Day 47 - Issue 23
Luke 1:13 NLT
But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.
In an age where activism is applauded, it is counterintuitive to slow down one’s pace of life. As we rush towards Christmas, the speed of life increases. Social activities, the preparations for the great feast itself, family and friends to organise throughout the Christmas holiday, and innumerable special events, such as carol services. Life can become frenetic.
One thing accompanying Katey with her MS taught me was that not everyone can live at the pace life dictates. A serious illness both disables physically and isolates socially. Unable to keep up, you have to learn to walk alone some distance behind the rest. On pilgrimage the same can happen. Anyone with a walking impediment tends to be left at the back of the pilgrim line as eager seekers after God press ahead, straining towards the next encounter. The good news is that God chooses to walk at my pace. I’m reassured, God will be with me every stage of life’s journey; he never leaves me behind.
Zechariah and Elizabeth had waited a long time for a hope they no longer believed could possibly be fulfilled. No doubt they had experienced what most childless couples experience, a measure of well-intentioned exclusion. For they never held a baby shower, nor saw the family gather around their new-born. Stories of nursery and school were forever third party narratives, and while lovingly embracing and encouraging nephews and nieces, their pain was always present. They lived a pace of life different from their peers, yet always looked to God for strength and encouragement.
Zechariah could not believe the angel. Habits were formed, choices made, rhythms established. A child was almost certainly a joy yet also a massive interruption, especially now that youthful strength had drained away. He had no words to express joy and consternation, faith and doubt. So the angel appropriately sealed his lips, and let the story unfold on its own. There are times when we hardly dare believe, and keep quiet in anticipation of something for which we have no words.
QUESTION: What do you most fear or look forward to at Christmas?
PRAYER: Lord, still my heart and lips that I may perceive you and your ways for me.
