"accepting And Then Reflecting"

“Accepting and then Reflecting”

much of the inspiration for this sermon comes from Adam Hamilton's book: "Prepare the Way for the Lord."

Luke 1:57-64, 67, 76-79

Last week we left Zechariah in the Temple, speaking with the angel Gabriel.

Gabriel had told him that, although he and Elizabeth were getting up in age, they would have a child—and that he would prepare the way for Christ.

We didn’t read this part, but does anyone know how Zechariah responded to this news?

Was it with praise and thanksgiving?

No.

Instead, he was like: “How can I be sure of this?

I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

And Gabriel’s response was, basically, “You can’t be sure; you’re going to have to trust.”

And that’s what faith is: trusting even if you have questions and doubts.

I think that sometimes those gnawing questions we sometimes have are good.

I think they are meant to prompt us to explore things further—and when we do, we often realize that a particular person, belief or promise is not something we should believe or follow.

Cults demand absolute blind loyalty with no questions.

They claim to have all the answers.

And if you question anything they teach you don’t have enough faith.

This is dangerous.

And a lot of people get hurt…

…very hurt.

Think of Jones’ Town, Heaven’s Gate, David Koresh.

All of these demanded blind loyalty.

All of these ended in terrible destruction.

Often, when people get involved in a cult they will eventually, Lord willing, come out of it.

But they will have been broken and damaged by the experience.

Sometimes, because they had been so lied to by the leaders, they are unwilling to allow themselves to ever believe again.

When things go wrong, it is often because people have faith in someone or something when they should have paid more attention to their doubts.

We are meant to ask questions.

God gave us a brain.

And we are to love God with all our heart, MIND, soul and strength.

Sometimes our doubts are well-founded.

But when our faith is in a good position, our doubts or questions should lead us to a deeper faith.

Frederick Buechner once wrote: “Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.”

We all struggle with doubt; it’s a normal part of our spiritual lives.

Martin Luther once said, “only God and certain madmen have no doubts.”

Our brains were wired for critical thinking which causes us to dig deeper, to search for answers.

It’s worth remembering that when Jesus called His first disciples, He didn’t say to them, “Set aside all your doubts and uncertainties.

Don’t ask any questions, and come follow me.”

Nor did He try to answer all their questions and explain away all their doubts.

He simply invited them on the journey of a lifetime saying, “Come follow me.”

And that is still Jesus’ invitation to every one of us today.

The older I am, and the more life I’ve lived, the deeper my faith and trust in Christ becomes.

It’s also true that the older I get the less I feel that I have to have all the answers to every single question in life.

It’s just not possible.

On this earth, our relationship with God is not yet complete.

As Paul says in 1st Corinthians 13: “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.”

So, belief is a decision we make.

God offers us the gift of faith; it is our responsibility to decide whether or not we will accept it, open it and dive in.

(pause)

When Zechariah questioned what Gabriel was telling him, he said in verse 20, “you will remain silent, unable to speak until the day when [John is born].”

What was this about?

Was it a punishment?

I don’t think so.

I think God was asking Zechariah to talk less and to listen more.

And I think there is something for many of us in here as well.

(pause)

Several years ago, I went on a silent retreat.

And you’d think it would have driven me crazy, given how much I talk, but I actually enjoyed it.

One reason I liked it is because I found that as I was silent I began to listen.

Sermon ideas started to fill my head.

I had dreams and visions for the future of the church I served, and for my family and my life.

When I turned off the noise and became silent I could hear the Holy Spirit.

Maybe God was silencing Zechariah for a few months so that he would be able to listen, to pay attention to this amazing thing God was doing.