"Finding a Silent Night at Christmas"

Luke 1:5-22, 57-80 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. Bruce Goettsche

One of the great Christmas stories comes from a little church in Austria. Joseph Mohr was the Pastor of the church and like most Pastors, he had planned for weeks a very special Christmas Eve service. Unfortunately, plans changed when his organist, Franz Gruber informed him that the church organ was broken and couldn't be fixed on time. The great service of music had now been turned into a silent night.

Gruber went out to visit a poor family who was expecting a baby. He arrived just as the wife gave birth. He reflected on how similar the scene he had just experienced must have been to the events of the night Jesus was born. As he walked home he composed a song in his head which reflected on the emotion and mystery of the holy child's birth. He wrote his simple lyric down thinking maybe his congregation could sing the words with a guitar.

The next day he handed the text to his organist and asked if he could create a tune for the lyrics to be sung that night at the Christmas Eve service. Reluctantly, Franz Gruber agreed. At the midnight service that night at the Church of St. Nicholas, the Pastor led the congregation and the organist strummed the guitar as they sang what has become the most famous Christmas Carol of all . . . Silent Night.

It is amazing how often times of silence can give way to insight and creativity. In Luke 1 we read of Zechariah, a man who endured at least nine months of silence. It's Zechariah's story that we want to learn from today.

Zechariah was a priest. Every descendent of Levi was a person who served at the temple. Every descendent of Aaron(the brother of Moses) was a priest. By this time there were so many priests that the priests were divided into 24 groups. Each group served for a week at a time twice a year. Even at this there was a large number of priests for each period. So, the key jobs would be chosen by lot (like our drawing a name out of a hat). There were four jobs that were determined by lot each day. The most significant of those jobs was to offer the incense at the daily sacrifices. This was an honored job because you went into the Temple and stood in the Holy Place alone . . just steps away from the Most Holy Place which no man entered except once a year. You symbolically offered the prayers of the people to God. The Jewish Talmud reports that a person's name could only be drawn for this honor once in their lifetime. It was an honor most never had the chance to enjoy.

At this time Zechariah was fairly old. Alfred Edersheim an expert on the life and times of Jesus, reports that Zechariah was at least 60. For all these years he had waited hoping that some time the lot would fall to him. This year it did.

When the time came for Zechariah to enter the Holy Place to offer the incense, the people stood outside praying. But things did not go as planned. While Zechariah was offering the incense in this most solemn act an angel appeared to him. This was not any angel . . . it was the angel Gabriel. Naturally, Zechariah was frightened. The angel spoke words that staggered 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. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 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. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” [1:13-17]

This was incredible news. Maybe too incredible. For years Zechariah had dreamt of having a child. In his day you were considered to be cursed by God to be unmarried or to be married and childless. In those days you could even get a divorce if you were unable to have children. But Zechariah loved Elizabeth. They had worked through the pain and the disappointment. They didn't understand . . . but they continued to trust God.

The angel's words took him by surprise. He had been so disappointed that he would not allow himself to hope again. Would he dare to believe again? Would he dare to open himself to the potential for hurt and disappointment? He was reluctant (maybe we would be too). He had questions. He wanted more proof that it was true.

But how much more evidence can you have than the testimony of one of God's very own messengers? To doubt the message was to doubt the one who sent it. So, the angel said,

And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.” [1:20]

Zechariah was stricken deaf and dumb. This seems to be a horrible punishment. Zechariah could not give the blessing (he had waited all his life to give), to the people who waited for him. He could not hear the singing. He could not hear what others were saying. He could not hear the words of Mary when she came to visit. He was shut up in his own world only able to communicate by writing. Was God being unfair? No. Think of what God could have done. He could have struck him dead! (He's done it before.) He could have told Zechariah that since he had such trouble believing, the son would NOT be born to him. In comparison to what might have happened . . . God was quite merciful.

Meanwhile, outside the temple the people are wondering what is going on. This was a daily ritual and they knew how long things normally took. Zechariah had been in the temple much longer than usual. Finally he came out and stood where he would normally have the honor of pronouncing a blessing on the people. But he could not speak. He could not hear the trumpets, the crowd. He was deaf and dumb. But the people got the message that something had happened.

We can only imagine what happened when Zechariah arrived home that night. I suspect he tried sign language and then began the process of writing things down. Through this means Zechariah communicated the message of the angel to his wife.

When his son was born, Zechariah still could hear and say nothing. Eight days later it was time for the dedication and circumcision of their son. It was traditional that at this time the child would be officially and legally named. Since Zechariah could not talk, the rabbi's assumed that the child would be named after his father (which was traditional). Elizabeth, to the neighbors'surprise, said that her son must be called John and Zechariah indicated that that was also his desire. John is a shorter form of the name Jehohanan, which means "Jehovah's gift" or "God is gracious." It was the name which God had ordered to be given to the child and it described the parents' gratitude for an unexpected joy. Upon following God's directions Zechariah's silence ended. He could once again speak and hear.

SILENCE GIVES US A CHANCE TO LISTEN

Do you see what Zechariah's problem was? He was too busy asking questions and anticipating problems. He didn't listen to what God was saying. We are a lot like Zechariah. Christmas is a time when we hear the proclamation of God. We hear . . . but are we listening? We have Christmas lists to fulfill, obligations to meet, people to see, programs to attend . . . . we are busy celebrating Christmas. But are we listening to the message?

Christmas reminds us that we are loved. In the Christmas story God tells us that He has provided a way for us to know Him and to be His children. In the account of the Nativity God shows us that He cares, He's involved, and He's at work. The message of Christmas is the very message that will ease the pounding of our hearts, slow the racing of our minds, and derail the fears that paralyze us. But first we have to listen.

In Psalm 46:10 God said, "Be still, and know that I am God;" The two go together. We cannot hear God or recognize His work around us until we are still. We must stop running long enough to listen.

Swindoll writes,

We are commanded to stop (literally) . . ..rest, relax, let go, and make time for Him. The scene is one of stillness and quietness, listening and waiting before Him. Such foreign experiences in these busy times! Nevertheless, knowing God deeply and intimately requires such discipline. Silence is indispensable if we hope to add depth to our spiritual life. It "guards the fire within our souls," . . ."silence makes us pilgrims, It sharpens the keen edge of our souls, sensitizing us to those ever-so-slight nudgings from our heavenly Father. Noise and words and frenzied, hectic schedules dull our sense, closing our ears to His still, small voice, making us numb to his touch." [Swindoll, Intimacy with the Almighty p. 38]

In 1 Kings 19 God teaches Elijah this lesson. Elijah had had a great spiritual victory in taking on the 400 prophets of Baal and seeing God destroy them in a powerful and dramatic way. Immediately after this, Queen Jezebel declared Elijah to be public enemy number one and tells everyone that she wants him dead. Elijah runs for his life. He is exhausted. He has ridden the difficult roller coaster of great highs and now deep lows. After God's angel ministers to Elijah's physical needs God tells Elijah that he is going to "pass by". In other words, God was going to appear to Him and speak to him in a very personal way.

The Lord said, "go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by."

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. [1 Kings 19:11-13]

Elijah expected God to always appear in the dramatic events: the wind, the earthquake, the fire. But God wanted Elijah to listen. He wanted him to be quiet and then God whispered to him.

This is a lesson that we need to learn. We're not particularly good at listening. The problem that we face is that we are used to looking for God in the church service, or the great gathering of other Christians at a convention or revival service, or at a camp. We don't "feel God's presence" unless we've sung a half dozen choruses and worked ourselves into a trance like existence. We are looking for experiences. We're used to finding God in the dramatic . . . but these times are few and far between.

We need to learn the lesson that the monks of old discovered: God speaks most clearly when we stop and listen. Someone has written.

I poured a cup of silence
(my afternoon repast).
A needed brew of nothingness
to pace my race with rats.
Just a simple cup of quiet
to still the noise of grown-up toys
some call technology.

Silence . . .
No beepers to buzz off.
No faxes to answer.
No deadlines to bury (for now).
Just a sip or two
from this cherished brew.

Silence . . .
Simon says
(and Garfunkle too)
that silence has its sounds.
I think I would agree.
It's the whisper of the moment
more tastier than tea.
It is when I hear
the still, small voice of God!

SILENCE GIVES US TIME TO REFLECT

The second advantage of times of quiet is that in the quiet we get the chance to think and reflect. During the at least nine months that Zechariah was in silence, he had the chance to reflect on what the angel had said to him. He had the chance to listen to the whispers of God and also to think about those whispers.

Look at Luke 1:68-79 and you will see the change that came over Zechariah. The man who was asking for a sign now has great spiritual insight. Zechariah now understands that God is about to do something wonderful. The long awaited Messiah, the Savior is about to arrive. And Zechariah understands that his son will play a special roll in His appearing. Fear has turned to faith. Resistance has turned into worship.

How did it happen? Surely Zechariah spent his time reading the prophets. He played the words of the angel over and over in his head. He studied, he thought, he understood. And none of it would have happened if God had not led him to this time of silence. God was not punishing Zechariah . . . . He was preparing Him. He was working on Zechariah's character so that he would be a good father to John the Baptist.

Neil Postmas has written a book called "Amusing Ourselves to Death". His thesis is that we are losing the ability to think. We prefer images to words. We are swayed more by presentation than content. We vote in elections because of a person's image rather than because of their convictions. We are used to 30 second sound bites and 60 second commercials. Postman argues that we have become shallow and vulnerable.

He makes a powerful argument. He points to the days of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. In those days they would address an issue for an hour and then the other man would give an hour or two response. The people flocked to these debates. What would happen if that happened today? Most people would tune a candidate out who talked for longer than two minutes and didn't have any witty anecdotes.

I have occasion to read many of the Puritan writers. For the most part I have a hard time understanding them. But most of these works were originally sermons preached to common folks. They understood because they had learned to be silent and reason. It is a lost art today.

When was the last time you took time to really think, reflect, and yes meditate on anything? Have you stopped to think about,

If you are like most people. You have never really thought about these things. Is it any wonder that our faith is superficial? So why don't we take time to listen and reflect?

But these times are essential. In the times of silence we will hear the whispers of God. In the times of silence we will gain insight into the difficult issues and circumstances of our day. In the times of silence we find that the things of God take on a new clarity and power.

CONCLUSIONS

So, where do we start? Let me share some practical suggestions for your Christmas Celebration. Once again I am indebted to the Mainstay Advent Calendar for some of these ideas.

  1. Take a night and turn off the TV. Turn on the Christmas lights. Maybe turn on Christmas music and listen to the words. You will probably be surprised at what some of these Christmas songs are saying.
  2. Take one of the fun and familiar songs of Christmas (Like Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, or White Christmas) and write new words that will tell the story of Christmas. This way everyone already knows the tune. Here's a sample to the tune of Frosty the Snowman: "Jesus our Savior/ was born on Christmas day./ On a bed of hay is where he lay,/while the horse nearby said, "Neigh!"
  3. Light some candles or light a fire in the fireplace and turn off all the other lights and sit in the peaceful quiet and talk to God. Take time to listen and reflect.
  4. Go outside on a clear night and enjoy the majesty of the stars. Imagine being one of the Magi who saw a star and followed it all the way to Bethlehem.
  5. Get up early before the rest of the family and read from the Bible and pray in the quiet. Or sit at a window and watch the sunrise. Allow God's greatness, power and love to impact you in a new way.
  6. Find some time when the church is empty and turn on the Christmas lights (or not) and spend time with God in His house reading and praying. Dare to talk out loud.
  7. To assist your listening find some creative way to respond to God: Draw a picture, write a letter, record your thoughts in writing, compose a song, write a poem, build or bake something that is a response to what God has spoken to you. Here's a poem I wrote this week

In silence I reflect on Christmas,
teenage parents
all alone
unsanitary conditions
a new child
God incarnate
Joy unspeakable

Shepherds on a hillside
society's outcasts,
smelling of sheep
heart stopping surprise
an angelic host
invited guests to God's appearing
recipients of uncommon grace
a story they must share with others

Foreign travelers make a journey
fancy clothes
expensive gifts
intimidating presence . . .
a deceptive king
a guiding star
humble worship
the King of Kings in a cradle

What part do I play?
Where do I fit in this drama of the past?
The innocent babe
God's message of love
to me
to you
to any who will listen.
I must worship the child,
adore the child,
love the child,
and the God who sent Him.
I want to give a gift.
It's right
it's proper
But what do I bring?
He needs nothing
The material is His already
He wants my heart
My love
My trust.
I can respond
I will respond.
The wonder begins anew
another birth
not a baby in a manger
but God's spirit
God's life
God's joy
in me. [Bruce Goettsche 12/99)

Zechariah was a man who learned from silence. And we need silence too. Some of you, I suspect feel that you have too much silence on your hands. You are alone and would love to have someone break the monotony of stillness. I do not minimize the pain of loneliness. But I do want you to see the silence not as a curse, but as an opportunity. Use it to know God. Use it pray for others. Use it to listen . . . and if you listen well you will learn that you are not alone at all.

But for others of you, silence and time for reflection are things you crave but seldom find. At this busy and active time of the year you will have to make time to be still. . . .you will have to be intentional about listening. You may very well feel stupid. You might feel you are wasting time. You may find the whole procedure to be very difficult. But don't give up. If you find and use times of silence you will discover the sweet voice of the Father whispering to you as He did to Elijah. You will find that your thinking will be more clear and your direction more certain. You will see your productivity rise and your joy increase. You will find that Christmas will take on a new look. You will move beyond the celebration to a sense of wonder.

You don't have to take my word for it. Ask Zechariah.
Rev. Bruce Goettsche