"A Shocking Encounter"

Pastor Laura Guy

December 2, 2007

Here's an instant replay of what happened in worship:

We remembered the importance of spending time with God each day in Advent so that we can center ourselves in the true meaning of Christmas. Everyone is encouraged to do a daily Advent devotional. A good online one can be found at www.followingthestar.org.
We saw that Zechariah, an old priest who had never had any children, was the first person God told about his plan to send the Messiah. Zechariah couldn't believe the angel's words - he would have a son who would prepare the way for the Lord. Zechariah couldn't believe that he was important enough to play a role in the greatest story in human history. His disbelief left him speechless until the baby was born.
We read Zechariah's story in Luke 1:5-22. We thought about the angels we see at Christmas- women in long, flowing dresses with harps. The angels we meet in the Bible, however, are all male, and they are not meek and "angelic". They are powerful and sometimes even frightening. We learned that they are creatures who carry out God's will - delivering messages and protecting people and nations from harm. They also gather at God's throne in a constant state of worship.
We heard how Zechariah's disbelief left him speechless. We, too, would think God had made a mistake if He invited ordinary folks like us to be a part of His plan. But God does invite folks like us, with all our flaws, to be a part of His plan all the time. He may not always send angels to tell us about it, but He nudges us and pulls us to do something that we wouldn't ordinarily think about doing - helping a stranger, inviting a hurting co-worker to church, sharing our faith.
We prayed that God would help us to hear the angels when they speak to us, and to respond to the words we hear.
We celebrated communion, remembering that the entirety of Christ's life - his birth to his death and resurrection - is God's story of redemption.