The Coming Sunrise

Anticipation can be tough. People wait eight years for Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina to build an ice dam and break. How about anticipating something for thousands of years? Faithful Israelites waited millennium for the arrival of their Messiah. The darkest part of the night is just before sunrise, and so can it be with a spiritual sunrise. Many prophets like Isaiah predicted the savior’s birth—but the darkness persisted. How long would it be? Finally, after 400 years of silence and night, the word of Malachi was about to come true: “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings” (Mal 4:2).

Zechariah was the first prophet since Malachi to speak in 400 years, and he spoke of the sunrise he could see coming, “because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:78-79).

Zechariah’s prophetic song praised God for giving a horn of salvation and deliverance: “He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies” (Luke 1:69-70).

Whoever we are, whatever we have done, and no matter how terrible our sin, Jesus came to redeem us. He came to save sinners, those who have betrayed, lied or stolen, who have broken lives. Jesus is the "horn of salvation,” and he can save us completely.

Zechariah even goes further by saying that Jesus liberates us from our fears and frees us to serve God: “to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (Luke 1:74-75).

Zachariah said that light was coming with the sunrise. This sunrise would shine light in our darkness: “to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace" (Luke 1:79).

Zechariah was pointing to Jesus—his light would shine in a dark world, and for those who responded—they would find peace. It is as if a weary traveler has lost his way in the wilderness and is in a state of despair. Then comes the light. Peter’s words describe the scene: “…as to a light shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Pet 1:19).

Jesus brings redemption, he brings deliverance, and he brings hope. He leads us to a place of peace and frees us from our fears.