77 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:
68 ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a mighty saviour for us
in the house of his servant David,
70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered
his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us
74that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear,
75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
Why do I need to be “redeemed”?
From what forces do I require “a mighty saviour”?
What are the “enemies” from which I need to be “saved” and “rescued”?
Listening to Zechariah’s words, I acknowledge there is something deeply contrary in my life. There are forces in my life that work against my true human flourishing. At times I find myself living in ways that are anti-life. I work against my own well-being, the well-being of people I love, and the flourishing of this beautiful creation we all inhabit.
I am powerless to overcome those dark forces. I long to “serve” freedom, beauty, and truth “without fear”. But I see again and again the “enemies” I call my smaller self defeating my deepest intentions and my highest hopes.
If I am going to live “in holiness and righteousness” I need to be “redeemed”; I need to be “rescued” from my smaller self.
To admit that I need a “saviour” is not grovelling and demeaning. It is simply honesty. I need a power greater than myself to enable me to fulfill the vision of “holiness and righteousness” for which I was created.
What are the “enemies” in my life that inhibit me from living freely in the beauty and truth for which I know I was created?
What is required if I am to be “redeemed” from the anti-life forces I experience at work in my life?
In A Spacious Place 
4 comments
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December 10, 2016 at 12:06 pm
tressbackhouse
I do not quite understands this , but acknowledge that this is your blog and not a discusion group!!! But the thought is always interesting!
December 11, 2016 at 5:12 am
Christopher Page
it is difficult. I think I am talking about Romans 7:15-20 – I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
December 11, 2016 at 11:09 am
tressbackhouse
Thank you! I certainly dshows up the dichotomy within us!
December 11, 2016 at 4:37 am
Rosemary
It is so much easier to think of the dark forces as something outside of ourselves. Thanks for the reminder that I need to acknowledge them within myself.