Speechless

December 9th

Speechless

 

‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.’ 

Genesis 1:1-3

In the beginning everything began with God’s word, “And God said…”. By His word God articulated this whole whirling world into being and our whole reality into existence; darkness fills with light, emptiness fills with fullness and all the elements rush together in eager obedience to God’s word, creating the solid tangible existence we stand two feet on today.

God’s words have power within them. The power to create life…

‘But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 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.”

Luke 1:13-17

Out of the emptiness of years of disappointment and despair (for both this elderly couple and their nation) God was going to bring brand new life. This was good news, the announcement of a much longed for, much awaited and much expected messiah.The words of Gabriel’s message and the circumstances around its delivery brim over with prophecies fulfilled and foreshadowings realised…

The message is delivered by the angel Gabriel, who is mentioned in the book of Daniel (Daniel 8:16 and 9:21). 

Zechariah and Elizabeth’s barrenness leading to a God-given miraculous birth is foreshadowed in the stories of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel, Hannah and Elkanah, and also Samson’s Parents. 

The words of Gabriel to Zechariah resemble the birth message for Samson’s mother, from the command “He is never to take wine or other fermented drink” to the mention of the Holy Spirit at work in Him (Judges 13:3-4, 25).

Gabriel’s birth announcement naming the baby John is remarkably similar to the announcement to Abraham and Sarah, naming baby Isaac…

“Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.” Genesis 17:19 “

“Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.” Luke 1:13b

Gabriel’s words in verse 7 foretell the fulfilment of the prophecy from the prophet Malachi…

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” Malachi 4:5-6

…As well as the words of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3-5) which are later quoted directly to describe John’s ministry (Luke 3:4-6).

The author, Luke, and the angel Gabriel couldn’t have been clearer: this  message for Zechariah this day is soaked-through-saturated with the long story of God’s past, present and future activity with human beings. God’s fingerprints are all over this story from beginning to end.

As a priest Zechariah didn’t just know this story, he was a steward and teacher of this long story of Israel. This long story of God showing up in miraculous ways, bringing life out of emptiness, light out of darkness.  

God’s words have power within them. 

But so do ours, just in another way. The words we speak have power, not because we are powerful, but because we live within them.

‘Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” Luke 1:18

Zechariah knew God’s story, but he was living in his own version of it. Though he and Elizabeth were ‘were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly’ (Luke 1:6) Zechariah was living the story of his past disappointment and pain… How can I be sure of this?’ . Zechariah’s faith had grown as old and tired as he was. He didn’t expect to see an angel show up, he didn’t expect to see all he and Elizabeth’s hopes realised. He didn’t expect any of this. 

Mary’s question to Gabriel soon after “How will this be?” (Luke 1:34) carries within it the assumption that it will be. Zechariah’s question “How can I be sure of this” springs from a heart of disbelief assuming this cannot be.

We live in the reality we believe. And in our silent human struggles doubts grow and faith fades. Faith is a risk. The risk of trusting heaven with our heart’s deepest hopes. Trusting that Heaven is at work even when we do not immediately see it. Faith is seeing in the emptiness, the waiting presence of God. With us. 

Faith is knowing our voice is heard even in the silence. 

And sometimes it is silence that is needed to restore a faith.

‘The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” Luke 1:19-20

Belief matters. Because our beliefs create the words we speak and then the world we live in. And unbelief creates a world without God. A world of loneliness and despair. A world of hustling to survive. A world of anxiety and fear.  This is not the world God wants for His children. But it is the world we wander into, slowly, silently over time, as disappointments and dashed dreams wither our hope on the vine.

And the unbelieving world within our minds can be so much louder than the larger reality that includes God with us.

The shrunken story Zechariah’s tired heart had wandered into was not going to be allowed to be spoken over the life of His new child. As light silences darkness, God’s word (through Gabriel) leaves Zechariah speechless. 

“Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. When his time of service was completed, he returned home.” 

Luke 1:21-23

Zechariah and Elizabeth’s household must have felt strangely silent for the next nine months as the reality of God’s word formed silently, cell by cell within Elizabeth’s ageing womb. Zechariah may have needed that long to think, to remember everything he already knew but had forgotten to live within.

The next recorded words from Zechariah’s mouth will not be words of doubt and disbelief ‘How can I be sure of this?’ but a whole hearted song of praise, echoing Gabriels message, and the long story of grace it described.

Our human words fail but God’s never do. Our human hearts grow weary, but God’s creative redemptive power at work in us and for us never tires.

We, all of us have a human story that we’ve lived through… a story with wins and losses, joys and despairs. A story full of words we’ve spoken or had spoken over us that sprang from worn out or worldly hearts speaking scarcity, doubt, despair or insecurity over our lives. 

Whatever the story you have lived within, as you come to this Christmas season remember: your story (however small it feels and however worn out you sometimes feel within it) is deeply embedded in God’s beautiful, ancient, never ending story of grace. A grace which silences the darkness and speaks light and life into existence. 

God’s words have power within them. the power to create new life…

“After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “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.” Luke 1:24-25