December 3 Advent

Hello again! Today we pick up where we left off! Luke 1:5, which is the beginning of the story about John the Baptists birth. Why is this included in the story of Christ? Well for one thing, Jesus and John are cousins, and for another thing, John’s role was to prepare the way for Christ... I like to think of this as “stirring up a thirst for Christ, in his people’s hearts” so that when Christ began his ministry, people’s hearts were prepared. It is similar to the reason many of us enjoy singing worship music before hearing a sermon. We like to open our souls up to the Lord, and be right with Him in a way only worship and repentance can do. Then we are thirsty and open to hear what he has to say...

But before we talk about John, we will talk about his parents! Zechariah and Elizabeth were both descendants of Aaron, brother of Moses. Aaron was the man who spoke on Moses behalf, because Moses was less-inclined toward public speaking (prince of Egypt missed this part...). Eventually when laws and decrees for the temple are being assigned, it is Aaron’s descendants who are chosen to carry out the most holy work. His descendants were categorised into groupings who were “on duty” at certain times of the year. When it came Zechariah’s group’s turn, he went to the temple faithfully. Some people probably just did cleaning, others prepared sacrifices, others did this or that... there were many jobs in the temple. The remarkable part is that from the time of Moses in the desert wanderings until the time of Christ, these people (for the most part) upheld all the traditions the Lord required of them! I encourage you to read the book of Numbers... its really not that boring, infact, its very fascinating all the laws and rituals. One such ritual, was that each change-off of temple servicemen, one man had to be appointed to light incense right outside the “holy of holies” where God met with that man... this was a very big deal (and yet, litterally all he had to do was pinch some incense from one bowl, and drop it into another one... a little anti-climactic...). There were very specific God-chosen wardrobe items (right down to God inventing what we now call “underwear”...see?? you should read Numbers!!). Two interesting parts of the wardrobe, were bells and a long string/rope. The bells were attached to the tassels on the robe, so that people outside the space next to the holy of holies could hear that the person was moving, and that God had not struck him down dead. The rope of course, was so that IF God struck him down dead, they had a way of retrieving him (since no one else was allowed to be in that holy space).  In order to be chosen, the descendants of Aaron, would cast lots (draw straws so-to-speak) to find out who God had chosen to be in this holy role that season. That man would need to be properly cleansed, make all the appropriate sacrifices, and wait the appropriate length of time for any un-cleanliness (again, its all there in the books of Leviticus and Numbers) prior to his time of service. Once clean and pure, he would take the incense into the holy of holies. If God had a message for people at that time, God would give it to this priest to share with the people.

Luke tells us, that not only was Zechariah chosen to do this role, but that previous to being chosen, he and his wife were already upright in God’s sight, observing all of the lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly...do you have any idea how impossible that seems!? Seriously, give those commands a little read... 

You would think this man would be blessed like Job was right? Wrong. His wife was barren... which, in that time period was believed to be an act of God, likely as punishment for something. Yet, Zechariah and Elizabeth continued to be faithful righteous servants... (now why didn’t God chose THEM to parent his son, as opposed to an un-married teenager??)

Luke 1:11-20 tells us about what happened outside that Holy of Holies between Zechariah and Gabriel, the Lord’s angel.  Zechariah does his task of burning the incense to the Lord, when Gabriel shows up and tells Zechariah that the Lord has heard his prayers, will give him a son he is to name John, and that his son will be “great in the sight of the Lord” and “he will be filled with the holy spirit even from birth”... (John had holy spirit before holy spirit was even invented!!). But the angel’s message gets a bit more confusing and troublesome when he says “He will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the lord.” (vs.17).

This is a troublesome charge from Gabriel, because Zechariah knew the intent of these words... To be  compared to Elijah was not only lofty, but prophecies of old say that Elijah must come before the Christ comes... Zechariah knew this... He also knew that Elijah was not loved by the kings in power and that likely the “disobedient” in Gabriel’s message were those in power...

Just for context, Elijah is possibly the greatest prophet of the old testament. You may remember him from his highlight reel:

• -          Causing famine at God’s command that can only  be broken by Elijah’s word (from God)
• -          Giving the widow and her son, oil and flour jars that never go empty
• -          Bringing that woman’s son back to life
• -          His battle with Baal worshippers on Mt. Carmel where he pours water over his alter, and God burns up even the stones surrounding his alter
• -          He is fed by angels when runs into the desert to starve and die
• -          Twice
• -          He meets the lord in a gentle whisper
• -          Anointed and appointed Elisha a prophet (who does probably the most physical “miraculous signs” of any prophet... calling bears on teenagers who are jeering him, heals poison soup, feeds 100, floats an ax-head etc... on his bones, a dead man is tossed, who comes back to life, simply from touching his remains)
• -          Ascends into heaven without dyeing

This is a fairly hefty role to place on the UN-conceived child of a barren 100 year old woman. Zechariah knew this... Zechariah was both hopeful and afraid. Therefore, he questioned Gabriel doubtfully. At this doubt, Gabriel closes Zechariah’s mouth. Zechariah becomes a mute, until Gabriel’s words are fulfilled... (to be continued...)

Doesn’t this all seem so magical and impossible for today? Perhaps... or perhaps we just don’t have faith to believe what God is saying, and so we are silent too, in a similar way to Zechariah, but by choice... God DOES give us words. He even gives us words about our children, like he did in the Old testament and in the days of Christ’s birth. He gives it to everyday people, here and now. God gave me words about Josiah, in June of 2011, when Josiah wasn’t even a “twinkle in my eye”. I often doubt God’s great plans for my son’s life, as I am sure Zechariah did as well... Even now, as I am pregnant, I live in faith of what God has told me about this child yet to enter our family. I sit silent and hopeful, but doubtful enough that I have not proclaimed His words to the masses... and so I am silent, by the doubt of my own choosing.

I realize my example is a little more literal than most,  but God speaks to us in many ways, and gives us words, prophetic commands, and faith-expectant questions to answer... the trouble is, we act more like Zechariah than Mary.... Mary says “I am the lord’s servant” whereas Zechariah says “how can this be?”... Mary’s song is recorded in Luke’s book, whereas, Zechariah’s silence is recorded... perhaps, we silence ourselves with our own doubt. And in doing so, it is not God, but ourselves who have silenced some of the Lord’s close miracles of love... these are just thoughts to ponder as I do the same. As I bring the messages of this story to life for myself and for others who are open to hearing, my prayer is that you will also hear God’s voice speak into your heart and soul, and that he will be very much alive, as he was in the time of Christ. Because God is alive, and he does work and move and speak today.

God, We want to hear your voice. Please quiet our hearts and teach us how to listen for your voice in our lives. Open our eyes to see how you are choosing to speak to each of us Lord, and give us confidence and faith in the words you will say. Lord, please do this. Amen.