One of my favorite Christmas carols is Silent Night. I have wonderful memories of gatherings where different friends and family members would sing this song in their native language — Greek, German, Spanish, and English. I loved to hear the many different voices harmonizing to announce the Good News of our Savior’s birth. Envision with me the scene about 2,000 years ago, a dark sky filled with stars. One enormous star points out the miraculous event. A young girl and her husband stand mesmerized by the newborn just delivered into their hands in a humble stable. Animals are quietly attentive. Visitors come by to share in the Holy moment. God had chosen this night to give us His Son, the Prince of Peace, to restore our peace. In our passage for today, we read about one of the final prophecies of the coming Redeemer that happened mere months before Jesus’ birth. These were some of the first words Zechariah had spoken in about 9 months. He had been mute because of his disbelief that God was going to bless him and his wife, Elizabeth, with a baby in their advanced age. When the baby was finally born, he named the child John, as he was told to do by the angel Gabriel. Immediately, Zechariah’s “mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.” (Luke 1:64) He gave the prophecy in Luke 1:67-79 that God was sending the Israelites redemptive peace through our Prince of Peace.
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