Zechariah and Elizabeth: A Christmas Miracle

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Places everyone, words you hear just before the start of a play…

Movie—’The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’— The church wanting it to be perfect—perfect cast (their kids)…right words at the right time…places everyone…

Were they really expecting a Christmas miracle? They were hoping for the same production that had been given for years in the most perfect way possbile.

What makes this move and its message so great, are the most unlikely characters…Not because they were EXTRAORDINARY, but because they were ORDINARY

Theme—Jesus, the HOPE of Christmas, is for EVERYONE!

This time of year hope seems to come more alive as we long for a Christmas miracle in the story of Jesus’ birth—hope in the familiar and ordinary places of our lives.

Daniel Darling’s opening words from, The Characters of Christmas

“An old man takes a worn hardcover book off the shelf. He handles the volume gently, careful not to disturb the fragile binding, while returning to his favorite chair, glasses perched on his nose. As he slowly turns the yellowed pages, his eyes rest on the grandchildren who lean in with anticipation. Behind them a fire crackles in the hearth. It’s less than two weeks until Christmas, but at Grandpa’s house, these words usher in the official beginning of the season.” “Let me tell you a story.” They know it and long to hear it again. Darling, Daniel. The Characters of Christmas: The Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus (p. 9). Moody Publishers.

Do you look for hope this Christmas? To hear the story again in a new way?

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Advent —SERIES…a look at the Christmas story through the ordinary people chosen by God to take part in the first first Christmas pageant ever. If this story were written today, they would not be the likely choice of characters…

Joseph: The Unsung Hero—Innkeeper:Making Room—Herod: The Monster of Christmas—Simeon/Anna: The Old Bucket List—Wisemen: Seeking and Finding—C.E—A Little Jesus: A Whole lotta Love

Ordinary people chosen by God, to be part of the first Christmas ever; pointing the world to Jesus.

The realty is, that even those of us who know the real hope of Christmas, cannot deny the overwhelming presence of suffering and brokenness, in our world.

“This is why we open with Luke’s Gospel—The people of God longing for a miracle.” Luke gives a window into their heartache and long suffering, with Hope as their only lifeline—Don’t worry, the angels joy and the shepherds wonderment come later.

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We begin with... Zechariah and Elizabeth: A Christmas Miracle

Have ever longed for a miracle? One that would change the trajectory of your life?

My prayer is, that as we look for the miracle of Christmas through these unlikely people, we will see Jesus in the ordinary places of our lives.

PRAY

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At the time God sent the angel Gabriel to Zechariah...

—no prophets…no angels…no kings…no deliverers. They had been shaken by revolution and were scattered among conquering nations. — Things had gone from bad to worse…would God’s promise to Abraham ever be fulfilled?

Genesis 22:17–18 “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.””

Subjected to Roman rule under Herod a ruthless and illegitimate king.” Everyday they walked into the temple built by a powerful monarch; with the flag of their oppressor flying high overhead, not their own.

This was a time of complete and utter darkness…their only hope was in these last spoken words of God

(S5) — Malachi 4:5–6

In the midst of darkness a new day was dawning—The faint hope of Malachi would be fulfilled and through Zechariah and Elizabeth, they would discover that even though God was silent, God was up to something!

Have you ever experienced waiting to hear from God…nothing but crickets?

Four truths in waiting to hear from God...

(S6) —

I. God’s silence, DOES NOT equate to God’s inactivity!

Sometimes God is silent for our benefit…many had turned away from God…time to examine...

Psalm 66:18 “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”

Does God seems silent…? Where can you see his activity?

The begining of verse 5 sets the tone of the world in which God would again speak…

(S7) — (5)

Herod (proselyte/convert)—Reign (37-4bc)…supported no religion but his own prosperity and fame…

Zechariah—one of 300 in a long line of the priestly family of Aaron

Abijah — one of 24 division formed by King David…appointed to ministering to the people and overseeing the inner sanctuary (1 Chronicles 24:10)

Elizabeth— descendant of the priestly line…like Zechariah, devoted to a life of worship.

Notice Luke's contrast of darkness to light—A powerful king, an ordinary priest and his prayerful wife…Why God chose these two…?

(S8) — (6)

Their life’s and marriage were of the highest order, yet, hardship had struck them personally…

7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Aging would have made having children an impossibility…and in their culture being barren, without children, was a form of brokenness.

“The ability to conceive was seen as a direct sign of God’s blessing.”

How did others view them? She was in the line of Godly women but unable to bear children! Had God forgotten them?

Ever felt forgotten by God? Your troubles, minor or otherwise, to small for God to bother with? Maybe today as you hear these words, perhaps all you hear is silence from God. Waiting only to hear God’s faint whisper of hope again?

Zechariah and Elizabeth knew the ‘anguish of waiting,’ both on a personal and national level. Their people had turned away from God, and yet they remained faithful in every way.

Luke wants us to understand that their troubles had NOTHING to do with them and EVERYTHING to do with God! God’s silence did not equate to God’s activity.

Zechariah—'The Lord REMEMBERS’—The Lord remembered his people even in their unfaithfulness, and God remembered Zechariah and Elizabeth in their faithfulness.

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II. God has not forgotten! God REMEMBERS you!

Sometimes in life bad things happen—Jesus is our hope in those times?

God had not forgotten…one day, chosen by lot, Zechariah was executing his priestly office in the temple and before God.

— Priestly duties (week long service)—a tremendous privilege for Zechariah (high point of his career)

— A special time of prayer and the burning of incense and tending to the lamps (Exodus 30:7)

— Worship and prayer are acts of intentional remembering…a sweet fragrance to God who remembers.

Psalm 141:2 “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.”

(10) all the assembled worshippers were outside praying.

What is your prayer for a Christmas miracle? To know that God remembers you?

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Then, the angel of the Lord appears to Zechariah, and he is stricken with fear.

“Today when we think of angels, we are not afraid of them really.”

Touched by an Angel (movie)

This was not that!

“In the scriptures, when a messenger of God arrived, it sparked fear. Fear because an angel, even in a diminished sense, represented the holiness and the white-hot glory of God. One who could strike with vengeance and who judged the nations.”

Appearances by angelic beings were not common experience even for priests—we can understand his state of fear, especially since God had been silent for 400 years.

Daniel 9:21 “while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.”

Through Gabriel God is ushering in of a new era—A busy angel: Jesus announcement to Mary—two angels at the tomb—Opened the door jail (Acts).

Phrase…When ‘God showed up’

Youth Mission trip

Daniel Darling…

“When God shows up—strikes me as super flippant, as if God is a lazy teenager whom we are trying to rouse to get into church. God didn’t just show up, he was always there.” The Characters of Christmas

God’s presence in O.T. times

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.””

Jesus to his disciples…

Matthew 28:20 “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””

Gabriel's appearance affirmed God’s presence with his people, and yet it would have startled even and expectant priest…

(S11) — (12,13)

The angels words would have brought some comfort to the fearful priest.

“Do not be afraid’ (365X)

Jesus’ words to his disciples…”sending them out like sheep among wolves”

Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (NIV).

“While Jesus was fully human and understands our deepest pains and emotions. We would do well to understand that He is also God, the One who fashioned us from dust and hung the stars in place.”

Words of Solomon…

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

The reason for the angels visit was not to instill fear, but to bring a message of hope and answered prayer. What was Zechariahs prayer? Was Elizabeth’ fertility daily heartbroken prayer? Or was it God’s hope fulfilled?

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III. God does not forget OUR prayers!

Bless her heart, young Mary Ann just couldn’t sing a lick. Even the tune of Happy Birthday gave her trouble. She tried to sing like all the other kids, but somehow, she just couldn’t hit the notes. Mary Ann prayed that God would help her learn to sing, but it just didn’t happen. Soon, she forgot all about her prayer. But God remembered. He never forgets. Seventy years later, my Aunt Mary Ann lived her last day with her children gathered close by her side. She was wrapped in a bright blue cotton blanket, so weakened from her cancer that it was hard to talk. When she finally summoned the strength to speak, her children listened intently. She said: “I wish I could have sung like your father, it’s one of my biggest disappointments. He sang so beautifully. I can even hear him singing now, if I close my eyes and remember, even though he has been gone for a long time. God has promised me that I will be singing in heaven, soon. I can’t wait.” https://www.maypatterson.com/2017/02/god-never-forgets-prayer/

Do you have a heartfelt prayer to God this Christmas?

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Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Our sighs and longings are not hidden from Him

Psalm 38:9 “All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.”

“Some speculate that Zechariah’s prayer is personal years-long desire to bear children; for the anguish experienced by his wife to end. Others, the one whispered by every faithful Jew—for the coming of the Messiah.”

Don’t we all long for the darkness to end? The hope of the world to return and bring peace here on earth—To reconcile the hearts of all sinful people to God—To heal the land, the nations, and bring sickness to an end once and for all.

Could Zechariah’s prayer be our prayer—For a Christmas Miracle?

The message and the answered prayer was not only for Zechariah but for the world

(S14) — (13b-15)

They were to have a boy, not just any baby boy…he would grow up to be John (the baptizer), set apart for a greater purpose, who would not only bring them joy and delight, but one who would bring the rejoicing of many…

The first Christmas miracle would usher in the fulfillment of God’s prophecy in Malachi through Elizabeths baby

“15...he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.””

The foreshadowing of the time when God would pour out His Spirit upon all who believe…John’s birth was a turning point in the whole of God’s plan—His greatness would be as a herald (messenger), to people who had been away from God too long; it was time for people to turn their lives around…

— turning them back to God, turning hearts to restore broken families and the disobedient to righteousness—to make ready all people for the one who was to come!

(S15) — (Mark 1:1-3)

This is the hope that dawned that day; the hope of advent—the first miracle of Christmas.

But the question remains, “what would Zechariah do with this good news?”

“18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.””

How can I know this? He has a hard time believing it…can’t we blame him? The aging priest and Elizabeth long past the time of childbirth!

Give me grand kids…but not more kids

Ever been filled with doubt and question God? God has big shoulders!

“He loves to field our fears and questions and our anguished cries. But it is disbelief that is a sin, our unwillingness to trust that God can do the impossible” (D.D.).

(S16) — The angels response…(19,20)

The question raised by Pastor Johnson of Asbury Methodist…Is this a gift or a punishment?

The gift of time to sit in silence

— more time to not just serve but to be served by the presence of God

— more time to develop more faith, more trust and more confidence in God’s greater plan

— more time to be able to understand more fully, in a new way, Psalm 46:10 be still and know...

—more time to contemplate this miracle in their life and the miracle birth of one who would point the world to the greater miracle of Christmas—Jesus

What will you do with God’s gift silence this advent?

After he returns home…Elizabeth reaction and response

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“23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.””

Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s were ordinary people, among the unlikely to cast in such a story, yet in their faithfulness, they discovered that...

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IV. God is WORKING even when it doesn't seem that way!

Apollo 13—aborted mission—reentry/blackout/lost communication (3 min.)—Good news: Houston control was on the ground addressing the problem.

God’S SILENCE, does not mean God’s INACTIVITY—God REMEMBERS!—God does not forget our PRAYERS!—God has not forgotten YOU...and God is working behind the scenes for your good even when we doubt that God can do the impossible.

Luke 1:76–77 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins…

We pray for PEACE…We long for RECONCILIATION...We plead for God to Heal...

God wants to breath new life into your situation…and invites us into His working in the world.

Will you allow for God to do something in your life this Christmas?

(S19)

Will you let the unlikely people caught up in the first Christmas point you to the one who can change everything?

Jesus the HOPE of Christmas for EVERYONE!