Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? Luke 1:18

The Christmas story should raise a lot of questions!  Think about this:  Christmas is a celebration of the God who made all things becoming human, born to an unmarried couple, and dwelling among us.  Christmas is a celebration of Jesus, the Son of God, who is “God With Us.”  As God would plan this, He sent an angel to a very old priest named Zechariah, to tell him that he and his wife Elizabeth would also have a son.  This child, named John, would be the one who would prepare the way for Jesus.  

Zechariah has questions!  Wouldn’t you?  His age and history of not being able to have children with Elizabeth must have made him wonder.  

As we begin our series this Advent, preparing our hearts and lives for God With Us, let us notice in the Bible that it is ok to have questions.  Some may say, “Wait a minute, Zechariah asked a question, and he got struck with silence!”  [Read the rest of the story] Perhaps.  To be sure, many biblical commentators say it may have been a punishment for disobedience.  But Mark Pickens writes, 

“Perhaps Zechariah’s temporary impairment was not a punishment given, but a sign bestowed of the promise of God’s divine fulfillment not only in the birth of John, but in the upcoming birth of the Messiah…Is it possible that Zechariah’s impairment was a promise of the greatness of John, and the coming glory of Messiah…. rather than a punishment?”

After all, Jesus would later say of a man’s blindness that it was NOT a result of the man’s sin, or even his parents’, but so that the glory of God might be revealed.

I think I am intrigued the Zechariah’s silence in a way I haven’t been before. After all, in about a month, I step away from a role in which I have spoken to hundreds of people every week. I’ve been doing that kind of work for over twenty years. I will be moving into a role of listening, coaching, and caring. More silence, less speaking. I wrote about this recently here : https://davidjburke.com/. Look for the post titled, “A New Thing.”

It is only human, I think, to ask questions about a story so wonderful and mysterious. How can we be sure that God loves us so much that He became one of us? Maybe the best posture we can begin to imitate is Zechariah’s: to be silent, waiting, wondering, watching for signs of God this Christmas season. Amidst the noise and chaos that can come this season, let us slow down, be more quiet, wonder a bit more, and rejoice in the story of Christmas again.

Grace and peace,

David