Joy! I love how often joy appears in the stories surrounding the birth of Jesus. Zechariah and Elizabeth certainly had joy and gladness in the son of their old age. But the Bible also draws attention to their neighbors. Joy has a natural tendency to spread. The neighbors rejoiced with Elizabeth, who was rejoicing. These are good neighbors! Surprisingly, joy then led to circumcision. Why would these rejoicing parents submit their son to circumcision? In presenting their little boy to God, Zechariah and Elizabeth hoped in God’s ancient promises to Abraham. These aging parents were trusting in the Savior, whom God promised would come through Abraham. And that Savior spent several months in Zechariah’s home, though he was still in Mary’s womb. Through circumcision, these two elderly, joyful parents took the sign of God’s covenant, the covenant that promised Jesus. In the words of one theologian, they were “entering under the wings of the divine majesty” (Herman Witsius). As we take refuge under the shadow of the Almighty Jesus, we find joy. —Pastor James Crampton
Posted by Henry Haffner
Categories: Worship Notes