Once there was a man who joined a Cistercian monastery and began his 3-year path to becoming a monk. When he arrived, the monk in charge of novices gave him a tour. He showed him the gardens, the barn, the kitchens—all the places where daily work took place. He showed him the refectory where meals were eaten, the chapel of course, and the rooms where each brother lived. The rooms were spare, just a bed, a chair, and a desk with a bible and the rule of the order on it. At the end of the orientation tour the monk reminded the novice about the Cistercian order’s vow of silence.
A regular pattern of work and prayer continued for a year at which point the novice met with the Abbot for his first review. He was allowed to speak two words. He said, “bed hard!” The abbot raised his eyebrows. The next year went by and he came in for his review. At the end of the meeting his two words were, “food bad.” Well, the abbot didn’t look very pleased by that comment either. The next year went by and at his review the novice said, “I quit.” “I’m not surprised,” the abbot said, “all you’ve done since you arrived is complain!”
Silence is a rare thing, especially here in Mazatlan. Zechariah found himself silent for nine-months, while Elizabeth, his wife, was pregnant with their one and only son, John the Baptist. What do you suppose Zechariah discovered in the quiet? What if we could get inside his story. How would he tell it? He might start by saying:
It has been hundreds of years since Israel has heard from a prophet. The nation is a mess with its series of weak and corrupt kings, dominated by one Empire after another, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks and finally the ruthless Romans. We have been hoping for a deliverer – a Messiah – who will set us free from our oppressors and be a King like David, establishing a kingdom of righteousness and justice.
We know the words of Isaiah, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given… and the government will be upon his shoulders and his kingdom will never end. We hold to the covenant God made with Abraham – I will bless you and make you a blessing… and through your seed, all the world will be blessed.
But there’s been a lot of waiting and hoping and not much change though– except more injustice and oppression – which seems to know no bounds.
He might ask:
Do you like your government? Do you ever wish things could be better? In Israel, we have had enough… we want a good government! But I’m an old man. If I’m honest, I doubted that I would see it in my lifetime, that the prophecies of our prophets would ever be fulfilled? I’m an old Jewish priest. All my life I’ve known only foreign rule. Oppression. The Romans – I despise them.
I wasn’t always old. I’ve just slowly gotten older and older and now here I am. I’m old. Maybe even ancient. My wife is named Elizabeth. She, is not old. Oh no! Elizabeth is most definitely not old. She is, let me get this just right – I learned this in marriage class…“well along in years.” That means she getting better and better as the years go by.
All my life I’ve been waiting and praying for three things: first to serve in the temple as Priest, next– to be a father, and finally– to see the Messiah.
As I said, I am a priest. My father I was a priest. Let me tell you about that. Serving at the Temple in Jerusalem is the highest honor a priest can have. Eash priest serves at the temple for one week each year. I am a member of one of 24 divisions in the priesthood, one of approximately 18,000 priests. Each priest only officiates at the sacrifice once in his lifetime. And we are selected by lottery. In other words, you could be a priest all your life and never be called to serve in the Temple.
Finally, my name was called! My first prayer was answered. So, there I was in the temple – it’s our most holy place in all the world. I was feeling very excited, hoping I wouldn’t make a mistake. My job was to burn incense – symbolizing the prayers of God’s people rising toward heaven.
The altar of incense is made of acacia wood with a veneer of gold. Acacia is a beautiful hardwood that is almost indestructible. The altar is thirty-six inches high and eighteen inches square. It serves as a place for the daily burning of incense, both morning and evening. This twice daily exercise consists of a priest taking burning coals from the bronze altar in the temple court, to the altar of incense, and placing the coals upon the incense. The incense is a mixture of five spices. When the hot coals hit the incense a burst of smoke and smells float up to heaven.
Well, that day, my day, in that moment, as I placed the coals on the incense – symbolizing prayer – I got a message. You could say an angel appeared and said… “your prayer has been heard.” When I saw him, I was startled, afraid. It’s not every day that you get a message from God. The message was: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son.
If I’m honest, I’d given up on that after all the years. I thought it was too late. The message continued. His name would be John. Of course he would be a joy and a delight for us, but the angel said that many would rejoice because of his birth, and he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring many people to God. And he will go before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah.
Of course I recognized his words … from Isaiah – and Malachi. I was startled and shaken… and without thinking I blurted out…, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
I thought it was a fair question. I was not expecting all that when I woke up that morning – and besides – I was already excited to serve in the Temple…. So, I over-reacted! That did not go well at all! The angel looked at me with astonishment,
“I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
Then I realized – this is no low-level angel – this is Gabriel! Before I had time to apologize… Boom. Immediately, I lost my speech. Talk about bad timing. You see, when the priest comes out of the temple – after burning incense- he gives a blessing to the people…But I couldn’t speak…all I could do was use sign language. The people gathered at the temple that day knew something unusual had occurred.
I’m sure they were wondering what took so long? What happened? And of course, I couldn’t say a word. Like I said before If you want to talk when an angel is around – well, just don’t. Keep your mouth shut! So, I just made motions with my hands… I think I looked shaken and I may have staggered a little. People seemed to figure it out… “he’s seen a vision” … I think something happened in there!”
I just wanted to go home and be with Elizabeth. But I couldn’t even talk to her! Two prayers answered in one day! …and after all these years of waiting… and waiting. Those words are still ringing in my ears – “your prayer has been heard.” Except… I lost my tongue. Nothing was coming out. Not a sound. I discovered something about angels – they like to have the last word!
Maybe it was God’s way of saying – stop talking and just watch… I’ll take it from here. And then – not long after this temple “experience” – Elizabeth announces that she’s pregnant.
I was filled with anticipation. I had time to think. And read. I remembered our patriarch, Abraham, and his wife, Sarah. They also had no children. They also were old. They also had a visit from an angel to talk about a baby. Their baby – baby Isaac – was a fulfillment of the covenant God made to Abraham.
Is our baby going to have significance on the scale of Isaac? Is this the beginning of the new covenant? The one Jeremiah prophesied about 500 years ago? The implications are amazing and overwhelming.
Six months into the pregnancy another piece of the puzzle appears. Elizabeth’s cousin, Mary, arrives for a visit. You won’t believe this but it turns out she also had a visit from the same angel – Gabriel. But that’s another story—a long story.
Sure enough, Elizabeth gave birth to our son. Our neighbors and relatives came and shared our joy. On the eighth day we came to circumcise our baby. Everyone thought we were going to name him after me – Zechariah, that’s the Jewish way. But, Elizabeth spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” People questioned her and asked me what I would like to name the child. I asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment wrote, “His name is John.”
I wanted no part of a run in with Gabriel again. My mouth was opened and my tongue set free, and I began to speak. Everybody was filled with awe, and throughout the hill country people were talking about all these things, wondering, “What is this child going to become?”
You know, I’d had a long time to prepare my words. Maybe all expectant parents should be struck silent for 9 months, long enough to realize the child is not just an extension of its parents but has its own God-given life and role and dreams to fulfil. Until then I thought a child would make me proud, give Elizabeth the honor she deserved. But God has so much more in mind for my son, I suppose for every child. It’s like Jeremiah said about God, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” I was thrilled to finally sing the song I had been composing over my silent months, to praise God’s actions in the past, and to look forward to the good things God has planned for us.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who has come to his people and set them free.
The Lord has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through the holy prophets God promised of old to
save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us,
to show mercy to our forbears,
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous before him, all the days of our life.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break up on us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Amen.