阅读经文 

撒迦利亚在路加福音第一章中的歌颂是“以色列的神应当称颂”这首诗歌的基础。这是一首较新的歌曲，曲调简单、广为人知，在一些赞美诗集中可以找到（例如：《举起你心》 67）。

在宣布他的儿子出生时，祭司撒迦利亚不能自已。在好几个月哑口无言之后，撒迦利亚突然唱起赞歌来。“主以色列的神，是应当称颂的。因祂眷顾祂的百姓，为他们施行救赎。”但是此时救主耶稣还没有出生，那究竟这里所发生的事是什么意思呢？

撒迦利亚知道他的儿子（即我们所知道的施洗约翰）将是为弥赛亚（耶稣）的到来“预备道路”的先知。

这首歌也被称为救主颂（Benedictus，拉丁语），告诉我们即将到来的弥赛亚将会拯救和赎出我们，给我们带来救恩，赦免我们的罪——所有这些作为都是为了让我们得以“坦然无惧地侍奉祂”。

弥赛亚是带着目的来拯救我们的，祂的目的是使我们侍奉祂。正如赞美诗所说，祂来“拯救众人，好使我们坦然无惧地敬拜，献上赞美的生命，以圣洁和公义，终日侍奉神。”

Zechariah’s song in Luke 1 is the basis of the song "Blessed be the God of Israel." This is a newer song, and it has an easy, familiar tune, as found in several hymnals (for example, Lift Up Your Hearts, 67).

At the announcement of the birth of his son, Zechariah the priest could not contain himself. After many months of not being able to speak, Zechariah burst into song: "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them." But the Savior, Jesus, had not been born yet, so what was happening here?

Zechariah knew that his son (John the Baptist, as we know him) would be the prophet who came to "prepare the way" for the coming of the Messiah (Jesus).

This song, also known as the Benedictus (in Latin), tells us that the coming Messiah will come to rescue and redeem us, to bring us salvation and forgiveness of sins—all so that we may "serve him without fear."

The Messiah has come to rescue us for a purpose, his purpose—so that we can serve him. As the hymn puts it, he came "to save us all, that we might worship without fear and offer lives of praise,/ in holiness and righteousness to serve God all our days."