A different experience yet a Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas is a special time; however monotonous it may feel year in , year out. Away from family friends, and yummy Ugandan food, it is a  special, unique and different experience for my husband and I.  An opportunity to make our own Christmas traditions as a couple! God is really working out the leaving and cleaving in us. It is a time of reflection on what Christmas is really about.

My reflections have centered around  Zechariah and Mary who both get visited by angel Gabriel with ‘good’ news.  I ponder on the differences in their responses to the message given to them by the angel. Their individual faith and relationship with God are rich with lessons that can enrich our own faith journey.

Mary is a young virgin girl,  with life starting out. She probably has  dreams and plans of what life will bring for her and Joseph. Zechariah , on the other hand is old, and is nearing the end of His life.  Zechariah, as a priest  has ministered before God ; and it is expected  that he has a  deeper acquaintance with God in comparison with young ordinary Mary.

Zechariah:

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.  And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.  And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.  ( Luke 1:11-14 ) ~NKJV

Zechariah’s prayer has finally answered! After years of waiting on God for a child, God sends an angel to announce to Him that the time for their answer has come.

Mary: 

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

(Luke 1: 26 -28 ) ~ NKJV

For Mary, a young virgin preparing for her wedding; the message of a supernatural birth is not exactly what she has been praying about!   As a young woman betrothed to be married , I imagine she is consumed with planning for her wedding, her future home, her marriage, family.. i can’t imagine she is thinking baby at this point..

And as we take a moment to ponder deeply on the messages Zechariah and Mary get from God, it is evident that God’s mind, thoughts and plans for us are really way beyond what we can imagine or conceive.  Our plans and His seem to be traveling in different lanes. 

On your journey of faith, where do you find yourself? What are your thoughts and plans for your life? Is there room in your faith for God to interrupt your plans with His plans for the life He has given you. And you probably thinking it is my life, I ought to have a plan for it.  I am constantly reminded  that I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. ( Galatians 2:20) ~ NKJV .  Because our lives are really HIS in Christ Jesus, we ought to have open hearts to GOD’s plans, to allow HIS interruptions trusting that they are inevitably to the glory of HIS name.

Zechariah’s Response:

And Zachariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” ( Luke 1: 18 – 20 ) ~ NKJV

Zechariah is a Priest; which means He has a relationship with God. As a Priest , he is conversant with the Law of Moses, and I presume He has read or heard of Abraham and Sarah’s testimony of birthing Isaac. Yet Zechariah is in shock !  He wonders how they could possibly conceive in their old age! There is something off about God’s timing. It is too late, they are old! Could it be that  Zechariah had given up  and possibly made peace with the fact that Him and Elizabeth will not have a child after all since they were old?  Because of His response, he has to become  dumb!  Did God expect more from Him, since He was a priest?

Why does God make him dumb? A blessing or a punishment?

I always thought Zechariah was being punished for questioning God’s ability to give him and Elizabeth a child in their old age. But after a conversation with a dear friend and Pastor (Pastor Larry), I was reminded how his being dumb is a blessing and not a punishment!  We know that God sees our hearts, beyond what we may see. Could it be that Zechariah’s faith was not ready for the blessing God was giving them and that his becoming ‘dumb’ would grow His faith?  Ponder on “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4) ~ NKJV .  During the trial ( Zechariah being dumb) ,God was building His faith preparing Him to receive the answer to His prayer.  Trials are the tools God uses to perfect our faith and drawing us closer to God.

Mary’s Response:

“How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.  Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.  For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. ( Luke 1: 34 -38 ) – NKJV

I imagine Mary is asking herself how this is good news? Is God asking her to sleep with her fiancé before they are married? Will her marriage still happen? Will Joseph still want to be with her in this whole scenario the angel is announcing to her? What will her family and friends think? Won’t she be an outcast? How will she even get pregnant? And yet the angel does not address all these questions but only gives an explanation on how the pregnancy shall happen.

Mary’s response of yes to God’s bizarre message and plan is a demonstration of her FAITH in God and a reflection of her faith in HIM.  Her YES to God is despite the many challenges and questions shows her trust in God. Mary ‘s faith is ready to receive a blessing she has not prayed for, a blessing she has not considered or even understood.

And the question I ponder on this Christmas is: “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18: 8 )~ NKJV.  When God gives you a message, a word, an assignment  that seems bizarre  and impossible, what is your response? Is your response rooted in Faith? Are you willing to say YES to Him because you know HIM!  God’s messages to us are so foreign to our natural mind, they are scary, impossible and we immediately see the impossibilities of what HE is saying. However FAITH in GOD causes us to see HIM and not the obstacles , challenges or impossibilities.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, as we celebrate your precious gift of Jesus this Christmas, I pray that you give us faith to say YES to you as Mary did! That when you come to us, Lord you will find a faith that says YES!  Lord, as the appointed time for the answers to our prayers draws near help our Faith to receive the answers as you helped Zechariah. Cause us to see your  work of perfecting our faith in the trials and tribulations, preparing us to receive the blessings you have prepared for us. In Jesus Name, AMEN. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!