During Advent, very simple, ordinary things take on new meaning.
As we light candles, they do much more than bring light or fragrance to a
room. They become symbols of the light of our faith. As we hang evergreens
in our sanctuaries, they are more than mere decorations. They are signs of
true life made possible through Jesus Christ. As we set up the Nativity scene,
it isn’t just because we do it every year. It is because the Nativity
characters are timeless and valuable. Candles, pine boughs, and ceramic figurines
are not special in and of themselves; they are very ordinary. When viewed
through the eyes of faith and grace, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
During the Advent season we prepare for the coming of Jesus—both
His original advent into our world and His second advent in the future. Birth
is ordinary, but Jesus’ birth is extraordinary. Joseph and Mary were
ordinary, but God partnered with them to accomplish extraordinary things.
It was on an ordinary night turned extraordinary when the angels met the shepherds
in the field. Advent is about ordinary people, in regular life circumstances,
in simple surroundings that are transformed by God’s loving work in
the world. Our world needs to hear the Advent message. We have the privilege
of helping people see that God works through the ordinary things of life to
do something profound. God works through ordinary people to accomplish the
great work of His kingdom. God can work through you and me, ordinary people,
to do extraordinary things!
If you are a pastor of a church like mine, you know the Christmas
season is filled with sounds of, “If we only had more children we could
have a musical,” or “I wish we could have a choir but we haven’t
had one for twenty years.” Our church cannot pull off a full Christmas
drama or musical, but we still want the holidays to be a special time. Included
with the sermon manuscripts posted at www.preachersmagazine.org, you will
also find weekly Advent monologues, readings, and song selections. Advent
monologue instructions are posted as well. This means you have the opportunity
to use a few key people with different talents and from different age groups
to make your Advent celebration far from ordinary.
Luke begins his gospel with unlikely characters having an unlikely
experience. We meet Zechariah and Elizabeth, a married couple with good lineage
and also a good track record of faith and obedience to God. Elizabeth, however,
is barren. In ancient times, people believed that the inability to conceive
was directly related to sin; the punishment was a barrenness. Jesus later
challenges this notion of sin and barrenness in His ministry. Today we do
not believe sin to be the cause of infertility, but it is important to remember
the context of Luke’s narrative—ancient people believed this connection
existed. Luke wants people to know that Elizabeth and Zechariah were good
people, obedient to God, who did not warrant this kind of punishment (v. 6).
Here is the twist in their story: a barren woman beyond the age of childbearing
is pregnant by the power of God. This isn’t the first time in Scripture
that a barren woman had conceived. God has done this for many women who participate
in His plan for the world: a baby, who will do great things and fulfill God’s
promises, needs to be born. Barren wombs that are opened are always opened
for extraordinary purposes!
That is true in this passage as well. Baby John needed to be
born now, at this time, in this place. Elizabeth and Zechariah’s baby
would grow up to be John the Baptist, the one who would prepare the way for
Jesus’ earthly ministry. It was his voice that was needed in the wilderness,
his baptism of repentance that would lead to the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
This was the right time for extraordinary things.
Zechariah and the angel’s conversation is interesting.
Gabriel goes into detail about who this child will be, how he is to be raised,
what he will do, and the joy he will bring his parents—all wonderful,
helpful, crucial things. And yet, Zechariah doesn’t buy it. His response
is one of doubt and sheer disbelief that this could happen. He fails to be
amazed at Gabriel’s message.
What is it that makes Zechariah question this heavenly messenger?
Perhaps it is because the message seems impossible due to past disappointments
and years of unanswered prayer. Questions are natural, doubts will come, but
God still invites us to be a part of His grand plan. We see there are consequences
to Zechariah’s questioning. Gabriel told Zechariah that he would be
unable to speak until the baby’s birth. Was this a punishment or a blessing?
Zechariah would have a lot of time to listen to God while he sat silently
for the coming months. It wouldn’t be Zechariah’s voice that would
be heard, it would be the work of God seen by all. God works in extraordinary
ways—even the blessing of silence!
We live in a world of broken promises. How many times do we
get let down in a month, a year, a lifetime? Too many! How many disappointments
do we face, heartaches do we feel, losses do we suffer? Too many! We ask God
why things are happening to us. We beg God to give us what we want. We cry
out and feel as if our voice is not heard. All this can lead people to a very
jaded view of life and God. Even when we are given the greatest news in the
world, like Zechariah, we don’t buy it or believe it. How could we?
We have been disappointed one too many times. We have prayed one too many
prayers. Years have gone by, no answer has come, and the pain grows greater.
We may even begin to believe God doesn’t hear us. Some people say, “There
is good news? So what, it is probably too good to be true.” Others continue
to pray, talk with others, and make a lot of noise hoping someone, anyone,
will hear. But we often wonder if anyone is really listening. When God does
answer, like He did for Zechariah, we might not hear it, understand it, or
believe it because of the noise in our hearts. The voice of disappointment
can be louder than the voice of God’s promise.
Advent is the time we celebrate the fulfillment of the promised
Messiah. For centuries the people longed for a Messiah. They prayed time and
again; they waited year after year for the Messiah. Despite the long wait,
God didn’t disappoint. The Messiah did come; Jesus Christ was born.
God is always faithful, God is always at work, and God always keeps His promises.
Even if we don’t believe Him, God is still faithful. God is patient
with us just like He was with Zechariah. Despite Zechariah’s disbelief,
John was born; God answered the prayer. God has given each of us the gift
of Jesus Christ: the promise of new life, hope, and forgiveness. We may not
have every prayer answered in the way we hope or expect, but the best answer
has been given: Jesus. If we will just listen, we will be able to see how
God is at work in our lives, our world, and our churches.
Zechariah was forced into silence. Sometimes I wish that would
happen to me. I wish I couldn’t speak, that all I could do is listen.
I have found that the more I listen the more I really know. I love to listen
to people, to hear their stories, to imagine what they must be feeling. I
don’t have a problem listening to people. The real problem I have is
listening to God. When I come to Him I have praises, requests to lay at His
feet, hopes and dreams to bounce off of Him. Then time is up, devotions are
over, and it is back to real life. All I have done is talk; I haven’t
been silent and listened.
We don’t have the luxury of a forced silence when all
we can do is listen and see what God is doing and wants to do in our lives.
We need to stop and listen. We need to take the time to listen in our lives.
Maybe if we quieted down for a while the answer we have been waiting for will
come. If we quiet ourselves before the Lord, we will find that we know Him
in a more intimate way. Then can see Him more clearly in our everyday, ordinary
lives.
(For the full manuscript
of this sermon go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons.”)
This sermon is a great opportunity for you to illustrate how
noisy the world really is. Begin this sermon by having people in the congregation
talk to each other as you say a word of blessing without a microphone. See
if anyone really heard the blessing amidst the hum of the congregation. Most
likely the answer is “no,” they couldn’t hear what you had
to say. That is the same when we approach God—too much noise, too much
talking, and not enough listening.
We live in a world of noise and as Christians we must have times
of quiet. We need times when we can listen to the voice of God challenging,
changing, and calling us. Too often we are so noisy we miss the blessing,
answer, and the calling; God’s work can’t be done in us. Zechariah
had to be quiet. I am sure he had a lot to think about in those days leading
up to John’s birth! I imagine God had a lot to say to him. During the
hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, we will miss out on the meaning
of Jesus’ birth if we are too busy to be quiet. When we are quiet, we
find that unlikely, ordinary people are invited into God’s extraordinary
plan for the world.
Being quiet isn’t something people automatically understand how to do. It is helpful to offer your congregation some tools to understand how to slow down and be silent in God’s presence. A time of silence, or guided prayer, in the service could help them engage their hearts and minds in listening. Encourage them to set aside a time and place for praying with the specific plan of simply listening. If a person is already doing regular devotions, help them see the value of adding silence to their time in the Word. If someone is not yet in the habit of doing devotions, this is a good place to begin. A great way to end the sermon is to invite the people to quiet their hearts and minds; then repeat the words of blessing. When they hear those words they will begin to understand how valuable quiet can be and how rich the blessing of God is.
