Anticipating Light

It’s crunch time…Christmas is less than two weeks away. At this point, when a family member asks what you want for Christmas, they want you to right-size your response. No more wishing for things that have to be handmade. No more wishing for things that are out of their price range. No more wishing for things that are unrealistic.

I think that’s where Zechariah was emotionally. He’s realistic. He is devout, for sure. A priest, currently on duty for one of the two cycles a year his group would be on duty, he is chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. He is chosen to approach the presence of the Divine. But he is realistic.

It’s been 500 years – half of a millennium – since a prophet has spoken. The Word of God has been silent for 500 years. So, when Zechariah sees an angel of the Lord standing at the right side of the altar, he is terrified, and fear overwhelmed him. Yes, Zechariah was a priest. Yes, the priests go on duty twice a year and make sure that they are completely clean ritually in case they are the one chosen to go into the Holy of Holies. Yes, Zechariah was chosen. Yes, Zechariah was faithful and loved God and hoped for God’s Messiah to finally come. But, he didn’t expect it. He wanted a child, too, but that time had passed.

He was realistic. So, his response to the angel is “How do I know you are telling me the truth? I’m an old man, and Elizabeth is getting on in years too!” To which the angel responded, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.”

Luke is using the words of Gabriel to speak a word about expectations to his readers. He is writing after the fall of the Temple, sometime in the last quarter of the first Century. So, Jesus lived, died, rose, and hasn’t returned, many died in the Roman-Jewish War and the Temple is destroyed. Why is God silent? Why had God been silent for 500 years before John the Baptist? They had to be weary. Is it going to be another 500 years? How long, O Lord? Will you forget us forever? Will we see your face again? They had to wonder.

So Luke, in this dialogue between Zechariah and Gabriel is telling not only what happened, but why it happened. Zechariah was told God’s good news of promise, and did not believe, but the promise would be fulfilled, and in the meantime he would not speak. In the same way, more than 500 years ago, God told good news of promise through the prophets, that were not believed, but would be fulfilled, and in the meantime there would be no prophecy until the day these things occur.

And Luke is saying that the people have a choice to believe or not. And not believing leads to silence, but it does not keep God’s promises from being fulfilled. God is not a last-minute, crunch time, procrastinating God. When God asks what we want, there is no need to right-size our response.

God is not like the woman who waited until the last minute to send her Christmas cards. She knew she had to forget any personalization, and she didn’t have time for a letter. She was just going to buy a box of cards on the way home, sign them, and get them to the post office before they closed. But then she was running late, so she ran into the store, grabbed the first box of fifty that was reasonably priced and decent looking, ran out to the car, signed them, stuffed them, stuck the address labels on them and got to the post office just in time to drop 49 Christmas cards into the box. What she did not do was read the message inside…until the evening of Christmas Day came and things had quieted down. As she sifted through the things that had been shoved to the side in the weeks leading up to Christmas, she chanced upon the leftover card and finally read the pre-printed message inside. Much to her dismay it read: “This card is just to say, a big gift is on the way!” (story from “Anticipating the Advent” by Lance Moore)

God knows what the message is, says Luke, and will fulfill the promise it makes. And so on the 8th day, they come to circumcise Zechariah’s newborn son. And as he is named John the Holy Spirit fills Zechariah with the Word of God, “A big gift is on the way! God has visited his people to see how they were doing and has redeemed them. He has raised up a strong Savior, a powerful king, a descendent of King David, just as he promised through the prophets more than 500 years ago. He will save us from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. The promises of God are going to be fulfilled in him; God has not forgotten his covenant with Abraham.”

I can just imagine that as Zechariah spoke, he thought of having a baby boy. He now had a descendent. Abraham was ninety-nine when God promised him more descendants than he could count. Zechariah looked down at the child resting in his arms, now circumcised and part of that promise. And as their eyes met, he said to John, “You, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. You will allow people to draw near to God with nothing blocking the way to God’s presence.”

You, little tiny child, will change the world. Those little tiny feet, 8 days old, will travel into the wilderness to allow people to come away from all the distractions of the world and seek God. Those little tiny hands, 8 days old, will hold people firmly as they are baptized and washed of all that separates them from God. Those little tiny eyes, 8 days old, could he already see the light in them? Did he dare to hope? To see light even while the world experienced darkness?

“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high is rising to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

What do you want for Christmas? It is made just for you. The price was paid. It is merciful and generous, full of grace, but not unrealistic. The dawn is breaking, through the lives of people. The promise will be fulfilled, a big gift is on the way! Joy, to the World!