When God Says "Shut Up!" (Luke 1: 67-79)

     I know, I know! It’s rude to say “Shut up!” to anyone. And, no, God did not literally say, “Shut up!” But he may as well have! Zechariah, a priest fulfilling his service to God in the Temple, had been praying that his wife Elizabeth would be given a child. As Zechariah was burning incense at the altar, God sent an angel to tell him that Elizabeth would soon be pregnant and give birth to a son who was to be named John. Instead of leaping for joy and singing songs of praise, Zechariah, like any person who is realistic, said, “How will I know this is true?” That’s when God might as well have said, “Shut up,” because the angel closed Zechariah’s mouth until the time John would be born as a sign and, apparently, as a consequence to Zechariah’s unbelief.

     The God who shuts up is also the God who opens wide! Upon John’s birth, Zechariah became a prophet, telling of all that God was about to do through John and, more importantly, through the savior, Jesus Christ, who was soon to be born. Zechariah and Elizabeth had hoped for years for a child. The people of Israel had hoped for generations for God to send a savior, and this broken, conflicted world has been hoping from the moment of Adam’s sin for healing and wholeness to come from God who alone has that kind of power. God sent John, Zechariah says, to “go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace (Luke 1: 76-79).” God opened Zechariah’s mouth to say to the world, “all you have hoped for and believed would come is on the way in my son Jesus, the savior.”

     What are you waiting and hoping for when Jesus returns again to bring the fullness of his Kingdom to earth? Talk to God about that in prayer, and keep your eyes open, believing that Jesus is still in the business of bringing salvation!

     I welcome you to join our church in Sanford over the next 4 weeks leading up to Christmas as we try to find biblical answers to the question "What Difference Does This Baby Make?"   Check out our videos or follow us on facebook!