The Gist of the Worship Message on December 9, 2007
Luke 1:5 - 25
"The Affection that removes Shame"
@by: Pastor Shigenori Hosoi
@ Zechariah and his wife, Elisabeth, were from Aaron's lineage, priest's daughter, and a venerable standing of a family. The two people were "right persons in front of the God with complying all of the Lordfs laws and provisions, and was perfectly spotlessh indeed. Notwithstanding that, they did not have their child. This was big contradiction for the people at that time.
This was because the infertility had been thought the biggest "Shame" and the God's judgment against her hidden sin for the Jew women who had been supposed to have the privilege and the obligation to produce the Messiah. Up to then, two people had lived with suffering from the slanders and the lack of understanding and the suspicion from other peoplefs eyes.@ However, Elisabeth had the belief and caught that reality straightly. She was not aware at all what the things happened on Zechariah's body meant. However, she was able to realize something great to happen through the change occurring on her body. It was the God's answer that was much more than her own prayer; and the action for the purpose of saving by using them the God who were going to redeem the human race. She became to be honored and blessed so much far beyond even her expectation, that was, her loving child was used as the God's vessel.
@ What we are taught through the Bible part for this morning is that Zechariah and Elizabeth heavily suffered as mentioned above, that they were made to pray by being forced to go through their pain and hardship and that their prayer came to begin to spin out the God's Action. Furthermore, this prayer out of this event changed the world history afterwards. The God led them to pray by intentionally leaving those faithful servants in suffering, and their tearful prayer did cause the God's great action The God used his servants through their suffering for the God's action which brought the blessing exceeding their own desires.
@ Elizabeth admitted those everything including her infertility was from the God, and believed in the God. Her faith had been purified through the shame and suffering of her own.
@ Elizabeth, through the event of bearing John in her body, felt as following, gThe God put his eyes on myself at last. I am not a person who has been forgotten by the God. I am the woman who is seen and loved by the God. g
She discovered herself living under the Godfs look of sympathy. The noteworthy was not whether they are given a child or not, but to discover herself living under the look of the God. "My shame was removed" has such meaning.
Likewise, we may certainly confess that "The Lord removed my shame and puts hi s eyes on me" by going through the try by the God. The look the God given to us is the action for saving by the Lord Jesus Christ.