Reflection
Judges 13:2-25
Psalm 71
Luke 1:5-25
Poor ‘ol Zechariah in today’s gospel. He was trying his best. He really was. He has this great wife he has loved all those years. He and Elizabeth longed for a child and yet, were unable to do so. Obviously, Zechariah was a tremendously well respected priest of the Jewish people. After all, not just anyone would have been welcomed into the sanctuary to offer incense. The significance there is that the Jewish priest who offered incense was the one who was responsible for taking all of the prayers of the people desperately desiring their prayers to be heard by God into the sanctuary offering the prayers of the people to God by means of incense.
Zechariah was taking upon himself the prayers of so many people. I am quite certain the prayers of Elizabeth were included in those intercessory prays. Elizabeth was of an age where folks did not think she would have any children, so there were definitely people who must have thought “well, obviously she sinned in some way”. And yet, there is her loving husband who went to offer her prayers and the prayers of his community.
You know, in this time of giving, there are a lot of people who feel forgotten. That hurts. Just as the Angel Gabriel carried forth the message, we must trust. We absolutely must trust. When we trust, we stand on our feet, ready to give more of ourselves than we thought we ever could and we keep going. Our focus is on God and his mission – not on us.
It can be a really tough time for people this time of year, emotionally, physically, spiritually. Please….look to someone who does not trust and encourage them. Just be there for someone in need….any need!
Jesus is coming! Go smile at God today!