Father to Son

Father and Adopted Son, by Christine Bauer

Children’s Sermon: The Song of Zechariah

8 December 2024

Hey, guys. How go the holiday preparations? Is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas?

Today we sang a song that’s almost 2000 years old. Talk about a golden oldie. It was first sung, according to Luke’s Gospel, by a father to his newborn son, a dad to his baby boy. And what do you think he sings about?

He sings about how God has always kept His promises, to their family and their people. He sings about how God has come to save us, to rescue us from our enemies, and to banish all our fears. And then he says that you, my child, will go before the Lord to let everyone know of His mercies. He will be our light in darkness. He will lead us all into peace.

Now, I like this song for a number of reasons. I like that it ties together all the good things that God has done for us in the past with all the good things that He promises for our future. I like that it’s a dad passing on the love of God to his son, so that he can then carry it forward, carry that love unto others.

You know, when you’re a parent, you never know quite what your kids will do. Y’all have minds of your own. But we love you, no matter what. And we know that someday you’ll do wonderful things. We’re so thankful for everything that our parents have passed on to us, and for the opportunity now to pass those blessings on to you. You are a part of us, and we are a part of you, and that’s amazing. That’s the coolest thing about being a mom or a dad.

All these stories of the Bible, all these promises that God fulfills for us in Jesus, I want you all to know that all of this is for you. The story of Jesus is our story, and every one of us is a part of it. The whole history of God’s people is your history. And He opens the future to you.

You, my child, will be the prophet of the Most High. You will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. And His mercy will shine on us all like the dawn, because of you.

Jesus is for you. Jesus is with you. Jesus is in you. He gives you all the past, and all the future too. And because of that, one day, you’ll be able to pass His promises on to children of your own. And you’ll see how far they go.

Make sense? Okay. Let’s pray.