[The following devotional is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide. We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]
The “B Side” by Mark Robinson
Read: Luke 1:67-79
What is your favorite Christmas song? Christmas is truly a musical holiday. I love the “soundtrack” that plays in the background of December every year. Whether you are in church, driving in the car, or even shopping at the local mall, songs of our Savior fill the air from Thanksgiving to New Year’s.
We should not be surprised that we sing a lot at Christmas time. On the very first Christmas when Jesus was born, many songs were sung. Mary sung her “Magnificat” and the Angels serenaded the shepherds.
As you look at the albums first recorded around the birth of Christ, however, you will notice that both famous AND more obscure songs were recorded around the time of the manger. Right after Mary’s hit song, Zechariah records what some may see as the “B side” to her 45. You may have skipped this track in the past, but today, I want you to “press play” and read its beautiful lyrics found in Luke 1:67-79.
After waiting a lifetime for the joy of fatherhood, it is so striking that Zechariah spends most of the time at his son’s birth singing about Jesus, not John (his son). As we saw in yesterday’s post, this shows that Zechariah “got it” . . . he understood that the real joy in his AND John’s life would be their connection to Jesus.
At the end of the song, is one of the most poetic and beautiful statements about the work of Jesus in all of Scripture. “Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
I am so thankful that in Christ we have a hope that one day all death will be replaced with life eternal, and all darkness will be illuminated with His light. This is the reason Zechariah sings . . . and the reason we sing as well.
Question
- What is your favorite Christmas song? Why is it your favorite?
Advent Prayer
- We have a great hope in Jesus. Thank God for the hope we have, even in the face of death and circumstantial uncertainty.
Mark-
Is there anyway we could get Kelly’s song added to the end of your sermon last week on Vimeo? It just isn’t a complete sermon without the song. Plus we told a lot of people who asked the AV team for a copy of the song that it would be on sermon video.
Scott Hodgson
Sent from my iPad
Scott – it was a miscommunication. We are reposting the sermon video tomorrow with kellys song attached
Mark-
These advent devotionals have been great. I’m in Florida with my In laws. I forgot to bring the book but pulled it up from the email. You guys are the best. (had a great time explaining what a 45 was to kids.)
Scott Hodgson
Sent from my iPhone. Any weird words or misspellings you can blamed on my secretary, Siri.