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It is NOT about ‘me’

Luke 1:67-75

• Paying attention to personal pronouns–You–We/Us/Our

67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;

72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,

73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of

our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

(Luke 1:67-75; ESV)

• Zechariah’s prophecy firmly embeds the story of Jesus in story of Israel– for he [God] has visited and redeemed his people

(cf. Matthew 1:21)– [he] has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the

house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

• Zechariah’s prophecy firmly embeds the story of Jesus in story of Israel– that we should be saved from our enemies and

from the hand of all who hate us; – to show the mercy promised to our fathers and

to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham,

• Zechariah’s prophecy firmly embeds the story of Jesus in story of Israel– to grant us that we, being delivered from the

hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

• The celebrated salvation is corporate– He has raised up a horn of salvation for US – WE will be saved from OUR enemies– To grant US that WE, being delivered from the

hand of OUR enemies, …

Why did Jesus come?

• There is a purpose to this salvation• The first ‘WE’…might serve him

– without fear – in holiness and righteousness before him – all OUR days

• Later ‘WEs’

Why did Jesus come?

• Jesus did not come to do something ‘new’ in the sense of providing a personal, interior religion.

• He did not come simply to help individuals, as individuals, feel closer to God.

• He did not come merely so that one could develop his/her personal piety and spiritual life.

Why did Jesus come?

• Jesus didn’t come merely so we could have a close, personal (one-to-one) relationship with God

• We talk about an individual relationship with God, but Jesus talked about the kingdom

Why did Jesus come?

• This kingdom idea is related to the creation and empowering of a community of Jesus followers who would devote their lives to living as Jesus called them to live. – This community has been known as the church,

but the church too often fails to live out the life that Jesus has called US to live.

Why did Jesus come?

• There is a purpose to this salvation– Jesus came to create the covenantal community

that would serve God without fear, serve God in holiness and righteousness, and to do so throughout the lives of its members.

How can ‘we’ fulfill this purpose?

• WE are ‘saved,’ so that WE can participate in and help establish this community

The ‘church’ is a primary context for community


• Why do we struggle with community?

“It takes God’s Spirit to create community because we, no matter how hard we try, are unloving, unjust, and unpeaceful. We need the Spirit to live in community.” [McKnight, One.Life, 100]



• We approach church as consumers– “Some churches, in fact, are like shopping malls:

people park their cars, enter the building, get what they want, get back in the car and go out to eat.” [McKnight, 101]



• We approach church as individuals– We think the purpose of church is to provide

what ‘I’ need to develop my private and personal piety

– We are often “gathered but disconnected” [McKnight, 103]



• “Community emerges out of loving behavior--like compassion and an embrace and forgiveness--out of acts of justice.” [McKnight, 102]


• WE are called to be part of God’s covenantal community


• Advent is a good time in the present for us to consider the past and the future– As we look back we should see how we fit into

the larger story


• Advent is a good time in the present for us to consider the past and the future– As we look forward we should anticipate and

desire the richness of true community• With God and with others


• Advent is a good time in the present for us to consider the past and the future– In the present we should, in the power of the

Spirit, actively pursue the realization of true community