What Happens When the Angels Leave -- Zechariah Luke 5:1-25 INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES

Transcription

1 When the Angels Leave --- Zechariah Page 1 of 8 What Happens When the Angels Leave -- Zechariah Luke 5:1-25 INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES Angels are everywhere. Have you noticed? They are all over the store shelves. They are hanging on or on top of Christmas trees. They are decorating lawns. Angels are showing up on Christmas cards. People are even wearing angels --- on earrings, as pins, or on sweaters. Angels are everywhere. They tend to show up in great abundance this time of year. You see them everywhere you turn. And then, just as suddenly as they arrive, they leave. The angels of Christmas soon make way for the hearts and roses of Valentine s Day. The angels come and the angels go. And, my friends, that s true in the Scripture too. Angels show up throughout the Christmas stories but then as suddenly as they arrive, they leave. And that is true in our personal lives as well. Oh, we may encounter an angel or two along the way but we live most of our lives without an angel being around. And that s why between now and Christmas we are asking this important question: What happens when the angels leave? Now if you were here last week, this will be a bit of a review but it s important to know the Biblical understanding of angels. The Greek work in the New Testament most often translated angel is angelos. The Hebrew work is malachi. Both of those words mean messenger. In the Scripture, an angel is a messenger for God. Sometimes the messengers were supernatural beings, sometimes just human beings. What made them angels was not their nature - it was their function - they were messengers from God. So with that in mind, let s take a look at one of those places when an Angel does show up. The Scripture is a bit long but it s important to have the whole story. Luke 1: In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. 8 Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. 10 Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. 11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him.

2 When the Angels Leave --- Zechariah Page 2 of 8 13 But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 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. 19 The angel replied, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur. 21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. 22 When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service was ended, he went to his home. 24 After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, 25 This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people. INTRODUCTION TO SERMON Zechariah and Elizabeth are really good people. The writer describes them as righteous before the Lord living blamelessly quite an accomplishment to say the least. And yet, something is very, very wrong in their lives. They are childless and are now far beyond the age to have children of their own. Zechariah was a priest - one of many - too many, in fact. Other than the high holy days when all 20,000 priests would be in service, opportunities were very limited for priests like Zechariah. Their section might only serve a couple of weeks a year. Even then, the actual act of service was determined by lot. Many a priest could go their whole lives without ever doing what Zechariah is doing in our text - entering the Holy of Holies and offering incense to God. Priests like Zechariah dreamed of such an opportunity their whole lives and if it did happen, it was probably the greatest day of their lives. No doubt Zechariah was expecting something good to happen as he performed his duties that day but he could never have expected what actually did happen. Zechariah had a visit from an Angel. And as is always the case with angels, this angel had a message from God. God had heard Zechariah s prayers. He would have a son. The angel Gabriel went on to tell Zechariah that this son would be a great part of God s great plans and he gave him a few tips for raising the boy. That s

3 When the Angels Leave --- Zechariah Page 3 of 8 when Zechariah should have said something like. Thank you or Hallelujah! or Way to Go, God! But he didn t. Instead he said something very silly really: How will I know this is so? Now come on. Don t you think he would be able to tell if his wife was pregnant? Maybe not immediately but eventually it would be self-evident. What the angel said would be true or would not be true but either way, Zechariah would know. Well Gabriel did not appreciate the question one little bit. So he gave Zechariah another sign. The priest would be unable to speak until all these things had occurred. An immediately it happened; Zechariah could not speak. But at least he had the proof he had wanted. And then the Angel leaves. Now the real focus of this sermon is exploring what happens next --- What happens when the Angel leaves. But just a little aside: when we get a message from God, it s probably not a good idea to ask for proof. What did Gabriel say? These things would be fulfilled in their time. God does not act on our timetable. Here s the problem. Zechariah s focus was all wrong. Instead of focusing on God s unlimited power, Zechariah focuses on the limitations of the world. And so he asked for proof. Not a good idea. But that s just a little extra. Now to the real sermon. ZECHARIAH ACTS As I said earlier, we live most of our lives without an angel around to help us. I think we can learn something about how to live faithfully in those circumstances by carefully considering what Zechariah does when his Angel leaves. Zechariah does three important things, three things that every one of us can do. And I ve set these up so that they all begin with P just to make it easy to remember. 1) Zechariah Props Up Elizabeth and believe me she would need it. 2) Zechariah Prepares his son John and 3) Zechariah Praises God. Let s take a closer look. PROPS UP ELIZABETH As I said last week, it just seems to me that the Christmas stories are missing a few needed angels. For instance, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist gets an angel. But his elderly wife, Elizabeth, does not. Or does she? Remember the word angel in the New Testament means what? Anyone remember what Angel, Angelos in the Greek means? Messenger. So, as far as we know, Elizabeth did not get a supernatural messenger from God but she did get Zechariah. Now we don t have any details about their shared lives during these months so I m just reading through the lines here but think about it. They had been desperate for a child. In that day and time the failure to have children was considered punishment before God. Can you imagine how excited Zechariah would have been to share this good news with Elizabeth? And can you

4 When the Angels Leave --- Zechariah Page 4 of 8 imagine how overwhelmed Elizabeth would have been at the news? Seems to me that Zechariah was Elizabeth s angel, one that would not have to leave. Instead, Zechariah was right there through the full nine months, watching God at work through his wife and, I believe, doing all sorts of things to simply prop up Elizabeth. And that, my friends, is something we all can do. Think for a moment about the people in your life who have propped you up in critical moments, who saw God at work in you and stepped up to help you do what you were called to do. I had a really hard time accepting the call to be a pastor. I had resisted it for years for a variety of reasons, but once I became a mother, it seemed absolutely impossible. I knew I had been called to be a mother and I just didn t see how I could do both. Eventually God sent enough messengers into my life to convince me to at least try to focus on His strength rather than my limitations and I went back to seminary with a 4 month old and 2 year old. We packed up everything and moved back to Atlanta. To be honest, I still didn t know how we could manage it. But once the decision was made well that s when they started showing up - my Zechariahs - the ones who propped me up. First was the realtor Marie who found us a house, a brand new house, for less than the apartment we were expecting to rent. She gave up her commission, secured us a wonderful first time buyer loan and convinced the builder to drop the price. And suddenly my kids had a wonderful home instead of the cramped apartment I had expected. And then there was Christine. She was the older woman who just happened to be working in the church nursery our first Sunday. And she and Riley well it was love at first site. And would you believe it? Christine lived just two doors down from our new house. She became the Grandmother substitute, stepping in to get the kids when I had too much on my plate. And the Zechariahs just continued to show up from then on. They were the people who saw God at work in me and stepped in to prop me up so that I could do what God asked me to do. A couple of them are here today. Susan along with Kath B and Auntie Margaret became my Zechariah s in England. We even had a ceremony during a worship service before leaving to recognize Susan as Wade and Riley s Godmother a job that she has faithfully embraced for the past 25 years. But then, we moved back to the U.S. to a place where we knew no one. I had two churches and Cecil had a church in another county. But once again, the Zechariahs showed up. My neighbor Betty, a young teenager named Tonya, and a delightful young woman who became Aunt Kaye. She would be the one I would call years later with a terrible request: Will you go to Riley s dorm, wake him up and tell him that his brother was killed last night? Clearly, the needs would change as the boys grew but still there were Zechariahs. The chairmen of Parsonage committees who would do their best to create bedrooms the boys would enjoy. Youth Counselors. Teachers who took a special

5 When the Angels Leave --- Zechariah Page 5 of 8 interest. This pastor/mother like, I expect, John the Baptist s mother, needed lots of propping up. And, thank God, when I needed it most, another Zechariah would show up. Who has been a Zechariah for you? And more importantly, who around you needs a little propping up so that they can do all God calls them to do? Don t you see friends? We can all be Zechariahs God s messengers, God s angels for someone else. We just have to prop up others along the way. PREPARES JOHN When the angel leaves, Zechariah (1) props up Elizabeth and (2) Prepares his son John. The Angel Gabriel tried to explain how important his child would be not just to him and Elizabeth but to all God s people. Luke 5: he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Being a Father to John the Baptist was really important work. The boy would need to understand God s word, learn how to listen for God s voice. He would need a model of faithfulness, constant encouragement and support. But wait a minute! That s what every child needs IF he or she is going to be and do what God wants him or her to do or be. Think for a moment about all those people who helped prepare you to be faithful to God s call in your life. I talked last week about my 6 th grade teacher, Mrs. Willie Thomas. But as I look back now, I see countless others who helped prepare me for all the different tasks God would place before me. Relatives, teachers, wise friends, mentors. So many different people, who by action or example, prepared me to serve God. Who has done that for you? Who has been your Zechariah? And more importantly, who can you help prepare? That s actually something we promise to do every time a baby is baptized and a young person is confirmed. We, their church family, promise to help prepare them to effectively answer God s call in their lives. Now, this happens naturally in a small church, where all ages are thrown together in one service. We have to work a little harder to keep our promise, friends. So, here s my challenge. I m challenging every adult who regularly attends our church to identify 10 young people and children to help prepare. How do you do this? Find out the names of 10 kids that you see around here on Sundays. Learn those names, speak to them by name and then set out to learn what you can about those children. Where do they go to school? What do they like to do?

6 When the Angels Leave --- Zechariah Page 6 of 8 What do they enjoy doing here at church? Ask them what s happening in their lives. Encourage them. Be interested AND pray for them, by name. Next show up to support our children and youth. Today our kids will present a fantastic Christmas Musical, Back to the Manger. Some of the teenagers have joined in to be part of this. Many faithful adults have helped lead, prepared sets and programs and props. Parents have faithfully brought their children to practice. And the kids our kids have worked hard. If we are serious about keeping our promise, about preparing others for serving God, then we this church family will show up. Our sanctuary should be full. And it will be, when we all decide to do what Zechariah did when the angel left. Don t you see? We can all be Zechariahs, God s messengers, God s angels for someone else. We just have to help prepare others along the way. And we can start today. PRAISES GOD We can learn a lot from Zechariah about living faithfully when the Angel leaves. Zechariah (1) Props up Elizabeth (2) Prepares John and (3) Praises God. Zechariah could not speak for nine long months. But finally the child arrives, is blessed, and Zechariah erupts in praise. It took a while. Zechariah had 9 whole months to think about what he should have said when that Angel showed up in the Holy of Holies. And now he is ready, ready with praise: Blessed be the Lord God! He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors. He has remembered His covenant. And, he is ready with proclamation: And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,. to give light to those who sit in darkness to guide our feet into the way of peace. You know folks, this world is absolutely desperate to hear words of praise and proclamation. Why? Because people need to know that God is still at work. When everything seems out of control, people need to know that God is still at work. When life is hard and burdens are heavy, people need to know that God is still at work. Praise and proclamation sounding out from the lips of God s people can pull the focus away from the limitations of this world and back to the unlimited power of God. And praise and proclamation is something we all can do. We can all be Zechariahs --- God s messengers, God s angels for someone else. We just have to offer praise and proclamation along the way. CONCLUSION When the angel left, Zechariah did three things everyone can do, even you and even me. He propped up Elizabeth, he prepared John the Baptist and he praised God.

7 When the Angels Leave --- Zechariah Page 7 of 8 When we read these stories of Christmas, we tend to focus on those wonderful moments when the angels appear. But you know Beloved, it seems to me that we might learn even more from what happens when the angels leave. For you see, it s when the angel leaves that God s people really go to work. In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen Life Application Questions: 1) Zechariah did three things when the Angel left. When have others done these things for you? a. Propped you up so that you could do what God called you to do. b. Prepared you to do what God would do through you in the future. c. Praised God so that you were reassured and strengthened. 2) Zechariah did three thing when the Angel left. When have you done these things for others? a. Propped up someone who you believed was doing the work of God. b. Prepared someone for God to work through in the future. c. Praised God in ways that gave strength to others. 3) How could you do these three things right now?