Once when [Zechariah] was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him.
We pray, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” We ask Jesus to come to our broken world and make it whole. We ask him to come and dwell with us, using us for the work of his kingdom. But are we really ready for Jesus to come into our lives? Advent is a time to prepare our hearts to receive Jesus once again as our merciful Savior and our reigning Lord.
In Luke 1:8-12, Zechariah had a once-in-a-lifetime moment to surpass all such moments. To begin, it was his turn as a priest to enter the sanctuary in Jerusalem and offer incense. This was a big deal to Zechariah since there were many more priests in Israel than opportunities for sacred service. As Luke accurately reports, Zechariah was “chosen by lot” (1:9). This would have been a thrill to Zechariah, something that might happen once in his lifetime. Some priests never got to serve in the sanctuary at all.
We can imagine Zechariah’s anticipation as he prepared to enter the holy place, the place where God was believed to dwell. I suppose he felt a combination of excitement, nervousness, perhaps even anxiety. What if he didn’t do everything just right? When you only get one chance to do the thing you’ve waited for your whole life, that adds quite a bit of pressure.
As Zechariah prepared to enter the holy place, a large group of people was gathered outside, praying. No doubt this group included his wife, Elizabeth, and other close friends and family. They were supporting Zechariah with their presence and their prayers. But they had no idea what was about to happen to him.
When Zechariah entered the holy place, he saw something he never expected. There, to the right of the altar of incense where he was supposed to do his priestly business, stood an angel of the Lord. Luke doesn’t describe this angel, but its appearance must have been such that Zechariah knew what stood before him. And his response was typical of those who encountered such heavenly beings: “When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him” (Luke 1:12). In the next chapter of Luke’s Gospel, when angels appeared to shepherds, they were “terrified” (2:10). Zechariah responded in a similar fashion. His once-in-a-lifetime experience all of a sudden became far more than he ever expected.
I’d like to share a couple of reflections on what we’ve seen so far in this story. First, I’m struck by the humanness of Zechariah. Actually, I appreciate his humanness. Though a righteous man and a priest of God, Zechariah responded to the angel much as I would and, I expect, much as you would. He wasn’t some super-spiritual saint, but a truly human person who served God in his full humanity, flaws, and all. This fact suggests that God can also use someone like me . . . and like you, too. God sovereignly chooses us for divine service, not because we’re so great or so spiritual, but because God is gracious and we, by grace, are willing and available, even if we’re also scared to death.
My second reflection has to do with our readiness to meet God. In Advent, we get in touch with our yearning for God. We long for God’s presence, peace, and justice. We prayerfully sing, “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” but how would we respond if Jesus actually showed up for real in our lives? Or if he sent an angel in his place with a message for us? How would we respond? I imagine I’d respond just like Zechariah, with fear and trembling.
It’s funny, Advent is a season of quiet waiting, of silent longing, of hopes that are often too deep to be expressed. And that’s how it ought to be. But we must be open to the possibility that when God moves in our lives, it may not be as quiet and safe as we expected. God may have blessings for us that will change the course of our lives. There may be new callings that disrupt our comfortable status quo. Or we may simply experience the awesome majesty and power of God in a new and transformational way. It could even be a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
So, I ask myself, and I ask you, “Are you ready for Jesus to come, really? Are you ready for Emmanuel to be so present in your life that everything is disrupted by his amazing grace?”
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