Luke 1:5-25

⁵ In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. 

⁸ Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, ⁹ according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹ And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷ and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” 

¹⁸ And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” ¹⁹ And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰ And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” ²¹ And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. ²²And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. ²³ And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. 

²⁴ After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, ²⁵“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were an ideal couple. They were both righteous before God. In other words, they both had faith in God’s promises to send the Messiah who would crush the serpent’s head and deliver all God’s people (Gen. 3:15; Is. 9:14). They both walked blamelessly in keeping the commandments and statues of the Lord. But this dear couple had to walk the sad road of infertility. They had no child.

It is interesting how often Scripture will introduce a new era of salvation history with a barren womb. The beginning of God’s chosen people who would be the lineage of the Messiah begins with Sarah’s barren womb which would bring forth Isaac. In the age of the kings, the focus is on Hannah’s barren womb which would bring forth the prophet and king-anointer, Samuel. Now here, at the time of the Messiah, God will bring the forerunner and proclaimer of the Messiah from Elizabeth’s barren womb. And the Messiah Himself will come from the virgin womb of Mary.

As Zechariah is serving in the Temple, he is given all these wonderful promises about the child he and Elizabeth will bear, but he doubts. “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” It’s ironic that Zechariah doubts like this. After all, Zechariah’s name means, “God remembers.” Apparently, Zechariah didn’t live up to his name. He didn’t remember that God remembers. Somehow, this righteous and blameless man didn’t remember how God had acted for Abraham and Sarah with the birth of Isaac and for Elkanah and Hannah with the birth of Samuel. Zechariah didn’t remember, but God did. God remembered His merciful promises to deliver mankind from sin and death. God remembered His mercy and steadfast love (Ps. 25:6-7). Whenever Scripture talks about God remembering, it isn’t simply that a bit of information had been momentarily lost in God’s mind and suddenly found. No. When God remembers, He acts.

God sent the angel Gabriel to Zechariah that day in the Temple to announce that God was going to act and bring about the long-promised salvation. God was about to send John the Baptizer, the one whom God promised would come in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare God’s people for the coming of the Savior (Mal. 4:5-6). But Zechariah, God’s priest, doubted and was made silent for his unbelief.

Dear saints, too often we are like Zechariah. We have been made God’s royal priests (1 Pet. 2:9). In His mercy, God has chosen you to do priestly work – to pray, to train your children in the Scriptures, and to proclaim God’s goodness and mercy to everyone you meet. You and I have every reason to be bold and confident in everything we do because of God’s promises to us. But too often we find ourselves doubting. Doubting that God has and will deliver us. Doubting that we have been justified by grace through faith. Doubting that we have peace with God. Doubting that we have access to God’s grace. All of this doubt grieves the Holy Spirit. And our doubt mutes us from proclaiming God’s love to others.

Like Zechariah, we may forget, but God does not forget. Instead, God continues to act. He has sent Jesus, the Messiah who is our Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14) and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29).

Jesus came and used His voice to bless, to pray, to teach, and the gather sinners. Our guiltless Christ was silent before His accusers and went to an unjust death in your place. There, from the cross, Jesus uttered the greatest blessing any priest could speak, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). Now, Jesus sits at God’s right hand as your intercessor and advocate.

In Advent, we focus on Jesus’ coming. He came in humility at His birth in Bethlehem. He comes in humility now in His Word and Sacraments. And He will come again in glory on the Last Day. So, as we wait, let us remember His mercy never comes to an end but is new each and every morning. And He gives us better than we ask or think.

We ask for comfort from our wounded consciences, and He gives comfort on top of comfort (Is. 40:2). We ask Him to help is in our earthly trials, and He gives us an eternal Kingdom. We ask for help to endure pain, disease, and sickness, and He gives us the promise of full and complete healing in the resurrection on the Last Day.

Dear saints, whenever we consider the Child whose birth we will soon celebrate, let the answer to “What Child is this?” always be, “This is Christ the King whom angels sing.” And may our voices join with theirs now and for all eternity because He who has promised is faithful and He will surely do it. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.