PRELUDE TO CHRISTMAS

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5 ESV)

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6 ESV)

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord…. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John…. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke 1:5-6,8-13,16-17 ESV)

            The gospels were written to describe various events involving Jesus, the Son of God. Matthew and Luke begin the narrative with the Christmas story. Yet Luke saw additional value in an event preceding the birth of Christ and gave an encouraging thought about prayer.

            What did Zechariah pray? What captivated his thoughts? What was foremost on his mind? Many today believe he was obsessed with having a child, wanting to remove, completely erase, disgrace from the family name. Really? Would a priest of Israel pray a selfish prayer on the only occasion in his life when he would stand before God in the temple? Would the fragrance of prayer only be for him and his wife? I wonder.

            Approximately 19,000 descendents of Aaron existed during this period of time. A priest usually had just one opportunity in a lifetime to enter the temple for the incense ceremony, a sacred moment. The privilege was not given to every priest, only those selected by lot. Once chosen, names were hardly given any further consideration.

            The last word from the Lord was prophetically written four hundred years earlier when Jews were returning from captivity and rebuilding the temple. Malachi ends the divine admonishments with an encouraging word, the promise of a powerful spokesman for God. What would a priestly representative of captive people pray after hundreds of years without a word from the Lord?

            History records several discouraging events occurred in those four centuries. The Jewish race endured the corruption of Greece, only to end up living under the cruelty of Rome. And a despicable Herod became the recognized king of Judea. He was the combination of corruption and cruelty, wickedness personified. No one was more deranged, debased and depraved, the defecation of evil.

            Was this the best Israel could hope for? Divine intervention was desperately needed.

            Did the priestly Zechariah pray something more in line with what associates and friends were wondering: “Lord, is this the time when you will provide the real King, one from the linage of David? Things could not appear more frightening and hopeless. We live under subjection to godless people and have a leader from within our own ranks just like them, even worse. Wouldn’t this be a good time for the fulfillment of the promise mentioned by Malachi? Will you now send the voice of one crying in the wilderness after the pattern of Elijah?”

            The angelic reply would then be better understood as, “Do not be afraid, your prayer for a Rescuer has been heard. In fact, you will personally be part of the solution. You will have a son directly connected to the promise.”

            Zachariah struggled believing what had just happened, a unique encounter and divine announcement in a sacred chamber of the temple. Questions and doubts filled his heart. The outcome? Since God had remained silent for four hundred years, surely Zachariah could be mute until he saw the fulfillment. His silence ended with a mouth filled with praise.

            The priestly father was old when the boy was born. The number of years Zachariah was involved in the life of his son is not known. Did he have enough time to tell John about the circumstances of his birth? Did he teach him the promises of Isaiah and Malachi? Did the boy hear from the lips of his father about a special calling?

            John the baptizer seems to have had involvement with a religious sect called Essenes, a cluster of Jews dedicated to purification rites and praying for the promised Messiah. They daily studied Scripture and watched over the promises of God. Shunning marriage, they regularly took in orphans and raised them. Did Zachariah make arrangements with the leaders of Qumran, an Essenes “wilderness” community, to raise his son should anything happen to him and his wife? Did this group of devoted protectors and preservers of the Promise become the guardian of the Forerunner, molding and shaping John to prepare the way of the Lord?

            More than praying for a son Zachariah prayed for an Elijah to correct a terrible injustice, and gained in response the special honor of providing the forerunner for the Messiah.

            You have been praying a very long time. Does heaven appear to be taking an extended vacation? Has the Throne been silent, your petition remaining unanswered? Has your situation gotten worst? Are you wondering, “Lord, wouldn’t this be a good time for an answer?”

            Take to heart the words of an angel, “Do not be afraid … for your prayer has been heard.” The moment you have waited for is about to unfold and you will be part of the solution. Wait silently for the answer and believe.

            Have a blessed 2014 Christmas.

FINAL THOUGHT

            Most often Zachariah’s prayer is associated with, “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.” (V.25) Yet consider the circumstances: He was a priest “in the days of Herod, king of Judea.” (V.5)  If you had only one opportunity to represent your nation before God and present an appeal, would you pray a personal prayer or a priestly petition? The plea for intervention is more connected to a blatant tyrant then to a barren wife, to verse five instead of twenty-five. Zachariah did not focus on a child, he sought a Redeemer. And John the forerunner was a favorable yet personal blessing in response to praying.

             “And [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1 ESV) Some answers are more connected to praying than to the prayer. Keep talking to God!

THANKSGIVING REFERENCE POINTS

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’” (Luke 15:8-9 ESV)

            After graduating from college I received an invitation to become the Assistant Pastor at a small church in a Montana railroad town just north of Yellowstone National Park. They provided a very nice little house next door to the church building. Our second child Nannette was only 10 months old when we came and just starting to crawl. We loved the house, church and town.

            By springtime Nan had learned to walk. Like most children she loved to explore and get into things. She especially liked sparkly items. One Sunday morning I went to the church building to finish preparing for Sunday School while my wife got the girls and herself ready. Between Sunday School and Worship service Brenda approached me in a state of panic. She could not find her diamond wedding rings. While getting ready Nannette searched her jewelry box. My wife found our daughter playing on the little patio just outside the back door. She was afraid Nan took the rings outside and lost them somewhere in the yard. The Worship Service was starting in ten minutes but this terror-stricken wife needed immediate attention.

            I literally ran back to the house and went straight to the patio. I stood by the edge of the cement slab and did a very quick search, the sun directly overhead. Looking straight down I saw something sparkle between a couple blades of grass. I carefully reached down and pulled out my wife’s rings. When I arrived at the church with rings in hand there was much rejoicing and Nan’s life was rescued. J

Look at all the coincidences making this hunt successful: Home at the exact time the sun was positioned overhead at the perfect angle, starting my quest at the patio and being positioned right over the ring, able to see a sparkle caused by sun rays through blades of grass.

            My experience reminds me of the woman in Jesus story. Already having nine coins she became excited finding just one and wanted others to rejoice with her.

            A great secret to gaining thankfulness is valuing something by how much it is appreciated, not by its price. My wife has received much more costly jewelry since then yet those rings are considered irreplaceable.

            When people see the same blessings everyday they eventually stop noticing their value. When they stop noticing they quit appreciating. When they quit appreciating they stop thanking. When they stop thanking they start complaining. By this point they forget the Lord, the only One providing benefits full of wonder.

             Remember the counsel of Paul: “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” (1 Timothy 6:17 ESV)

            You will not forget your blessings if you thank the Lord for all things. How well have you cultivated a thankful attitude?  One way to remain grateful is by having reference points.

            I recently had a conversation with one of my grandchildren and asked a generic question about how he was doing in school. He responded, “Good!” To gain a better understanding of his classroom performance required more specific questions. A point of reference helps measure what good means and places value on the treasure of good experiences.

            Five reference points will help you appreciate finding the riches that normally go unnoticed.

Hypothetically trading places

            Years ago a popular television show was on the air called “Trading Places.” Close friends would remodel each other’s house within a 48 hour period. The completed work was well received most of the time. Occasionally the changes were clearly not appreciated. Friends were hoping and wanting to help, yet some thought the appearance of their home ended up ugly.

            Although the United States may appear ruined and increasingly ugly, over 90 percent of the world’s population would be thrilled to trade places with an American right now. Starving people would love to sit at a finely set table filled with tasty foods and delicious desserts to eat a turkey meal, instead of rummaging through garbage dumps.

            Visit a third world country with mud huts and diseased infested streets. They make the poorest neighborhoods in America look like luxury condominiums.

            Do you find yourself complaining about your aging vehicle? Millions of people in foreign countries walk or ride animals to their destination, mostly walk.

            Are you willing to change your clean water from a kitchen faucet for water from a source filled with parasites? Multitudes would love clean water. Some people have no choice but to drink water wherever they can find it.

            God does not want you feeling guilty having pleasant surroundings. He just wants you to be grateful. And He wants you to help the less fortunate.

Remembering lean years

            Occasionally I incorporate the early years of marriage into my writings, a time when we hardly had even the bare necessities. My intention is never to gain pity. We benefited greatly from the lessons in the days of small beginnings, but I never want to forget how fortunate we have it today.

            My dad’s father died when he was only sixteen. He dropped out of high school to support his mother and brother. The Great Depression hit America. He lost his job, went back to school and got his diploma. His lunch during high school consisted of whatever he could buy for ten cents. World War II followed the Depression and he went to war. By the time my sister, brother and I were born things began looking up for the family, a nice house in a pleasant neighborhood, with delicious food, warm clothing and reliable transportation. Throughout my upbringing he spoke of his lean years and was grateful they had not continued.

            Stirring up memories of less fortunate times creates a reference point to thank God.

Losing and recovering blessings

            Sometimes people do not realize the value of their blessings until they lose them. Many say they hate their job until out of work. Some complain about spouses and kids until the marriage fails or kids runaway.  People at fitness centers occasionally bellyache about exercise until injured and unable to do their workout.

            When situations turn around attitudes are transformed. A job becomes priceless. A restored marriage and a runaway child back home feels heavenly. A leg or arm fully mobile once again brings deep-seated satisfaction.

            These become reference points of thanksgiving, making people know what it is like going without.

Comparing a worse situation

            Clarence was a very poor man with a large family. It took every penny to take care of his six kids. Three had worn out their shoes but the family needed a washing machine. He started looking for a used appliance.

            An ad was posted in a newspaper and he went to the home. The couple offered to sell it at a very low price. Being able to buy both a washing machine and three pairs of shoes made Clarence very appreciative.

            Expressing his gratitude to the sellers he casually added, “I bet you’ve never had to worry about buying shoes.” The woman started to cry and left the room. Her husband explained, “We only have one child and she has never walked a step in her life, she’s never worn out a pair of shoes.” Clarence went home with a used washing machine and a new reference point.

            People would do well to remember circumstances could be worse.

Experiences not happening to you

            Dale Carnegie went through a prolonged period of depression. To pull out of despair he wrote a list of everything important to him. He then imagined life without these things. He included a number of hypothetical tragedies – his children in jail, his wife leaving him, being flat broke, his health ruined.

            After completing his list, Carnegie drew a line through each misfortune that was not true, which ended up being the whole list. His reference point for thankfulness was the bad things that never came to pass. His depression lifted. Thank God for the numerous tragic experiences not happening to you.

Thanksgiving

            By using reference points you gain the ability to appreciate the wonderful blessings you have and the unpleasant moments you have escaped. Have a blessed Thanksgiving day.

GOD, who are You?

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