Mercy.

When Brother Matt wanted mercy to be a “word” during the season of Advent, I thought: “Mercy? Since when is that an Advent word?”

The Advent Candles lit for some worship settings during Advent might uplift the words, “Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love” or numerous other words. But “Mercy” — I’ve not encountered that one! I had to investigate!

Mercy is one of the words repeated in the songs of Mary and Zechariah. 

Mary sang of God:

“His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.”

And again, sang that God had remembered to be merciful to

“Abraham and his descendants forever.”

(Luke 1:50, 54-55)

Zechariah reiterated this by singing,

“…to show mercy to our ancestors

    and to remember his holy covenant,

    the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

    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 1:72-75)

These ancestors in the faith clearly saw in God’s action of Mary’s pregnancy and John’s birth (Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son) the mercy of God on display.

Mercy means to “treat compassionately or with forgiveness those in distress, when it is within one’s power to punish or harm them.”

The word comes from medieval latin, according to Compassion Int’l, and means “price paid.” What a meaning!

No wonder Zechariah and Mary saw mercy in the actions of God in their lives. God was fulfilling an ancient covenant promise to Abraham. And Zechariah noted the purpose of this mercy was “to rescue us… and enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (Luke 1:74-75). 

Zechariah prophetically announced a new kind of rescue, a salvation which transforms the recipients to live “without fear.”

No wonder we can thus live: the price was paid. Clothed in holiness and righteousness, we serve without fear.

May the wonder of the price being paid, the wonder of promises fulfilled, the wonder of God’s mercy fill your Christmas with a new embrace of His grace.