June 16 God Shows Up

Luke 1:11-15 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 
 
JUST going about his day, doing his duties, being a good priest, and BAM! God’s messenger, Gabriel shows up. There he stood next to the altar. With a response that is the same with every biblical person who meets an angel from God, Zechariah is “gripped with fear”. Why?
     It is because this mortal man has suddenly been confronted face-to-face with God’s holiness. He also clearly sees his imperfections and sin before God’s perfection. Gabriel has come straight from the throne of Heaven. They bring heaven’s glory with them, and we sin-dirty humans are terrified. How does Zechariah stand up amid his fear?
     He quickly realizes he has also come face-to-face with God’s grace. God’s grace is in Gabriel’s voice telling Zechariah a wonderful gift to Zechariah and Elizabeth is on its way. They will soon welcome into their lives a son, long prayed for, no longer hoped for. In fact, as Gabriel said, “your prayer has been heard” I wonder how long it had been since the couple had prayed for a son. Surely these elderly people had long resigned themselves to no son.
     Have you ever experienced such a prayer answer? You prayed passionately and consistently, but God was silent. You stopped. And years later you saw God say, “Yes, your prayer has been heard.”
     Even more, God’s gift is more than a son. The gift is John, one who will bring joy to his parents. And more magnificently, John will “be great in the sight of the Lord…and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.”
     John is one-of-a-kind. We’ll learn more of him as we continue in Luke. For now, let’s celebrate with Zechariah God’s promised gift to come soon. God is about to inaugurate his Kingdom on earth, so we, too, can come face-to-face with God.  
 
Prayer: Oh Lord God, you are holy, but in my sin I am not. Create in me a clean heart as I receive Jesus’ sacrificial blood over my soul. In his name, I pray, amen.