Four Advent Questions From Luke 1

Luke 1:5-23, The Angel appears to Zechariah

Lk 1:18: Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.’
Luke 1:34: Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ (Lk 1:34)
Luke 1:43: Elizabeth (said), “And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?”
Luke 1:66: All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What then will this child become?’ ​

Dear Friends,
Once Luke’s gospel gets underway, it is focused like a laser beam on Jesus. Why then does it start with 50 or more verses telling the story, not of Jesus’ birth, but of John the Baptist’s birth, and how his parents experienced that? It seems odd to give so much air time to two characters who will exit stage right and never be heard from again. It feels like throat-clearing on the part of a speaker before he or she settles into the topic at hand—something I tell my preaching students to avoid! As I have pondered this, a few things strike me. First, by taking time to narrate the poignant lack and then joyful gift given to Zechariah and Elizabeth, Luke brings in a theme that will pervade his gospel—that it comes into our lives at our points of deepest need, where we are most discouragingly, sometimes desperately, aware of our emptiness and incapacity to bring about the futures we desire for ourselves. Second, the story is replete with Old Testament echoes, from Abraham and Sarah to Samson’s parents, to Elijah, the joyful promises of Isaiah, and to the exhortations of Malachi. This opening scene anchors Jesus’ story firmly in the stream of all of Scripture. But the story is also packed with drama, confusion, and joyful expectation, so it sets the stage so well for the birth of Jesus in the next chapter. I want tto consider the four questions we find here, but first,  let’s look at Zechariah’s journey from doubt to joy.
What a moment it was for him, even before the angel showed up! It’s estimated that there were around 20,000 priests in Zechariah’s time, and they served in the temple in twenty-four two-week stints. From those 830 or so, one was chosen by lot each day to offer incense. If your name was called, it was removed from contention, so this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event, if even that. Imagine how excited, and perhaps frightened, Zechariah was. “Must. Not. Spill the incense!” Then, to have the angel Gabriel appear. He was terrified, so Gabriel spoke words of comfort to him. Then made wild promises, promises of joy and the fulfillment of his deepest longings. I love that it is in the course of serving others, interceding on their behalf, that God generously grants Zechariah’s prayer.
In some ways, I would have liked Zechariah’s next words to be, “Blessed be God Most High!” But they aren’t. Instead, he gets a little demanding, a tad suspicious. “How will I know that this is so?” He wants proof, a sign, even though he has a sign—an angel right in front of him. But in other ways I’m glad he responded as he did; it’s just so human, so normal. It’s what we all might well have done. We can wish we’d bowed in wonder, but the reality is, we’d have doubted as well.
I used to think that Gabriel punished Zechariah for this petulant outburst by hitting his mute button, but the text doesn’t say that. It simply states that muteness is a consequence of his disbelief.  I believe there was a gift for Zechariah in this involuntary season of silence. He is invited to listen, to savor, and to hope, as he watches Elizabeth’s belly swell and perhaps overhears Mary sing. She sings a song that will inspire his own proclamation of God’s merciful salvation (Luke 1:68-79), when his voice is at last restored.
Which questions are you asking in this Advent season? Are you in a bit of a cranky phase, like Zechariah? Perhaps the practice of silence, watching and waiting is the invitation for those of us who find ourselves there. Are you a bit overwhelmed and baffled as you ponder how your current situation will morph into a promised better one, like Mary was? Going to God with those honest “how on earth will this all work out?” questions served Mary well. Are you finding yourself in humble awe at the goodness of God toward you, like Elizabeth when she asked why she got to be in the presence of the mother of her future savior? Elizabeth was free with her blessing of Mary in that moment. Or are you more like the villagers, curious, expectant, hearing good news and now on the lookout for how it will take shape? These all seem to be postures of Advent that God desires, soft clay that God can work with.
We find ourselves in all four of these stances in this Advent season. Like Elizabeth, we are so honored and grateful for God’s provision of a home, a church, and family nearby as we seek to care well for my mom. Like Zechariah, we get cranky and demanding at times, and like Mary, we’re not entirely clear how this will all work out, but we are also, like the villagers, happily expectant for the good work of God as it unfolds.
What we’re up to these days:

• Rich continues to love the work he is able to do teaching and coaching pastors in India and Nepal through many weekly Zoom sessions and is preparing to teach a course in Malaysia in January. The teaching ministry continues to grow with new zoom session groups beginning in January.
• We are both enjoying welcoming and serving the young adults of our church, and have seen several visitors begin to join our group, enticed by the free dinner we provide every Tuesday.
• I loved teaching Greek to Burmese refugees in Malaysia. I am still able to teach intermittently for St. Paul’s in Kuala Lumpur, and to serve them by grading papers. I am a reader for various doctoral and ThM papers and am enjoying the new work I’ve begun to do for Scholar Leaders: mentoring, coaching, and supporting the doctoral students who are pursuing education so that they can better serve the seminaries and churches in their home countries.  This is good work that I’m grateful to be able to do in addition to my new vocation to care for my mother.

How you can pray for us:

• For happiness and contentment for Nancy and cheerful patience as we serve her.
• Rich has hopes of traveling to India early in 2025, and I will travel to Grand Rapids in January for a gathering of Scholar Leaders staff. I hope to go to Albania in March for the gathering of ICETE (International Council for Evangelical Theological Education), where I will lead a team focused on women in theological education. Pray for wisdom and guidance regarding this hoped-for travel.
• Updates on our kids: Becca has been under treatment for GI issues and is responding well to her medication. She and her husband Avery are thriving, and they recently gave us an early Christmas present of a night at a local performance of Cirque du Soleil (see below). Regarding Mark, Rich and I grieve with him that his marriage to Leslie is coming to an end. He’s doing well in spite of this and grateful to God for God’s blessings, and we are grateful to be able to see him in person soon after two years.
  
  

Thanks so much. We’d love to hear from you (or to host you for a visit in Durham)! Please send physical mail and photo cards to our address in Durham: 5006 Tudor Place, Durham, NC  27713.
Rich and Lisa Lamb