Nov 29, 2009 - Preparing for Christmas

Luke 1: 1-7

Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, ²just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, ³I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed. 

5 In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. ⁷But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.

If we think about this month’s preparations for Christmas it can be overwhelming. I mean all the behind-the-scenes details that no one else knows, yet they are necessary for the Advent and Christmas season to take place.  Hours of getting decorations out of the boxes, checking lights, shopping lists for food or gifts and then planning on how to ship them. Aahhh!

But, Jesus is coming – look busy! Right? We can almost feel guilty in those few moments when we’re not busy, frantic, or stressed out being busy preparing for Christmas.

So don’t just do something, stand there! Stand there for a moment and remember the difference between preparing for Christmas and preparing for Christ’s coming. One involves external efforts that opens boxes of decorations, lights, food, gifts. And one is completely out-of-the-box and into the heart when we reflect on the gift of Jesus Christ given by God, and that we are to prepare for Christ’s second coming.

Mark Mitchell wrote a message about preparing for Christmas a few years ago.

Advent, which means “coming”, is all about preparation. Sometimes we forget that, before God sent his Son into the world, he saw to it that the way was prepared. Jesus arrived on the scene only after 400 years of silence from God—preparation. He arrived only after numerous people were visited by an angel named Gabriel—preparation. God even saw fit to prepare the way for his Son by sending a man named John to call people to repentance. God is into preparation.

Luke tells us of his purpose in the opening of his gospel:

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us…, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught (Luke 1:1–4).

Luke investigated everything carefully, and laid it all out in logical order. It was a two volume work: Volume 1 is his gospel; Volume 2 is the Book of Acts.

And so, in keeping with his purpose, Luke carefully chronicles what happened before Christ was born. It was all about preparation for the coming of Christ.

Luke helps us too by telling the story of an old Jewish priest and his wife. We're introduced to this couple in verse 5–7:

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. They were both righteous in the sight of God. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

We see here that Zechariah was a priest, and Elizabeth was a descendant of priests. That's not all that unusual. The priesthood was divided up into 24 divisions in those days, which amounted to about 18,000 priests. Most of them worked small farms and were poor. But given the times, this was an unusual couple. Luke says they were righteous in God's sight; they kept his commandments. This doesn't mean they were without sin, but unlike many priests of that day, they were examples of genuine faith.

This is significant because of the other thing Luke tells us about them: they had no children. Elizabeth was barren, and the days of hoping for a child were long over. In those days, to be barren was a sign of a spiritual defect in the wife. They didn't have fertility specialists back then; they simply believed God closed a woman's womb because he held some grudge against her. So a barren woman was a disgraced woman. It wasn't uncommon for a husband to divorce his wife because of her supposed flaw. In essence, Elizabeth was forced to walk through life with a sign hung around her neck that read "sinner." You think you don't want to go to church sometimes? Think how she felt!

And though Zechariah didn't have quite the same stigma to deal with, he still lived with the deep disappointment of having no child to carry on the family name—a tragedy for a man. Many of us have something in our lives like this, something that rightly or wrongly brings disgrace. It could be something we've done in the past. It could be an addiction we battle every day. Maybe we've been in prison. Maybe we've been divorced. Maybe we've been fired. Maybe we've been abandoned. Any one of those things can hang like a sign around your neck for all to see.

Or some of us may be like Zechariah. We've been ambushed by some tragedy or disappointment that you never could have expected. Maybe, like this couple, you've been unable to have children. You wonder if you will ever be able to really enjoy life again.

At least for Zechariah there was his work. Luke tells us in verses 8–10 that while Zechariah was doing his priestly service in Jerusalem, he was chosen by lot to enter the Holy Place in the temple and burn incense, which was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. While he was inside the temple, the people would be outside offering prayers, waiting for him to come out. He would cast incense on the altar, prostrate himself, and then leave.

But on this day Zechariah didn't come out for a long time. Look at verses 11–14:

And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth."

Maybe he also had in mind another prayer. As a righteous man, Zechariah would have prayed for the Messiah to come. In verse 15–17, the angel says that his son's mission and purpose would be to "make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Have you ever been promised something that was beyond your wildest dreams; something so out-of-the-box that you can hardly believe it? That's what this was for Zechariah. Look at verse 18: "Zechariah said to the angel, 'How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.'" I love how he says, "I'm an old man and my wife is advanced in years." That's a tactful way of putting it. That's a smart man!

In essence, Zechariah is saying: Because my wife and I are so old, I'm going to need some proof—a sign that this is really going to happen.

The angel didn't like that. If an angel is scary, think about what a mad angel is like. The text says: "The angel answered and said to him, 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time'" (Luke 1:19–20).

So Zechariah is left in the temple with nothing to say. He's been muted. Meanwhile, the people outside are wondering if he's had a heart attack in there. When he finally does come out, he's unable to speak, so he starts signing. Imagine trying to describe what had just happened to him using sign language! Finally, when he is all done with his priestly duties, he goes on home.

Let's pick up the story in verses 23–25: "When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home. After these days, Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 'This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when he looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.'"

Think with me about these two. First, there is Zechariah. Here is a man who is righteous. He's old. He's a priest. He knows God. He knows what it means to serve God. If there ever was a real saint, it's this guy. But, he still had some growing to do. I mean, God sends the angel Gabriel to him. God makes a marvelous promise.

But what does he do? He doubts God. He underestimates God. The angel says it flat out: "You did not believe my words."

We don't always think of that as sin, but it is. Underestimating God is just as serious as rebelling against God. Look at the gospels—the thing that frustrated Jesus the most was a lack of faith. And faith isn't just something we exercise to get into God's family.

Zechariah is an example of a person who has known the Lord for a long time. He goes to church. He gives his tithes. He leads a small group. He goes on mission trips. He prays before meals. He reads the Bible every day. He does all the right things in all the right places in all the right ways. But when God comes along and challenges him to a new level of faith, he's not ready.

On the other hand, think about Elizabeth. Throughout Luke's gospel, we'll see how he highlights the faithfulness of women. Elizabeth's response to this gift is set in contrast to that of her husband. He's forced into silence; she chooses solitude. He can't speak, but she can. When she speaks, she speaks about God's grace and mercy to her—of how he had taken away her shame and disgrace among men. She had felt disgraced; she had felt shame. But she had continued to serve God. She seems much more prepared than Zechariah was to believe and receive God's gift.

This couple reminds me that it really doesn't matter how long you've known God, or how well you've obeyed God, or how faithfully you've served God; there is always room for growth. And God is committed to stretching and growing the faith of people like Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Don’t just say something, sit there!

Yet a quiet place and time to meditate and wait for the purpose of God would be just the appropriate way to approach these holy days…

Often instead, what drives the days to Christmas involve hustle and bustle, stress and tiredness

Blessed are those who believe in the fulfillment that comes quiet apart from these pressures and exhausting efforts: a fulfillment that traces to the handiwork of God moving in simple ways that prepare us through waiting, listening, and trusting. Can room be made in our lives this Advent for the necessary spiritual time of gestation?

Part of preparing for Christmas is to begin believing that God is able to bring joy and blessing where there has been disgrace and disappointment. That's what the coming of Christ really means for each one of us. God sent his Son—he's looked with favor on us, to take away our disgrace.  And God has some interesting ways of getting through to us. And another part of our preparing for Christmas is how we watch, listen, and become aware of God’s ways this year.

An elderly woman named Stella Thornhope was struggling with her first Christmas alone. Her husband had died just a few months prior because of a slow-developing cancer. Now, several days before Christmas, she was almost snowed in by a brutal weather system. She felt terribly alone, so much so that she decided she was not going to decorate for Christmas. Late that afternoon, the doorbell rang, and there was a delivery boy with a box.

He said, "Mrs. Thornhope?" She nodded. He said, "Would you sign here?" She invited him to step inside and closed the door to get away from the cold. She signed the paper and said, "What's in the box?" The young man laughed and opened up the flap, and inside was a little puppy, a golden labrador retriever. The delivery boy picked up the squirming pup and explained, "This is for you, ma'am. He's a puppy and completely housebroken." The young pup began to wiggle in happiness at being released from captivity.

"Who sent this?" Mrs. Thornhope asked.

The young man set the animal down, handed her an envelope, and said: "It's all explained here in this envelope, Ma'am. The dog was bought last July while its mother was still pregnant. It was meant to be a Christmas gift for you." The young man then handed her a book, How to Care for Your Labrador Retriever.

In desperation, she again asked, "Who sent me this puppy?"

As the young man turned to leave, he said, "Your husband, Ma'am. Merry Christmas."

She opened up the letter from her husband. He had written it three weeks before he died and left it with the kennel owners to be delivered with the puppy as his last Christmas gift to her. The letter was full of love and encouragement and admonishments to be strong. He vowed that he was waiting for the day when she would join him. He had sent her this young animal to keep her company until then. She wiped away the tears, put the letter down, and then, remembering the puppy at her feet, she picked up that golden, furry ball and held it to her neck. Then she looked out the window at the lights that outlined the neighbor's house, and she heard from the radio in the kitchen the strains of "Joy to the World, the Lord has Come."

Suddenly, Stella felt the most amazing sensation of peace warming within her. Her heart felt a joy and wonder greater than the grief and loneliness. "Little fella," she said to the dog, "it's just you and me. But you know what? There's a box down in the basement I'll bet you'll like. It's got a little Christmas tree in it and some decorations and some lights that are going to impress you. And there's a manger scene down there. Let's go get it." (shared by James Dobson)

God has a way of sending a signal of hope to remind us life is stronger than death. Light is more powerful than darkness. God is greater than evil. Joy is stronger than disappointment. Christmas is coming as a gift. Now is the time to prepare for it by putting away disgrace and disappointment, then opening the blessed boxes of joy and peace.

(Thanks to Rev. Mark Mitchell who pastors Central Peninsula Church in Foster City, California).