Thomas J Parlette
“Setting the Stage”
Luke 1: 67-79
11/23/25
It all started in 1924. Some employees of Macy’s Department Store in New York City decided to try and draw in some extra business by having a parade. That original Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade looked a lot different than it does now. There were no floats, there were now balloons – just an assortment of animals that had been borrowed from the Zoo. The 6 mile route was more than twice as long as the current 2.5 mile walk. But it started a tradition that has grown beyond Macy’s wildest dreams.
The parade was first televised nationally in 1947, and it has been part of Thanksgiving every year since. This year, the parade turns 99 years old – so next year, for their 100th birthday should be something.
It takes a lot of work to organize the Parade. Macy’s has never been specific about how much it costs to stage the event, but estimates put the cost at around 13 million. This year, they expect to include 29 floats, 34 balloons, 11 marching bands and 5,000 volunteers.
Amazingly, watching the parade is free – Macy’s does not sell tickets. Other companies will arrange “viewing experiences” that can cost a couple of hundred dollars up to the VIP level that can go for 4,000 a person. These are the companies that put up those bleachers you see on TV – Macy’s doesn’t do those. Macy’s has always thought of the parade as their gift to their customers all over the world.
The preparations for the parade go on almost year round, with a crew of 27 painters, carpenters, animators, sculptors, designers, electricians and engineers working some 8,000 hours to make the parade possible. All in all, it takes 2,000 gallons of paint, 300 lbs of glitter, 200 lbs confetti and 375 paint brushes to get the parade ready. All those helium-filled balloons means that Macy’s is actually the 2nd largest consumer of helium in the United States, second only to the US government.
If you want to go to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in person – you better go early. Experts advise staking out your spot as early as 6:00 am on Central Park West between 61st and 75th.
It takes a lot of time and effort to set the stage for a show like the parade. For my money, I think the best seat is in my living room with some hot chocolate and a slice of pumpkin chocolate chip bread – that’s how I like to set the stage for a Happy Thanksgiving. But I love watching the parade every year.
Today is Christ the King Sunday, sometimes called Reign of Christ Sunday. It is the last Sunday of our liturgical year. Next week we start a new year, as we enter the season of Advent. All the readings we hear on this Sunday celebrate the King who is about the burst onto the scene in the form of a baby, born in Bethlehem. All our Bible passages for today set the stage for the arrival of Jesus.
Luke begins his Gospel story like he’s writing a modern Broadway musical. You might call it, “Miracles at the Maternity Ward,” because he tells the story of not one, but two miraculous births.
The first miraculous birth story revolves around Elizabeth and Zechariah. Zechariah is a priest in the Temple at Jerusalem. His wife, Elizabeth, is the daughter of a priest – so holy duties run in the family.
The Angel Gabriel appears to them and announces that Elizabeth is pregnant and will have a son. Zechariah finds this hard to believe at their advanced age. So Gabriel takes away Zechariah’s ability to speak. For the rest of Elizabeth’s pregnancy – he will be silent.
Upon first glance it appears that this silence is a punishment for not believing what Gabriel has to say. But upon a reflection, there is another possible way to look at Zechariah’s situation. Instead of being struck as a punishment, perhaps it is meant to provide a time of forced contemplation on this miraculous event. Perhaps Gabriel’s intent is to say – “Look, Zechariah, I know this is hard to believe. It shouldn’t be possible. But just be quiet and observe how God is going to work in this situation. Don’t say anything, don’t try to offer any explanation, don’t offer any skeptical words – just be quiet and watch. Watch and wait.” Sometimes that’s the best strategy – be silent and let things unfold. Perhaps that is what Gabriel is doing here.
Our passage picks up the story just after John is born. And Zechariah, in the spirit of a classic musical, sings his praises to God and his predictions about what lays ahead for his son. It is a song that we know as the “Benedictus”, meaning Blessed. Later, Mary will also sing her own song, a much more famous song called the “Magnificat” – meaning “magnify”, as in magnify the Lord. But for now, we listen to Zechariah.
Zechariah’s Benedictus speaks of all the ways in which John will bring God’s blessings to the people of Israel. His son will be the one who will prepare the way for the Lord, he will give knowledge of salvation to the people and remind them that their sins are forgiven. In some of the most beautiful words in the Bible, Zechariah sings – “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from high will break upon us, to give light to those in sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” His song makes clear that John will be the forerunner of Jesus, he’s going the set the stage for Jesus, preparing the way for him and guiding the people into the presence of God’s chosen savior. John is coming to start a revolution – not a revolution of violence and uprisings, but rather a revolution of peace, mercy, forgiveness and love.
Zechariah doesn’t just bless his new-born son, he also points to the roles we all share, to our calling as disciples of this coming King. We too, like John, are called to be forerunners of Christ. We are called to set the stage, to prepare the way, to bear the light and guide others into the presence of Christ, the Prince of Peace.
There are a few concrete ways in which we can do that:
1. By practicing mercy. (1) When we live with mercy and forgiveness at the core of our actions, we are setting the stage for the coming of Jesus. The New Testament scholar N.T. Wright says, “The art of gentle – of kindness and forgiveness, sensitivity and thoughtfulness and generosity and humility and good old-fashioned love – have gone out of fashion. Ironically, everyone is demanding their “rights,” and this demand is so shrill, that it destroys one of the most basic “rights,” or at least the longing and hope, to have a peaceful, stable, secure and caring place to live, to be, to earn and to flourish.” (2) Living with mercy is to live counter to what our culture teaches us. To live with mercy is to be a forerunner of Jesus and helps to set the stage for Christ.
2. By speaking hope into despair. (3) When we live and speak hope in all situations, encouraging those who are discouraged, reminding them of God’s faithfulness, we are helping to set the stage for the advent of Jesus.
3. By living peacefully with others. (4) In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” In other words, don’t go around looking for fights, mind your own business. And, as we talked about last week – be a good neighbor. When we live in peace, we are guiding people into the presence of Christ.
4. And finally, By showing up in faith, even when we are filled with doubt. (5) Remember, at the beginning of this story, Zechariah had doubts of his own, but with Gabriel’s help, he let things unfold, and God did what God does. We prepare the way of the Lord not by having perfect faith, but by showing up with whatever faith we do have, even when we have doubts of our own.
The title of Zechariah’s song this morning says it all. His “Benedictus” is a song of blessing. He sings of the blessing that his son brings him, but also of the blessing that his son will bring to the people who sit in darkness. In our fractured world, our calling is not to win arguments, but to speak blessings, (6) like Zechariah does today.
By doing so, we set the stage for the advent of Jesus, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords and the Prince of Peace – who comes to rule with mercy, forgiveness and love.
May God be praised. Amen.
1. Homileticsonline, retrieved 11/10/25.
2. Ibid…
3. Ibid…
4. Ibid…
5. Ibid…
