Hope—Zechariah and Elizabeth

(S1)

Lions Game; trained, players, coaches, managers...no guarantee of a win.

Phrase...“That’s the way the ball bounces” — When you bounce a ball, especially a football there is no telling which way its going to go.

South Alabama’s 3 bounce 46 yard FG

In football and in life, things are not always going to turn out as we hope...but that doesn’t mean we don’t life with the hope that some things will.

Today, we are going to get a glimpse into the life’s of two people

— come from good stock...prominent Jewish lineage

— When God looks at them...he smiles

— faith-based moral compass...how they live

— seek to please God...serving him, his church, and his people

Yet, Godliness and faithfulness do not protect them from suffering and dissapointment.

—“there are no guarantees in life”...especially when it comes to how we hope things will turn out?

ADVENT—SERIES (BTTL)

We look at Advent as it unfolds, in the lives of Joseph (peace) - Mary and Elizabeth (joy) - Shepherds (love) — Today; how the story Zechariah and Elizabeth speaks hope even for us today.

Each of their stories is like bouncing a football; not everything turns out as they expected or had hoped.

— and yet, through their encounters with God; the light of peace, joy, love and hope are revealed.

“The Light of Advent isn’t a neat string of twinkling bulbs. It’s a flame piercing through the chaos—a messy, disruptive, and beautiful interruption” - Anna Grace Legband,

(S2) —

...questions asked when things don’t turn out as we had hoped?

If I would have just _________________

Saved more; finances...

Prepared more; Job, school, test...

Exercised or ate healthier more;

More of a father, mother, spouse; relationships...

Prayed more, went to church more; Faith...

“We may have agency or involvement...but we don’t always have control of the outcome.” Anna Grace, BTL

Sometimes, things just turn out the way they turn out, but that doesn’t mean, that God isn’t in them.

Advent is our story in the midst of God’s grander story. Its about the light of the world breaking into the darkness—not after the darkness is gone, but right in the middle of it.

Psalm 130:5 (NIV) I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.

(S3) — Title

Today as we begin looking to the arrival of Jesus, in the midst of Christmas celebrations, we can forget a simple, essential truth: Jesus came because we NEED Him!

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.””

PRAY

(S4) — {Luke 1:5-6}

Luke the historian that he was, sets the stage for the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth

— The time...in the days when Herod (The Great); was appointed as King of the Jews by Rome (37 to 4 B.C.). He was a clever and shrewd politician, who remained a loyal “friend and ally” of Rome.

Domestic strife within the land and misunderstandings with Rome. Marked by Herod’s increasing instability. He was plagued by problems with his 10 wives and 15 children.”

— Herod became a paranoid tyrant, worried that he would lose his kingdom. The fortresses he built reflect this paranoia, as they provided refuge when he felt threatened

— Matthew/Nativity. Josephus recorded Herod’s execution of his two sons due to rumors of mutiny.

This would have been a time of the Jewish peoples longing; in wait for what the prophet Isaiah had spoken of hundreds of years earlier.

Isaiah 9:2–3 “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice.

After years of God’s silence, the faint hope of Isaiah was about to be fulfilled; something spiritual leaders like Zechariah would have been anticipating.

— Zechariah (Jehovah is strength) was part of 24 priestly divisions, set up by God through Aaron (1 Chronicles 4:10). He married Elizabeth (God is and oath); also of the same family lineage.

— They were devout in piety, morally upright...and pleasing to God; a claim only attributed.

Able—Noah—Abraham—Job—Simeon

One who is righteous (simplified)—giving God our best, living the blessed life; as god intends.

Two of Gods’ greatest commandments…

Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous before God—and yet they suffered a deep disappointment. There was a darkness that overshadowed their life. A longing that had outlived its time.

(S5) — {1:7}

Culture…If things were well in ones life, then God was pleased; if not…

“To be childless was economically and socially disastrous:

— economically because parents had no one to support them in old age.” {1 Timothy 5:4-8}

“Socially, because in the law barrenness was considered a judgment for sin, and was assumed the worst possible cause of a problem; it was a defect of the wife, and Jewish teachers generally insisted that a man divorce a childless wife so he could procreate.” The IVP Commentary

On top of that, they were old! Very old! Advanced in years

— What constituents old now days? No longer able to physically bearing and raise children. Being parents was most likely no longer on their radar.

Their faithfulness did not exempt them from a life of waiting; in sorrow and disappointment. It was not guarantee for a blessed life; that everything was always going as they wanted or hoped.

— Disappointment after disappointment. Each time going to the doctor...the answer being no. Everyday facing the shame inflicted by societal expectations.

Jenny’s Miscarriage

Shame in the Bible is primarily a social and physical reality…

— The single person hoping to get married/the young mother hoping for children/the addicted hoping to get free/the sick hoping to get well

“Too often, we reduce the four themes of Advent—hope, peace, joy, and love—to sentimental clichés tied more to the holidays than to the reality of life. But Advent isn’t about pretending everything is fine. It’s about Light showing up in the midst of darkness.” —Anna Grace

Godliness and faithfulness, do not exempt us from a life of waiting; in sorrow and disappointment. It does not guarantee that everything was always go as we want or hope.

Its why Advent points us to a greater hope; hope in Jesus

Psalm 42:5 “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and”

How are you at waiting? Have you ever held out hope; waiting to hear from God…nothing but crickets?

(S6) — {Luke 1:8-10}

Zachariah eager to perform his duties...

9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.”

His time for service had come (chosen by lot), to go into the inner part of the temple (Holy Place), and appear before God as a representative for the people.

...because there were so many priests (18,000), this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Wizard of Oz — who is pulling the levers behind the big curtain

Two customs that were part of their tradition and important to the Jewish people

The burning of incense—symbolizing the prayers of the people rising to God

Psalm 141:2 “Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.”

What was his prayer? What were his hopes going into the temple that day?

— Zechariah had send many requests to God many times, but now he was appearing before God on behalf of the prayers of others.

Consider our prayers; What do we pray for? Is it only our hopes, or the hopes of others?

While the incense was rising so were the prayers of the people; assembled worshippers praying outside…in verbal form. The gathered community in prayer. Not one but many crying out to God!

Genesis 4:26 “At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.

“Zechariah was without question in an exalted frame of mind, having reason to pray; as he entered the sanctuary that day.”

— Then the unforeseen happens; he has a very personal encounter with God.

(S7) — {Luke 1:11-12}

An angelic being at the right side of the alter—Zechariah would know that he is in the presence of the God he worshipped.

— not the last time—Mary—at the tomb

Startle and rightly so—gripped with fear; an expected response

— The announcement? His prayer had been heard!

Zechariah most likely did not anticipate or expect to encounter God in this way, let alone that his prayer would be answered; but it shows us that he had still entrusted God, with his greatest longing.

Luke 1:13 “God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son…”

The good news of Advent; our time of waiting! God is still in the habit of showing up…

“Our unmet longings, the things we hope for can become places of encounter”

(S8) — {Romans 8:22-24}

For Zechariah it was an angel; a personal encounter with God.

— This longing in our advent creates space for God to meet us personally. In our unmet hopes, we can encounter the one who is hope, because hope is a person—Jesus who is our living hope

1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

Waiting in hope refines our vision; our readiness to hear God; Jesus who is our living hope.

When is the last time you created space to bring your longings to Jesus; to encounter God personally?

(S9) — {Luke 1:13b-16}

Imagine his first response; ‘Yes...m prayer has been answered…well…but…wait what did you say!

This child would not only be the son they always wanted, but he (John) would be God’s child…

— filled with the H.S. even before he was born—Mary’s later encounter with Elizabeth

Set apart for a specific purpose—to point people back to God.

Mark 1:2–4 ““I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” —3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

“Although Zechariah and Elizabeth received what they were longing for, the reality of their answered prayers looked quite different than they thought.”

When expecting parents learn they are pregnant, they immediately begin dreaming and thinking what their child will be like. John probably did not grow up to be what his parents were dreaming about (locusts, honey, wilderness, etc.). The baby they hoped for would eventually be beheaded for bringing a message of hope.

Not just any son, but one who would announce the coming Messiah?

(S10) — {Luke 1:17}

Why we need Advent?

God’s fulfillment of our longings, answers to our prayers, often look different than we imagine.

Hopes often carry costs or challenges we do not foresee

Infertility/No children/son/daughter not living as we had hoped…

God’s answers to our hopes are woven into His grand narrative of redemption, not just our personal dreams or ambitions.

if we look at Advent as it is truly meant to be, when things don’t always work out as we hope…reminding us of the darkness that still exists…but it is also readiness us for our encounter with Jesus—being brought to the light!

{Rev. 21:1-5}

yes, “there are no guarantees in life”...especially when it comes to how we hope things will turn out?

—Godliness and faithfulness, do not exempt us from a life of waiting; in sorrow and disappointment. It does not guarantee that everything was always go as we want or hope.

— Our unmet longings, the things we hope for can become places of encounter”

— God’s answers to our prayers will often look different than we imagine.

Questions

Was there a moment when Jesus shifted from an idea to a living presence of hope in your life? What changed for you?

{Psalm 33} speaks of “waiting in hope.” Is there anywhere in your life you feel like you are waiting in hope? What has that experience been like?

5. Picture a space you inhabit—work, neighborhood, online—where cynicism and hopelessness dominate the scene. How could embodied Christian hope break through there, and what might that look like?

6. Instead of asking, “Do I have hope?” ask, “Where do I need Jesus to meet me right now?” Where are you encountering hope—or longing to—and how can the church pray with you

Advent shows us life in God’s story that...

(S11) —

Jesus Came...because we NEED Him!

“Our hope isn’t hopefulness about a possible future outcome we wish will happen. It’s built on the promises of God coming true.

— Looking at the reality, that not everything will work out as we hope, helps us us to look forward with greater expectation and confidence and hope in Jesus.

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.””

Being brought into the light is being assured that God does answer our prayers...so let our voices be heard and let our incense arise!