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need.” I’m not sure what the Stones meant by that but it sounds to me like a strategy for balancing hope and managing disappointment.

Another famous singer, Bono, has a different take on disappointment. He compares disappointment to manure. Manure smells bad and is messy. No one really likes to handle it. But despite the unpleasantness, manure acts as a fertiliser. It enriches soil to grow beautiful flowers and delicious veges.

I like that image. If we think of disappointment as manure; as something that is unpleasant now but which produces better quality of life in the future, we redeem our suffering and we preserve hope.

Zechariah and Elizabeth understood disappointment better than most. They were faithful people who did everything in their power to obey God’s law.

Verse 6 tells us: Both of them were righteous in the sight of God and yet, despite wanting children, they were childless. It doesn’t seem fair. But notice the echo with Abraham & Sarah, who were also faithful and not able to conceive. What is God about to do?  

Zechariah was quite remarkable really. Despite the disappointment of not becoming a father, he stuck to his calling as a priest. He did not ditch his faith or walk out on God because he didn’t get what he wanted. This reveals a certain purity of heart from Zechariah.

To some degree a husband’s relationship with his wife mirrors his relationship with God. In the cultural context of the time, Zechariah could have written Elizabeth a letter of divorce and sent her away for not giving him children.

But he doesn’t. Zechariah remains loyal to Elizabeth. He shows Elizabeth hesed. Zechariah loves Elizabeth with a faithfulness not dimmed by the years. It was like the manure of disappointment had enriched the soil of their marriage.

Of course, it takes more than manure to grow a good crop. Unrelenting disappointment is not helpful to the human soul. Disappointment does not have the last word though. The fruit of God’s purpose is ultimately satisfying.

There were so many Jewish priests 2000 years ago in Palestine that they were on a roster. Your average priest was only required to serve in the Jerusalem temple two weeks a year. And the chance to enter the holy place and burn incense was a once in a lifetime privilege. Some priests were never so lucky.

The smoke of the incense symbolised the prayers of the faithful rising to God. It was while burning the incense that the angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah saying…

“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…”  

Now, at first glance, we might assume that Zechariah had been praying for a son. But when we think it through we realise this is unlikely. Remember, Zechariah & Elizabeth are now very old and past that stage in their life. Zechariah has long since given up on that dream. It’s simply too painful to risk more manure.

Besides, if Zechariah had been praying for a son, then we would expect a less doubtful response from him. Given the context, of the temple and the people praying outside, it is more likely that Zechariah was calling on God to redeem Israel.

After all, this is primarily God’s story. The Lord is planning to redeem humanity and indeed all creation. At the same time, God is going to redeem Zechariah and Elizabeth’s suffering by giving them a son (John) who will play a significant role in the divine plan of salvation.

You see, Zechariah and Elizabeth are representative of the faithful remnant of God’s people. They are the best of Israel in miniature, the smaller story within the larger story.

Just as Zechariah and Elizabeth have lived with disappointment and grief for many years, so too the nation of Israel has suffered for centuries. But that is all about to change. God is about to bring new life.

Zechariah questions the angel Gabriel, asking for proof and Gabriel makes Zechariah mute, unable to speak, until John is born. I don’t think this is a punishment as such. After all, Zechariah is a righteous man. Zechariah’s muteness is more of a call to listen. It’s a symbolic way of saying: ‘Just be quiet for a while and watch God work’.  

Sometimes in prayer we feel like we have to tie everything down, like we have to mansplain everything to God, as if he doesn’t know our concerns already. There is a place for words in prayer but there is also a time to be silent and watch God work.

Okay, so John’s parents were representative of the true Israel, those who remain faithful to God in the face of chronic disappointment.

John’s purpose:

What about John’s purpose? What was God wanting John to do?

Before you can paint an old surface you must first sand off the flaky bits, so the paint sticks. If we think of Israel as the old surface, then we might think of John the Baptist as the one who did the sanding to prepare the surface for Jesus to paint.

Or to use another analogy; before you sow seed it pays to plough up the hard ground. That way the seed has a better chance of taking root and growing. If Israel is the hard ground, then John is the ploughman, softening the ground for Jesus to plant the seed of God’s redemption.

Before a big tournament, the coach drills their team with a combination of fitness and skills training. That way the team are prepared when game day comes. John was like a spiritual fitness coach, getting the people ready for the coming of the Messiah and the coming of God’s kingdom.

The angel Gabriel talked about John’s purpose in God’s plan saying:

16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Notice the connections with the Old Testament. John will be a prophet, like Elijah, calling the people to return to God.

That phrase about turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, comes from the prophet Malachi. It’s a variation on one of the last verses in the Old Testament. Does this mean that John’s purpose was to fix broken family relationships? Well, maybe. But it’s probably more than that.

In Hebrew thought, ‘the fathers’ often refers to the Jewish patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob); the founding fathers if you like. From their vantage point in the next world, the fathers looked at their descendants and were not pleased. However, John’s work would bring about such a positive change that the fathers would look with favour on Israel. [1]  

John was to be a catalyst for change. It was John’s job to get the people ready for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus.

We can also glean something of John’s purpose from the name he was given before birth. John means ‘Jehovah’s gift’ or said another way, ‘God is gracious’. John is the spokesman for God’s grace. But, as we will see in the coming weeks, it’s not a soft mushy grace. It is a strong gritty grace, salted with inconvenient truth. It is grace with sharp edges. It is the grace of a surgeon’s scalpel.

After John was born, Zechariah had this to say about John’s purpose…

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God…

John’s purpose is to serve as a human data cable, carrying the knowledge of salvation from heaven to earth. Notice though that the salvation in view here is not military or political. It is not won by violence or force.

It is salvation in the form of the forgiveness of our sins. In other words, God intends to save us from ourselves. Because the real enemy is not the Romans or anyone else, it’s not the political left or right; the real danger lies within.   

John’s parents were faithful to God and to each other. John’s purpose was to prepare the people for Jesus’ coming (for redemption). But how was John going to achieve this? Where did his power come from?

John’s power:

Well, the greatest source of John’s power was the Holy Spirit.

In verse 15, of Luke 1, the angel says to Zechariah that John will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before birth.

Later, in verse 41, we read how Elizabeth (who was six months pregnant with John) was filled with the Holy Spirit when Mary (who was pregnant with Jesus) came to visit.

Elizabeth, who is decades older than Mary, puts herself in a lower social position, giving honour and respect to her younger relative, saying:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

It’s a winsome moment. Elizabeth is genuinely happy for Mary. There is no envy, just pure joy. For love rejoices with the truth. 

You know, those undersea data cables I mentioned at the beginning of this message; they are only as good as the information passing through them. Without data being sent and received the cables are lifeless, powerless, dead. The information transferring inside is like the spirit of the cable. It is the spirit that fulfils the purpose.

It’s similar with the human spirit. Your thoughts and feelings and personality are a manifestation of the human spirit. Without thoughts and feelings and personality your body is an empty shell, with nothing to share and no way of communicating. It is the human spirit that enables us to relate with others and fulfil our purpose.

Given that we human beings are made in the image of God, we could think of the Holy Spirit (capital H, capital S) as a manifestation of God’s thoughts and feelings and personality. God relates to the human spirit through his Holy Spirit. Spirit communicates with spirit.

God’s Spirit cannot be reduced or confined by any neat formula or definition we try to wrap around him. But if you need some handles for God’s Spirit, then love and truth are a good place to start.

To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with God’s love and truth. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit (as John was), your thoughts are informed by truth and not led astray by ignorance. Likewise, feelings of fear give way to the impulse of love. And your personality, that unique finger print of your soul, is set free to be its true self, as God intended.

Sin is when the deep sea cable of the human spirit is severed, so we lose comms with God. Jesus came to repair the cable and restore the connection. The problem is, we don’t always realise the cable is severed because it is buried deep. It was John’s job to make people aware of the disconnect and point to Jesus as the one who had come to fix our relationship with God.

Conclusion:

This morning we have considered the special circumstances surrounding John’s birth. John’s parents were true Israelites; the manure of disappointment had enriched their faithfulness to God and to each other. John’s purpose was to prepare the people’s hearts, minds & spirits for Jesus’ coming. And John’s power to do this came from the Holy Spirit.

Next week we will give some thought to the substance of John’s message.

Let us pray…

Father God, we thank you for Jesus, who repairs the cable of our human spirit so we can commune with your Holy Spirit. As the busy-ness of the new year gains momentum, help us to remain connected to you. Drive out ungodly fear with your love and truth we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What connections can you see between John’s birth narrative (in Luke 1) and the Old Testament?
  • What noble characteristics do we observe in Zechariah and Elizabeth? Who do Elizabeth and Zechariah represent?
  • Can you think of a time in your life when the manure of disappointment enriched the soil of your life and relationships? What happened. How did God redeem the disappointment?
  • Why did the angel cause Zechariah to become temporarily mute? When might we include sacred silence in our prayer life? How might we create space for sacred silence?  
  • What was John’s purpose? Reflect on / discuss the meaning of the phrase, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous.
  • Where did John’s power come from? Where does your power come from?
  • How strong is your connection with God at present? Does anything need to change to improve the connection? If so, what needs to change? 

[1] Refer Leon Morris’ commentary on Luke, page 70.

Tawa Baptist

Hearing from God – by Neville

Hearing from God, by Neville Gardner (22 Jan 2023)

At Christmas, I heard from a friend in England for the first time in several years. Well, when I say ‘heard from’ I mean ‘received an e-card from’ – I didn’t actually hear his voice. These days, ‘heard from’ can mean receiving a card, letter, text or other electronic message, as well as actually hearing a voice on the phone. It’s the same when we talk about hearing from God – we don’t necessarily mean hearing his voice (but we might), we just mean that we receive God’s words in some way.

When my wife Nicky and I are in different parts of our house, we’ll sometimes shout to each other with questions and comments. There’s no guarantee that we’ll hear each other, and if we do, the message can be misheard – unless I’m asking Nicky if she wants a cup of tea! The sensible thing to do is to get closer to each other and speak normally.

God understands the problems of making himself heard. Throughout the Bible, God spoke normally to those close to him, but sometimes he shouted to make himself heard. In the Garden of Eden, God walked and talked quietly with Adam and Eve; but just before the Ten Commandments were handed out, “Moses spoke, and God answered him with thunder”. (Exodus 19:19)

You’ll all know examples from the Bible of when God spoke directly to individuals (Moses, Noah, Elijah, Sarah – you can look up more later). Sometimes God sent messages by angels, visions and dreams, when that was the best way to communicate. He also used people to pass on his messages, speaking on his behalf. At the start of Hebrews, we read that “In the past, God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets.”

But then God changed his methods. The verse in Hebrews continues “but in those last days he has spoken to us through his Son.” The apostles and many other people, in crowds or as individuals, all heard directly from God, in the person of Jesus. They heard first-hand of God’s promises and what he wanted of them.

That was a long time ago, but God has never stopped talking to his people. You can be confident that God values you as much as anyone in the Bible. Because of that, he wants to talk with you, and he does so depending on what’s best at particular times and in particular circumstances.

So, how do we hear from God now?

There are times when God ‘shouts’, talking to people dramatically through visions, dreams and miraculous events, but I think that he normally gets close and uses the ordinary. You may not hear God’s actual voice, but you’ll still hear from him.

In effect, you can hear God whenever you want to, through ordinary everyday actions.

By reading the Bible, you are hearing God’s words.

By praying, talking and listening to that quiet voice in your mind, you are communicating with God.

By talking with other Christians, and hearing their stories, you may hear or pass on God’s words.

Dare I say it, God can talk to you through sermons.

It is by doing these same things, frequently, that you get to know what God’s voice sounds like.

Reading the Bible and contemplating God’s word is a way of hearing God. But finding the time to do that in today’s busy world is not always easy.

“Be still, and know that I am God” says Psalm 46:10.

We know that Jesus was in the habit of spending time alone, praying, even when other people pressed their needs on him. Luke 5:15-16 tells us…

“But the news about Jesus spread all the more widely, and crowds of people came to hear him and be healed from their diseases. But he would go away to lonely places, where he prayed.”

God is always close, but I’d guess that most of you at times seek places where can you find a particular peace and closeness to God. I’d also guess that for many of you that would be outside – in a garden, in the bush, by the sea or on a mountain perhaps.

God speaks to us through his beautiful world. In these situations, you can feel surrounded by God’s creation, but more than that, you can feel being part of it. God cares for, and provides for, everything he created – that includes you and me.

In Psalm 104 verses 24 and 27 we read:

Lord, you made so many things!

How wisely you made them all!

The earth is filled with your creatures.

All of them depend on you

to give them food when they need it.

You give it to them, and they eat it;

You provide food, and they are satisfied.

We know that gardens are special to God – the Garden of Eden was where he spent close times with Adam and Eve. The Garden of Gethsemane was where Jesus found the space to pray in a time of need.

Some of you will be familiar with a poem called God’s Garden, written by Dorothy Gurney in 1882. A popular verse is

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God’s heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.

Since the times of the New Testament, some people have gone to great lengths to find the time and space in which to get closer to God.

There is a small island off the south-west corner of Ireland called Skellig Michael. People go there now for several reasons. It is a wildlife haven, where birdwatchers go to be surrounded by thousands of circling and diving seabirds. The island is also home to strange-looking beehive huts. These stone dwellings housed a small community of monks from the 6th century onwards, in use for several hundred years. Here, away from the normal world of men, the monks would quietly strengthen their relationship with God and listen for his voice.

Each hut has a single door, through which a monk could look out at God’s creation – the sea, the sky, the birds, the storms even. But doors are two way places – to the monks they symbolised the contemplation of their own often dark interior.

Skellig Michael was the filming location for parts of a couple of Starwars movies. Appropriately enough, it stood in for the place, in a galaxy far, far away, that Luke Skywalker exiled himself to, to get away from his old life as a Jedi Knight.

In the 7th century, off the east coast of northern England, a young monk called Cuthbert became prior of Lindisfarne monastery. After ten years, he became worn out by the responsibility, so retreated to a small island nearby.

He did find peace and closeness to God there, but this was spoilt because people still came to find him and seek wisdom and healing. Cuthbert gave up and went back to the monastery for a few more years as abbot, but felt the need for peace and solitude again. He moved back to his island, where he built a small stone house and chapel, and spent the rest of his life there, praying and listening to God. But, tide permitting, people still managed to get to him!

Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and the monks of Skellig Michael went to great lengths to be able to concentrate on listening to God. But these were not the most extreme attempts.

In the late 1300s, in the east of England, Julian of Norwich became an anchorite. An anchorite was someone sealed into a small room, called an ‘anchorhold’, attached to a church – some still survive.

There was not normally a door, but three small windows. The first window let in light. The second window looked out on the outside world – it was used by people seeing to the anchorite’s physical needs, and by visitors seeking spiritual advice and wisdom. A third window, called a squint, had a narrow view of the altar, so the anchorite could see and hear services.

Julian had a severe illness, but after a ‘near-death experience’ she recovered and went on to receive religious visions from God for much of her life. These were compiled into a book called Revelations of Divine Love, which is the earliest surviving English-language book written by a woman.

Many people still appreciate the wisdom in these revelations – God still speaks to them through Julian of Norwich. She experienced two episodes of plague that swept her country, and people have been finding comfort in her words during the time of Covid.

I’m not suggesting that we all need to go to such lengths to find the peace and quiet in which to hear God’s voice. Turning phones off is a good start! Or spending time in the garden, or setting aside a daily quiet time at home, whatever makes you comfortable. These are all good practices, but in a way they are all aimed at putting us in control of when we hear from God. We mustn’t forget that God speaks to us when it suits him. That could be when we are not expecting it, even not wanting it. It may be at time of busyness, or when we are in an uncomfortable situation.

Jonah knew all about that. “One day, the Lord spoke to Jonah son of Amittai. He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it.” Jonah heard directly from God, yet he chose to leg it in the opposite direction. Jonah’s ship was caught in a storm and the sailors threw him overboard because he was running from the Lord. Finally, after being swallowed by a large fish, Jonah prayed to God and changed his tune. Back on shore, in a much more comfortable position, God spoke directly to Jonah again, repeating the first message. This time Jonah obeyed.

Think about the first Christmas, when God spoke several times through angels and dreams. An angel told Mary her first child would be God’s, not Joseph’s, her husband-to-be. She could have run away, but instead said “I am the Lord’s servant, may it happen to me as you have said.” An angel spoke to Joseph in a dream and told him about Mary, but he still married her. An angel told some shepherds, who were at work at the time, that they should leave their sheep and go to find the baby Jesus. Which they did.

Later an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream, warning him of Herod’s murderous intentions and telling him to become a refugee. He did, and saved Jesus’s life. In each situation, God took people from comfort to discomfort, but under his watchful eye, they all came out stronger.

Some years ago, I used to help run the children’s programmes at annual New Wine family camps, at El Rancho in Waikanae. This was far from a comfortable environment for me – working with the children was fine, but the whole thing of close living with hundreds of other people for a week was a huge struggle. I am not a gregarious person, and frankly, I hated that aspect of it. Yet that is where God wanted me.

One particular evening, I went to an adult’s session in the main hall, about the Holy Spirit and prayer. It was a hot summer evening, hundreds of people crammed together indoors – this was discomfort piled on top of discomfort. My unease grew as I listened to the words – something didn’t feel right, though I couldn’t put my finger on what. In the end, I just had to leave.

When I left the building I spotted an ice cream van, on the other side of the car park, which drew me like a magnet!

As I approached, the van seemed empty, but I could hear muttering and swearing coming from inside. I soon learnt that the . . . ice cream dispensing machine wasn’t working. I also learnt that the ice cream man thought he was wasting his time anyway, there were no customers in sight – apart from me, and I was out of luck. “Where is everyone?” he asked. I pointed to the hall across the car park. “What are they in there for?” “Learning about prayer” I said, without thinking. There was a pause. “Well, they could . . . pray for me then” the frustrated ice cream man said.

Now, another thing that makes me uncomfortable is praying out loud for complete strangers, but a quiet voice in my head said “Do it”. And I did.

At that moment, three things happened.

The ice cream machine started up

The doors to the hall opened and several hundred people headed towards us

The ice cream man’s mouth dropped open, without swearing.

Whether God was giving a lesson to the ice cream man or me, I don’t know.

But I did enjoy a free ice cream!

The circumstances of hearing from God are going to be different for everyone, and they are personal. I’ve shared something that happened to me because God can speak to us through the experiences of others. If this encourages you to tell someone you know about your experiences hearing from God, that’s great, but I’m not setting you a challenge.

If you are in a comfortable situation, thank God for that gift. But also expect him to turn your comfort to discomfort, to encourage you to ask him for strength and guidance. Treat discomfort as a learning experience!

I’ve only touched on a few aspects of hearing from God. Perhaps you’d like to reflect on:

Why you want to hear from God.

How do you recognise God’s voice?

Are you open to whatever God has to say?

Are you ready to carry out what God tells you to do?