Luke 1:5-13
In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.
Once when he was serving as priest before God during his section’s turn of duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to 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. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.
Today is my brother’s birthday. Happy Birthday, David. Growing up, David was a boy scout. When he was a little older than ten years old, he was excited about his first camping trip. It was just after sunset when their cars pulled up, and they set up camp. David was never the biggest fan of being away from home, and my dad was there with him, so he was excited about this new experience, until the sun went down.
The wind began to move through the trees with that low, haunting sound. Shadows stretched across the ground in shapes he didn’t recognize. Every crack of a branch made him jump. Finally, he whispered to my dad, “Are you sure we’re safe out here?”
My dad smiled at him and motioned to him to follow him. They walked to a clearing a few steps away where they could see the stars as clearly as ever before.
My dad turned to my brother and said, “Everything around us feels different in the dark. But nothing actually changed. The trees are the same trees. We’re standing on the same ground. The only thing that changed… was what you could see.”
Fear is what happens when we forget what’s still true in the dark.
So, what do you fear? That’s the lighthearted, easy-to-answer, question we are exploring this Advent season. It’s a question that forces us to look inside.
Fear. It can motivate us. It can hold us back. It can keep us from feeling safe. Fear can keep us from being the truest version of ourselves. It can keep us from being honest.
And yet, fear is not unique to this day and age. This is the exact way our passage begins this morning. “In the days of King Herod…” This was a time of great fear and uncertainty. A time where people wondered if God would ever do what God promised. Herod’s rule and the Roman occupation was a blow to the Hebrew people. They believed that they should no longer be ruled by other kings but their own king. And yet, here they are once again being ruled by kings. They wondered if the world would ever get better. They wondered if it would always be like this. Fear filled their thoughts.
Then, we learn of Zechariah and Elizabeth, who the author of Luke describes as righteous. And here the idea of righteousness is not about having a moral high ground. It is instead better understood as striving for right relationship with God and other people. Righteousness, while often used in religious contexts and throughout the scriptures, is very rarely used by Luke. The Greek word here is δίκαιοι, often translated as righteous. There are only 2 instances in Luke’s entire Gospel that people are described in this way. Here in Luke 1 to describe Zechariah and Elizabeth as we open the Gospel and as the Gospel comes to an end in Luke 23 when Luke describes Joseph of Arimathea who donates his tomb to hold Jesus’s body.
So why does Zechariah and Elizabeth’s righteousness matter? They remind us that righteous people, people in right relationship with God and people, aren’t without doubts or disappointments. They are righteous in spite of their fear. They are described by Luke as child-less even though they were, as Luke kindly puts it, “getting on in years.” The ancient world believed that child-less-ness was the result of sin and so it makes sense that this couple is fearful their dream will never be reality. It’s reasonable that they are fearful that they are afraid they will never have what they hope for. What did they do that has kept them for their dream? Why, after all these years of being faithful, have they never had a child? Fear rules their world and still they remain righteous.
So here we are less than seven verses into Luke’s gospel account and all we have heard is fear. Fear of King Herod, of Roman occupation, of Empire and power. Fear that freedom would never be reality. Fear of unanswered prayers. Fear of suffering for no reason.
And this is the exact world that Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son, John the Baptist is born into. He prepares the way; and soon, Jesus will soon be born into this world full of fear. It’s not a perfect manger scene. It’s not calm and serene. It’s not safe and secure. It’s a world full of fear and yet, despite the condition of the world, God breaks in. God chooses to come to us in an unsuspecting newborn child because that’s how God shows up. Not with power and force but in ways that subvert power and fear. God doesn’t wait for fear to be gone. God enters into a world full of fear. And God call us to show up as emblems of hope in a world trembling with fear. To show the world that it doesn’t always have to be like this.
Last week, I had the opportunity to see Wicked: For Good in theaters. Wicked might be my favorite Broadway musical and so I was excited about the film. Though I was less excited that it was split in two parts, with a year of waiting in between. I won’t give away any spoilers, but I think Elphaba and Glinda can show us how fear and hope show up in the world. If you are not familiar with the show, Glinda is all things pink, popular, and bubbly. Elphaba on the other hand is ostracized because of her green skin and she’s always felt on the outs never really feeling like she could fit in. When they arrive at school, they end up as roommates. Slowly, after a long period of loathing, they develop a deep friendship and Act 1 culminates in the show’s most popular song, Defying Gravity. Here they are both at a crossroads where they must decide if they will work together to hope and fight that things don’t always have to be this way or go separate ways. Glinda shows us that fear can keep you down. It can keep you from being the fullest version of yourself. Glinda is afraid of losing status and power and popularity and she chooses fear. Elphaba, on the other hand, could have everything she’s ever wanted and dreamed of, but instead she pushes past the fear of not being liked and knows it could cost her absolutely everything. She defies gravity and expectations . She doesn’t know exactly how this better world could come to be but she hopes. She knows it doesn’t have to be like this forever. And while she is not without fear, she allows her hope to endure.
This is what hope is.Hope is what it means to look fear in the face and continue onward. Hope is what happens when we realize our fear isn’t in control of us. Eleanor Roosevelt is quoted saying “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” Hope defies all of our expectations. Hope doesn’t follow a script. Hope shows up in the most unexpected and uncommon ways. Hope should and can and will push us to not allow things to stay like this forever. Hope believes there is a better way. Hope shows up in a baby boy born into a world full of pain, empire, and fear. Hope shows up when we are least expecting it. This Advent season we have to confront our fears so we can be present for the One who is breaking in. The One who is changing everything.
May it be so.
Amen.