I love Zechariah’s prophecy about his son in Luke 1. I notice a strange capitalization when I look up Luke 1:76-79:
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
in the forgiveness of their sins,
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 love what we’re told John will do. We will learn from him about the “tender mercy” of God and how Jesus will visit us as our “Sunrise.” How beautiful to remember this description of God. Some translations say “Dayspring”–another lovely word. Think about what the Sunrise represents here. Light! Clarity! Freedom from the fear of shadows! Guidance into peace!
I pray the Sunrise floods our hearts today. That light scatters the darkness, brings clarity to confusion, and offers peace to counter our anxiety and fear. Amen!