Hennie Symington

Rejoice greatly, Daughters of Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9

Let’s take a journey back in time today. In the book of Zechariah, the prophet speaks of an army of angels mounted on horseback (1:8-10) patrolling the earth like a peace keeping force. He also mentions an angel giving clean clothes to a priest dressed in soiled clothes, and then forgives him his sins and puts him in charge of the temple (1:3-4). This vision may be seen as a symbol of the coming Messiah and the forgiveness of sins that will follow. He also speaks of a golden lampstand with seven smaller lamps fuelled by olive oil, and two olive trees (4:1-14), which symbolise God’s all-seeing eyes and God’s chosen leaders. And lastly he speaks of four chariots (6-1-8) with their charioteers or spirits sent from God to patrol the earth in all four directions to do his work.

If any of us should happen to have a dream such as this, our first reaction would be one of terror. But here the prophet speaks of restoration and shows God’s faithfulness to his promises. He promises a return of Israel and all nations to God. The most important message however, is that God has not forgotten his covenant and will eventually fulfil all his promises. This is a message of hope not only for the returnees from exile, but also for God’s people wandering through the desert landscape of our modern age.

The most important prediction however, is the promise of better days ahead. This vision may be seen as a symbol of the promised Messiah and forgiveness that would follow: "On that day a fountain will be opened … a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins …(Zechariah 13:1) while later on we read in John 4:14: "The water I give … becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”  Sounds like good news to me!

What can we offer the saviour of the world in the 2015^th year after his birth? At the least we can offer him our joy and thanks that God has sent his Son as a shield and a go-between in the harshness of our earthly habitat. May you experience a heartfelt joy and certainty of God’s presence near us when he sent his Son to show us what true love means.

Prayer: Lord, for many of us Christmas holds happy and joyful memories. For others however, it is a day marked by persecution, hardship and exile. Open our hearts to the many thousands of Christians who are left homeless and beset by danger this year. We pray for their deliverance. Amen.