Zechariah and Elizabeth. Their story isn’t one that instantly comes to mind during Advent. They were Godly, righteous people who had accepted that their dream of a child wasn’t going to happen and yet they continued living their faith. Zechariah was a priest, and he got the once in a lifetime opportunity to enter the temple and burn the incense to God. During this time he received the unbelievable news that the dream of that child was not gone. It was so shocking that he was thrust into silent, joyful wonder.
It’s easy to become numb to how unusual the story of Elizabeth and Mary’s pregnancies are. Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph are not who you would expect to be part of the Messiah’s birth. They were not what the world expected, and Jesus was not who was expected. The Messiah was expected to be a larger-than-life character, a hero to restore the Jewish people to their rightful place. What the people got instead was this beyond humble set of people and circumstances. But it’s exactly what the world needed and still needs today: love, peace, joy and hope. It is an unbelievable story and yet it still rings true even though our world doesn’t feel like it.
What do we do to keep this unbelievable, unusual Messiah at the forefront of this Advent season? How do we find love, peace, joy and hope during these times that are far from all of those things? I think that if we will focus on living our faithful lives, there will be those moments of unexpected joy that only come from the surprise of God showing up seemingly out of the blue.
Prayer: Divine Love, continue to quietly whisper to us. Remind us that you are here for all of your children, and your love is for all. May we listen in the midst of our lives and be open to these unexpected ways that you come to all of us. Amen.
Michelle Vaughn has been a member of Highland for 18 years. She is a wife and mother to 3 children, 3 cats and 2 dogs. She enjoys watching her shows, girls’ nights out, and more often than not, would rather be on a cruise ship.