Advent Reflections: Dec. 11

"Do not be afraid Zechariah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, John."

Luke 1:13

I have to admit that while I love that the birth narratives have such great roles for women, I also particularly like the guys who are part of the story--Joseph and Zechariah are right up there. They signify for me what the experience we often have in the midst of what God is doing--"Huh? What? No way. Oh. Okay."

The verse today is a wonderful answer to prayer. But it is also part of a story of Zechariah totally doubting what God is up to. And who can blame him?! Sometimes God's will comes in powerful, mountain-top experiences that evoke images of glory from on high (cue shepherds and singing angels). Other times, however, God's will comes like a Mack truck heading straight for us. Or at least, it can feel that way!

What I love about Zechariah's story is that his doubt is not, of course, the end of the story. Indeed, he is struck mute because of it, but his speech is restored when he finally accepts and celebrates what God is doing. His stubbornness is not definitive for God's work in the world.

What good news for us when we stubbornly hold to our own ideas of what and how God ought to be at work, or even when we become overcome with the swirling winds around us.

Last night, about 11 pm, our power went out at home. I noticed it, as I was falling asleep, but figured it was a fluke and would be back on. About three hours later when my two-year-old woke up (and woke me up) because her noise machine was (still) off and she was getting chilly, I discovered it was no fluke. A couple hours (and lots of prayers) later, she was finally back to sleep, and I grabbed what few winks I could before a busy day of work would begin. My husband had, meanwhile, called the power company, who assured us power would be on in the early morning hours.

I was, needless to say, grumpy (at best) to wake to discover power still out. Really. I'm a pretty miserable person to be around when power is out. It reverts me, I think, to age 2.

It would be a better story to say power hadn't come on and I pulled myself together and headed out to take Anna to work and get myself to work while my husband did the same. Well, power came back on. JUST in time to get ready. There is no great feat here...I had just enough normalcy to get me going. I still grumbled, though.

It was, however, a reminder of the times God has led me down an awesome path while I whined part (yes, sometimes even most) of the way. And of how God has much more patience with me than I often have with my own daughter. God hangs in there, with the maturity of a parent who knows that once their child has gotten their whining over, they'll be able to pull themselves together and see the blessings all around them.

I think this is what was going on with Zechariah. God was being patient, knowing that like the rest of us, Zechariah just needed a moment. Or two. Or...

And once Zechariah was able to do that, he got to be FULLY a part of what God was doing. My prayer today for each of us, is that we are able, like Zechariah, to do the same.