Luke begins the story of the nativity with Zacharias, the husband of Elizabeth and father of John the Baptist. Luke made an important parallel in this story with chapter 3 as he began the story of Jesus ministry with John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness, fulfilling Isaiah's prophesy to prepare the way of the Lord. We know God was preparing for the coming of Jesus long before Zacharias, as we see in the writings of the prophets, and before that, in the Psalms and even in the books of the Law. In truth, God was preparing for our salvation before the world began—just as God is already preparing everything we will need before we recognize that we need it.

Before the angels announced the Savior's birth to the shepherds, and before the angels visited Mary and then Joseph telling the good news of the baby to be born, the angel Gabriel announced John's birth to his father. The timing of this announcement was an extraordinary day for Zacharias. Only once each year was one of the priests allowed to go into the innermost chamber of the Temple and represent the people, so to be chosen out of all the priests for this service was literally a "once in a lifetime" privilege. The way of selecting the priest, by "lot", was felt to be God's own hand choosing the one to serve. On a day like that, one could assume that Zacharias felt particularly close to God and sensitive to God's presence.

While Zacharias was in the midst of these sacred ceremonies, Gabriel appeared in the inner sanctuary. Zacharias' first response was the usual one, fear. Gabriel calmed him and told him that his prayer for a son was being answered, and that this son will be special in God's plan.

Zacharias' attitude, though, quickly shifted from fear to cynicism. He challenged the angel to prove that what he said was true! Wouldn't Gabriel's appearance in the inner sanctuary have been proof enough? Wouldn't the fact that Gabriel knew the content of his prayers been evidence that God sent the angel? What was Zacharias thinking?

We might imagine his spirit had become calloused after having been so frequently disappointed that God hadn't acquiesced to his prayers. In contrast, the gospels presents us with the prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane, "Not my will, but Your will be done, Father."

We might imagine that Zacharias had become so comfortable in his misery that the message from Gabriel felt more like a threat than good news. Maybe he didn't expect much from himself, since the lack of offspring "showed" that God didn't expect much of him. With this announcement, God was forcing Zacharias out of old routines, habits, and ways of thinking. In contrast, the Old Testament gives us the response of Isaiah, saying "Here I am, Lord, send me."

We might imagine that Zacharias was still fearful. The words of Gabriel weren't enough to assure him, nor was the infectious excitement and the blessings from a messenger from the throne room of God. Maybe he couldn't let go of trusting only himself, even with Gabriel there for encouragement. We only have to turn a few pages later in Luke to see the contrast in the words of Mary, "May it be to me as You have said."

The theme of Advent is to remind us to wait for God, actively listening and believing that God will answer at the right time. How will we open ourselves to God this advent season? Can we accept God's will as being what is best for us, and put aside our own will? Can we open ourselves to God's leading, even when it makes us uncomfortable, breaks our old habits, and challenges us to think in new ways? Can we trust in God's infinite power and love?