Finding a Silent Night at Christmas

Luke 1:5-22, 57-80

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.

Mohr 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. Maraming pagkakataon na ang katahimikan
ay nakakapagdala ng kaisipan at pagkamalikhain.

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).

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, Luke
11:13-17.

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, 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.

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 couldn’t 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.

I. 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.

II. 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 role 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.

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

 what you have to be grateful for?

CONCLUSIONS

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.