Good day Jesus Friends and Neigbours in Black Creek and beyond

 

This morning I was pondering a passage in Luke chapter 1.

 Zechariah responds with doubt to the announcement of the angel and is given some time to think about that. 

 

 Luke1:13  ...the angel said to him,  Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, 

and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

18  And Zechariah said to the angel,  

How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.
19  And the angel answered him,  

I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20  And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, 

because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.

 

I wonder how I might have responded to the angel's announcement. 

 

In the past few weeks, I have viewed a couple of Christmas Story movies. In both, the creators inferred that Zechariah talked a lot before this event.

 

As a person who talks quite a bit...  I wonder.  

What would it be like for me to stop talking... 

for about 10 months? 

Hmm.. 

 

What would I miss out on?  

What difference would it make to those around me?

Would those I am close to appreciate the silence? 

 

When I thought about why God chose to discipline Zechariah in this way, it made me think about what I might learn if I were in his situation.

 

  This Sunday is the last Sunday to contribute to the Bread of Life Christmas hampers

Please bring your food donations and signed cards this Sunday.

 

 Please remember those in difficulty.  Financial, Family, Marriage, Health.

Pray for God to use someone to be a helping part of their team this Holiday Season

This is a great time of year to reach out to a relative that you might not have thought to call for a long while.  Pick up the phone and give it a try.   Ask God to help you connect well.

 

My default mode is a 'fixer'..... in action and words.

I often feel compelled to give advice, tell a story, and interject my '2 bits'.

 

I wonder if Zachariah might have been like that.

I wonder if being silent allowed him to observe God at work 'fixing' the things that needed correction.

Letting God be God... without his 'help'

I wonder what I need to learn and change from this lesson today.

 

 In Psalm 131 David rests in God's actions.

1  O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;         

my eyes are not raised too high;     

I do not occupy myself with things         

too great and too marvelous for me.
2  But I have calmed and quieted my soul,     

like a weaned child with its mother;     

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

 

O Lord, You are my king.

I soooo want to help out and be the one to 'fix it'.

I know that's good 

and not a good thing. 

Thank you for teaching me again 

to listen and Be

in rest and quietness

Trusting in You - Today.

 

Blessings on your week,

Peter Jackson

Part of Your Team

Black Creek Community Church

peterj@blackcreekchurch.ca