“And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people.’” (Luke 1:67-68 ESV) It’s a homely term—God has “visited” His people. It’s the same word you’d use for going to see a relative you love, or a friend in the hospital. A phone call is not enough. You go there in person, to see them with your own eyes.
And Zechariah puts it in the past tense, too! That makes sense, actually—because at this point, Jesus has been in Mary’s womb for three months. God has in fact already come into the world as a human being—to visit and redeem His people. He didn’t write a letter or do a phone call. He came Himself.
That is the kind of God we have—a God who cares about us so much that He came down into our world to be with us, to be one of us, to live and to suffer and die for us so that we could live forever with Him. A God who rose from the dead to share that everlasting life with us—the people He visited, the people He loves. He wants you to be with Him forever.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for visiting us—and for opening the way for us to be with You forever. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Who is the last person you visited?
* What makes a visit good or bad? Why?
* How does God’s visit to our world make a difference in your life?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on December 14, 2022
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights reserved
