because of the tender mercy of our God

Zechariah the Father of John the Baptist:

Luke 1:78-79

78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace

God sent Jesus because of who God is. God is tender and merciful.

When God proclaimed his name to Moses the first way he described himself was a God merciful and gracious.
Exodus 34:5-7

5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Zechariah’s hope was in God’s mercy and our’s should be too.
In the psalms it says: the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Or his Mercy in KJV.

Our hope needs to be in God’s mercy for eternity, but also for day to day life. Everything we have is by God’s mercy. Our cars, our, brains, our arms and legs all is by his mercy. All goodness in us and others is only by his mercy. Any love, patience, or kindness we have or see is from his mercy.

In Zechariah’s prophecy he refers back to The Prophet Malachi. Who said over 400 years earlier:

4:2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.

The World was, and still is in many ways, a Dark world. The light couldn’t come from this world. The sunrise had to come from above like Zechariah said, “the sunrise shall visit us from on high.”

Jesus Christ is the Sun of Righteousness he is the light of the World.

Look at how he demonstrates a righteousness that the world has never seen.
John 8:3-11
3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

Jesus Christ comes with righteousness that shines so brightly it forces everyone around him, the Scribe, the Pharisees, the woman, to look at their own sin their own lack of righteousness.

Right after The incident with the woman in Vs 12 Jesus Proclaims:

12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

This is our hope. That we know longer have to walk in darkness, but can know him. And walk in his light. But in the very next verse the darkness of this world shows up.

13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.”

The Pharisees were there accusing him. And that is the world that God sent his son into. God was tender and merciful in sending his son into a world that was not tender and merciful at all.

The world greeted him with No room in Inn and Herod’s plot. The same world would crucify him before long and pierce his mother’s heart.

Jesus Guides our feet into the way of peace as Zechariah said.

Jesus taught us the way of peace:

Luke 6:27-36
27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
This is the way of peace. This is Christ’s way and how we can have peace. By loving our enemies. By not getting angry. Not seeking our own way. Not getting even. This is the way of peace God sent Jesus to show us.
This is the gift we were given that we remember all year around and especially on Christmas. God sent Jesus to show us this light. This sunrise. And to die on the cross for our sins that we could be brought into the light.
Even in the darkness we can hope in him. And we can hope in the tender and merciful God who gave us such a great gift.
In one of the darkest times of the history of God’s people he sent his people a promise through the prophet Jeremiah, and I’ll close with that:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases his mercies never come to an end.” Amen