A television commercial shows a girl of goth-like appearance named Joy, looking anything but joyful. We’re assured it is all on the inside!

In our reading today, the joy and graciousness of God are very much a public spectacle. Things go a bit off script when the relatives want a traditional name (v 61). But Elizabeth and Zechariah are both adamant that he is John (vs 60,63). The name means ‘God is gracious’. And how much graciousness were these new parents now experiencing in their lives.

As soon as Zechariah’s obedience is confirmed, his voice returns and he can’t stop praising God (v 64). Blessings flow. Everyone now knows God has spoken. They have the first insights into how special the child will be. What exactly that will mean is yet to be revealed.

When we do things for God the consequences can be immediate. Sometimes we have that inner sense of certainty like Zechariah did. It still doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be easy. Both Elizabeth and her husband had the knowledge of God’s ways and the faith to persist. And that is what we need too.

‘O come, thou rod of Jesse, free / thine own from Satan’s tyranny.’¹

New babies are normally a source of joy to family and friends. John is no exception. But there is the added joy of knowing that the child is the gift of God and the result of God’s faithfulness. Then there is the question of the baby’s name. The insistence of the relatives that he should be named after Zechariah may reflect a desire to honour the elderly and afflicted priest. Elizabeth’s insistence does not convince, but Zechariah’s confirmation, combined with the regaining of his speech, clinches it. The name means ‘Yahweh (the Lord) is gracious’ or ‘has shown favour’, thus picking up a frequent theme in this chapter. Observing the debate over John’s name and especially the miraculous return of Zechariah’s speech, the neighbours are impressed. They now realise that something new is indeed happening. They don’t have all the answers – indeed they have a fundamental question – but what they can see is that in some way God is with the boy – the language of verse 66 is reminiscent of Old Testament heroes: Joseph,² David³ and Nehemiah.⁴ God is once again working to bring restoration and hope.

It is hard for us, who are familiar with these stories, to capture the sense of amazement and newness that the original participants experienced. The buzz of excitement created by the story of John’s birth prepares readers for the still more amazing story which is to come. The result is that this becomes a topic of general conversation in the whole region. Is it possible that if we were able to recapture the sense of wonder, we might be able to help our contemporaries, for many of whom these stories will be new, to see them as meaningful truth rather than legends around Christmas – and to be intrigued by them?

Think of someone to whom you might chat about the wonder of Christmas; pray for an opportunity and for the Holy Spirit to be at work.

¹Hymns A&M, 1861, translated from the Latin, ‘O come, O come, Immanuel’  ² Gen 39:2  ³ 1 Sam 16:13  ⁴ Eg Neh 1:10,11