Preparing for Christmas

Each year, I read through the biblical account of the first Christmas asking God to reveal a fresh application. There is so much to learn from Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, the one who was to prepare the way for Jesus. How are we preparing?

Below are verses from Luke 1 with my comments in parenthesis:

6-7: Zechariah and Elizabeth “…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.” (Zechariah was missing only one thing in life – a child. That was his prayer.)

11:“And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord … And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. “ (Are you in a situation where you are troubled and fearful? God is at work.)

12- 13: “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. (What an incredible answer to prayer, as God not only gave him a child, but a child who would prepare the way for the Messiah. He had been praying for many decades for a child. God could not answer his prayer any sooner, because John’s birth had to line up with Jesus coming. Have you been praying for something for a long time? Perhaps the delay is more about how the situation relates to something Jesus has yet to do – a greater plan.)

18: “And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." (Zechariah was reminding God of how old he and his wife were just in case God forgot that detail. How many times have I reminded God of my limitations when He has asked me to do something? Too many for me to count. Thankfully, God enjoys plowing through our human limitations.)

19: “And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you…” (God had been quiet for 400 years between the Old and New Testament and he broke the silence with an angel’s voice. Needless to say, Zechariah had a question.)

20: ”And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, …" (Mary also asked God, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The difference was that Mary asked the “How” while believing God would do it and Zechariah asked the “How” while not believing.)

22: “And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute.” (On the surface this seems like a harsh punishment, but God has a purpose.)

58: Elizabeth bore a son with great rejoicing by “neighbors and relatives.” (Remember this point for the closing comment.)

62-64, “And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.” (After great silence, the first words on his lips were praises to God).

I once had a circumstance in my life where I had to be mute for two weeks. This allowed me to gain a tiny bit of insight into Zechariah’s circumstances. I had a nodule on my vocal cords and the doctor told me I had two options. I could either have surgery, or I could be silent for two weeks and the nodule would dry up and fall off. The doctor told me most women cannot remain silent for that long. I took that as a personal challenge and was also willing to try anything to avoid surgery. To communicate, I walked around with a dry erase board (my version of Zechariah’s writing tablet).

During those 2 weeks, I had no one to really talk to except God. He was the only one that heard me. I prayed more in that 2 weeks than I had in the previous year. I spent intimate time with my God and was closer to experiencing “continuous prayer” than at any point in my life. I can only imagine what it would have been like to do that for 9 months. Zechariah spent so much time with God while silent, that he busted out of his muteness with praises to his God and great revelation of what God would do through baby Jesus and John. In that silence, God had prepared Zechariah, so that his son, John, could prepare the world for the Messiah.

How are we preparing for Christmas? Do we need to be silent as we pray and read God’s word a fresh insight? Are you in a situation that you did not expect to be in? God is always at work, and he allows situations that cause us to draw close to him. God wants to bring praises to our lips and rejoicing with our neighbors and relatives! “Rejoicing with our relatives”… Now for many, that is a Christmas miracle!

In our Christmas preparation, let’s find the blessing of a real “Silent” Night.

Merry Christmas