By Beth DeCristofaro
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she
gave birth to a son. … He will be called John. … All who heard these things took them to
heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the
Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit (Luke 1: 57, 60, 66)
Piety
Dear God Our
Heavenly Father,
May my life be witness
and an offering of thanks for the great gifts you have given to your people. You give Your people knowledge of salvation through
the forgiveness of our sins. Because of
the tender mercy of our God, daybreak from on high will visit us to shine on
those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path
of peace.”
(reimagined from Zachariah’s Canticle,
Luke 1:76-79)
Study
Recently babies
have been born to friends or the children of friends and such news always fills
me with an irrational joy for the babe and parents. Babies smell just as wonderful as warm, fresh
baked bread and they fill me with hope, a sense of potential and an opportunity
to form new communities. I love learning
more about myself and creation as I see the world anew in the eyes of a child. Welcome to the world, Poppy and Jacob!
Elizabeth and John
sensed God’s presence in their newborn.
Going against the tradition of naming the baby after family, they called
him by a name which means “Yahweh Is
Gracious” or “The Lord Graciously Gave”.
Did they, does any parent (aunt,
uncle or committed friend) realize how gracious, indeed, is God as we feed a
baby, correct a wayward tween, guide an idealistic teenager? Elizabeth and Zachariah gave over trust to
God. God tasked their baby boy with
being the herald of the Messiah. What
does God have in store for any baby today whether born in Fairfax, Rome, Syria,
India, Thailand, or Argentina?
Action
Do we appreciate the graciousness of God in the little things of life? What can I do to share the graciousness of
God with the vulnerable? There are
children in our communities that are homeless, neglected, abused, refugees or
separated from family because of immigration issues. What can I do to help one child who might be
tasked by God to be a herald of the Word?
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