What is it like to be FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT??
What does that mean, how do we understand that? One example:
What we just witnessed! In the baptism we just witnessed that’s a child receiving the Holy Spirit, what a joy that is! The ‘gift that keeps on giving’ we could say, the presence of the Holy Spirit coming into our lives and going with us.
Other examples?
We might think of someone being ‘filled with the Spirit’ as being fired up for Jesus! We might think of that, being high energy, ready to go out and start making disciples right here and now!
We might think of someone who has some GIFTS of the Spirit like wisdom, understanding, knowledge or faith, or someone who has FRUITS of the Spirit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control…
You might have other examples too, what it looks like to be FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT…
We’ve got an example in our gospel reading today of one man who is definitely FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT > Zechariah!
He is filled with the Spirit, it says he is and we can tell he is from what he says, he’s got a bit to say today about who God is and also who his own son is – that’s John the Baptist – and what he’s going to do.
Let’s have another look at our gospel reading to see the language of praise and joy and thanksgiving that’s going on here:
‘Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvationfrom our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us – to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.’
What’s the tone of Zechariah’s words here, what does it say he’s doing here?
He’s prophesying, he’s praising God, he’s celebrating, he’s expressing his joy and his thankfulness for what God has done and is doing
What does it mean to ‘prophesy?’
‘Speaking under divine inspiration’ is one way we can understand this, divine inspiration has taken hold of Zechariah and he must tell of the good news he has heard, he’s compelled to sing the praises of his good and gracious God.
And there are two really important points in the context of what we’re hearing here >
- Zechariah is praising God for all to hear right now, but he definitely wasn’t doing that a short time ago
- And he’s not the only one! He’s not the only one praising, prophesying or giving thanks to God here
So that first point, Zechariah definitely wasn’t praising God a short time ago > how does he go from not praising God to being compelled to sing his praises in this way?
God sends an angel to tell Zechariah that he and his wife Elizabeth are going to have a baby, but Zechariah says how can this happen, my wife and I are old, surely not he says!
So the angel says to Zechariah that he will now be silent, unable to speak, until this day happens, because he did not believe the angel’s words
So no praising, no songs of joy here > Zechariah is silent, unable to speak…
And then what happens?
Just as the angel said, Zechariah and Elizabeth do have a son, it’s a miracle, imagine the joy and surprise they would’ve have felt! This son is John, who would go on to be John the Baptist, who ‘prepares the way for the Lord’
And the other person here who’s singing songs of joy and praise and thanksgiving?
None other than Elizabeth’s own cousin Mary, Mary the mother of Jesus!
An angel tells her that she will receive the Holy Spirit and she will give birth to the Son of God himself.
This is something we can’t explain, something that can sound strange and weird and we might not be sure about it. But if it is as God says it is > and by faith we believe it is as God says it is > then this is an incredible, life-changing thing going on here > not only for Mary and Elizabeth but for all people of all times!
That’s why we get excited about Christmas, because that’s when Jesus came into the world to save us and call us children of God.
The joy and the praise and the thanksgiving going on here is what Christmas is all about! People are filled with the Spirit, Jesus is coming to be among us, God is with his people, he has not forgotten them but is intimately and powerfully connected to them!
We hear some key words in Zechariah’s song of praise >
‘He has come to his people and redeemed them’
‘Salvation,’ ‘tender mercy,’ ‘rescue’
‘Forgiveness of sins,’ ‘guide our feet into the path of peace’
We see our God is NOT distant or forgetful, he’s NOT an unfeeling dictator with no concern for the welfare of the human race.
What sort of God is this, who is this God we’re talking about?
A God who COMES TO HIS PEOPLE AND REDEEMS THEM.
A God who brings joy, peace, comfort, love, hope, faith, a God who works those gifts and fruits of the Spirit in us and through us
A God who sends his own to die for us, whose son willingly gives up his life for all people > that’s salvation, that’s tender mercy right there, that’s how we are rescued from sin, death and the devil.
A God who offers us the forgiveness of sins, and who guides our feet into the path of peace.
Beautiful words to finish with there, beautiful words about who Jesus is and what he’s done, is doing and will do for us.
Jesus can forgive you, he can guide you.
Not only in a nice way but in a seriously life-changing way, from not praising God at all to being compelled to sing his praises for all to hear, being unable to contain the love God has for us.
He can take you from ‘weary sinner’ to forgiven child > hear the change there, significant change and that’s free for you and me right here today and everyday through faith in Jesus.
To be guided into the ‘path of peace,’ where our footing is sure and we know the hope of the foundation we stand on, that is to be FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT. Encouraged, supported, even carried along when we need it.
So as we finish the church year today and look ahead to Advent and Christmas to come, may the Holy Spirit be with you and guide you and remind of the hope and the joy we have in the good news of Jesus. Amen //
Tom Kitson 