Christmas and Work: Saved to Serve

In the first part of Luke 1, Zechariah received a visit from an angel, who informed the priest that his elderly wife, Elizabeth, would bear a child. When Zechariah doubted the angel’s good news, his power of speech was taken away until the time when his child would be born.

This birth happened in the latter part of Luke 1. Sure enough, Zechariah’s ability to speak was restored. The first thing he did after months of silence was to praise God (1:64). A portion of his celebration is found in Luke 1:68-79, a passage that we call the Benedictus (which is the first word of the Latin version of verse 68, meaning “blessed”).

In this hymn of praise, Zechariah proclaims that God “has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” (1:69). In the Old Testament, the horn was associated with strength. In Psalm 132:17, for example, the Lord says, “Here I will make a horn grow for David,” which refers to the victory of David’s progeny over the enemies of Israel. Similarly, Zechariah celebrates the “horn of salvation” that the Lord has raised up for Israel. The nation will be saved through the messiah who will exercise God’s mighty power.

Notice what follows from this act of salvation. Zechariah says that when God rescues us from our enemies, it will “enable us to serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness” (1:74). God’s people are saved so that they might serve God. How does this service happen? To be sure, in Zechariah’s day it included the offerings presented in the temple. But the Old Testament concept of serving God also embraces our daily work. In fact, the Hebrew word for “serve” can mean “work or “worship” (avodah).

Those of us who have been saved by God’s grace through Christ have a similar experience and calling. We have been saved to serve the Lord in a variety of ways, including our daily work. In Ephesians 2:8-10, for example, we learn that we have been saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8) and that when we are saved we are also recreated in Christ for good works (Eph 2:10). To use Zechariah’s language, when we do our work “in holiness and righteousness” (Luke 1:74), then we are living out our salvation by serving the Lord and contributing to his work in the world.