Article written by Pastor Doug Irwin

Silence Broken by Singing

​This Advent, we’ve been drawing our attention to the fact that, at the time of Jesus’ birth, there was a terrible silence. This wasn’t like any other silence; it was a heavenly silence, and that made it even more terrifying. Had God forgotten His people? Surely not. But the fact remained: God’s people had not received a word from the Lord since the prophet Malachi - 400 years earlier. 

So how does God break this silence? Through singing. He inspires four new songs; all recorded in Luke’s Gospel. 

The first is the Song of Mary (Magnificat) in Luke 1:46–55, where Mary, upon hearing that she will give birth to Jesus, worships the Lord with a new song that weaves together the promises of the Old Testament (especially Psalm 89) to express her joy. 

Next is the Song of Zechariah (Benedictus) in Luke 1:68–79, where Zechariah worships the Lord following the birth of his son John (the Baptist), the long-awaited prophet who will prepare the way for Jesus and proclaim the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins. 
This is followed by the Song of the Angels (Gloria in Excelsis Deo) in Luke 2:14, where the angels reveal to the shepherds that the Messiah has been born in Bethlehem and grant them a glimpse of heavenly worship. 

And yet, let us draw our attention to the fourth song: the Song of Simeon (Nunc Dimittis) in Luke 2:29–32. We read that Simeon was a righteous and devout man who was looking forward to the “consolation of Israel” - that is, the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ - and that the Holy Spirit was upon him. The Spirit had revealed to him that, though he was advanced in years, he would not see death before seeing the Messiah. So, when Joseph and Mary bring the baby Jesus to the temple, Simeon recognizes the Savior, embraces the child, and praises God, saying: 
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 
for my eyes have seen your salvation 
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, 
and for glory to your people Israel.” 

When Simeon says, “my eyes have seen your salvation,” he does not merely see the One who brings salvation - he sees salvation itself. As Spurgeon says, “Whether in Bethlehem’s manger, or on Calvary’s cross, or on His throne of glory from where He will judge the quick and the dead - wherever we see Him, we see the salvation of God.” 

The world was grieving the silence of God, but the silence was broken by thunderous hope. Mary hopes in the Lord whose promises are true. Zechariah hopes in the One for whom his son will prepare the way. The shepherds hope in this promise of heaven now come to earth in the Child they worship. And Simeon hopes in the salvation that has come for both the Gentiles and Israel. 

​If we find that God seems silent in our lives, may we be reminded that His promises are true, and may we be encouraged by these four songs of hope. But this hope does not only look back to the songs already written, but it also looks forward to the new song we will join in the consummation of all things, in Revelation 5, when the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders declare that the Lamb is worthy.