Luke 1: 67 – 80
Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:
‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a mighty saviour for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.’
The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.
Reflection
“You need to have a sit-down with your ego,” warned pop band The Saturdays in the 2010 hit, Ego. While that advice was aimed at an egotistical lover, the lyrics have echoed throughout this week’s Daily Devotion passages.
Shedding our ego is a theme that’s also explored in more spiritual depth by Franciscan friar and popular writer Richard Rohr. He asserts that letting go of one’s ego is necessary in order to focus on God, switching priorities from individuality to community.
Sadly, putting aside our egos is something we’re not always good at doing in churches. Too many of us like the sound of our own voice and forget we have two ears and only one mouth, a useful reminder about the need for balance between listening and speaking.
In today’s Bible passage, we have examples of not one but two people putting their own egos aside to prepare the way for others. First Zechariah, then John.
Over the past two days, we’ve followed the story of how Zechariah the priest was left unable to speak after hearing the news that his son would prepare the way for Jesus. Even though Zechariah’s incense offering took place away from public gaze, as a priest he was used to being the centre of attention.
Instead, he needs to put aside his own ego and focus on the work his son will complete for God. In today’s verses, he praises God for that mission.
As for John the Baptist, during the coming weeks of Advent we’ll remember how he became the voice in the wilderness, preparing the way for Jesus. It’s a call parents and guardians, ministers and Sunday school teachers, elders and deacons have answered too, down through the ages, setting aside their egos to nurture children and congregations.
As for us, in what ways do we need to put aside our own egos? Today and in the days ahead, who are the people we need to let speak instead?
Prayer
God of my mouth,
please help me to have a sit-down with my ego.
Please stop me from loving the sound of my own voice.
Please prevent me from drowning out the voices of the prophets that need to be heard.
God of my ears,
please help me to knock some sense into my ego.
Please stop me from speaking when I need to listen.
Please make me listen, and not just hear.
In the name of Christ,
Amen.