Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, December 30, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
John’s birth was surrounded with mystery and power. Zechariah, who wasn’t willing to believe Gabriel’s message that his wife would give him a son, was struck speechless until the child was born. That’s nine months, give or take, where all Zechariah could do was jot down what he wanted to say. And it’s not like there were notebooks and pens lying around in this era. I giggle a little when I imagine that Elizabeth enjoyed the respite.
Then when the baby was born, and Elizabeth wanted to name him John, no one wanted to listen to her. It wasn’t a family name. Plus it was the father’s right to name the child. So they handed Zechariah something to write with and he wrote, “His name is John!” What was that all about? Where had that name come from?
And then, instantly, Zechariah could speak again.
The people around Zechariah and Elizabeth—their friends, family, neighbors, living in close proximity to them, bore witness to this whole bizarre story. It’s no wonder they pondered what John would become. But I imagine it was a bit of an excited wondering—surely God was at work in all of this!
When have I witnessed something in my life that made me stop and say, “Whoa. God has a hand in this.”
