June 24

Beloved families of Good Shepherd,

Peace be with you! Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, six months before the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord. The collect we pray today invites us to follow St. John the Baptist’s “teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for truth’s sake, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 241)

St. John the Baptist was the older cousin of Jesus by six months. The Gospel of Luke says John was miraculously born to Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, in their advanced age. The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, a Temple priest, and relayed the news that he and his wife would bear a son in their old age and that they were to name him John. The angel said, “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.” The angel Gabriel continued speaking to Zechariah:

“John must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1: 14-17)

It turns out that Zechariah doubted this good news from the angel Gabriel and became unable to speak until after his son was born. When asked by his family about the name to give to the baby after the baby’s birth, Zechariah wrote on a tablet, "His name is John”. At that moment Zechariah’s voice returned and he began thanking God in prayer (known as the Benedictus or Canticle of Zechariah prayer).

St. John the Baptist was a miraculous gift given by God to Zechariah and Elizabeth and they experienced great joy when he was born. Zechariah and Elizabeth celebrated their baby and yet also realized that their baby was God’s possession, created to be an powerful instrument of the Lord, “to turn many people of Israel to the Lord their God”, and to prepare the way for the arrival of the Kingdom of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Every child born is an amazing gift from God to be joyfully celebrated and extravagantly loved. At the same time, God invites us to offer our children back to Him in baptism to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to serve as a mighty instrument of the Lord, like St. John the Baptist did so faithfully throughout his life. To learn more about the sacrament of baptism, go HERE.

We hope to see you this Sunday!

Many Blessings,

Patty