Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior 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.
Luke 1: 68-71
In these days of early December there are those of us who remember where we were when the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service launched a surprise air attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th--"a date which will live in infamy," as then President Franklin Roosevelt declared.
As we all reflect on that December day in 1941, we need to be mindful of God’s unfolding plan for our salvation. Luke introduces Jesus’s cousin, John, son of Zechariah. Elizabeth, John’s mother, and John—also known as “John the Baptizer” each took their places in the unfolding story and days leading to Jesus’s birth. We would do well to ponder what parts we will play in our days of Advent preparation.
