Skeptics with Little Hope

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.” (Luke 1:5-19 ESV).

 

I hope the length of today’s reading has not turned you away from reading it. It may be one of the most encouraging passages in the Christmas story. It introduces a key figure in the story, Zechariah. He’s the father of John the Baptist, and although he never shows up in our Nativity scenes, Zechariah is an important figure in the story of Christ’s birth. So important, in fact, that when Luke writes down the account of Christ’s life on earth, he begins with Zechariah.

 

In an Advent season when many of us attend at so many parties that we feel bloated by good things, it would be wise to remember that the Christmas story is set against a backdrop of emptiness. The Old Testament repeatedly offers snapshots of couples who struggled with the emptiness of a childless home. Abraham and Sarah were old and had given up hope of having their own child (cf. Genesis 17-18). Hannah was so distraught in her prayer for a child that Eli, the temple priest, thought she was drunk (cf. 1 Samuel 1). Today’s story of Zechariah and Elizabeth is the same: skeptics with little hope. It's a continual reminder that we aren't in charge of our future. In each episode, God intervenes to create a future. Hope is his gift.

In the days before the birth of Christ, history repeats itself. Zechariah and Elizabeth have no children. But to them comes good news. What God has done before, God will do again. Zechariah reminds us that even people who yearn for God's promises to be fulfilled can become doubters when God says, "Now is the time!" God is just like that. We pray for miracles of grace, then we're stunned when grace breaks into our world. Celebrate the unbreakable promises of God!