February 2019 Newsletter Message

During a recent Confirmation class, we got into a discussion about how God sometimes seems to act in noticeably different ways in Old Testament stories compared to New Testament stories. We all agreed that God is the same through both portions of the Bible, but we were grasping at straws for some greater understanding as to why God might act differently in these different situations. Grasping at straws, that is, until one student said something to this effect: “Well, you know how they say that having a kid changes you? Maybe having Jesus his Son in the world changed stuff for God.”

I am still puzzling that back and forth in my head and working out the theological nuances. Might be fodder for a future Tidings article. What I can say for certain, though, is that a new child entering one’s life is a catalyst for change--or at least it has been for me. Many of these changes will be ones that I can only identify someday with the help of years and years worth of hindsight. However, some of the changes occur rapidly and are easier to describe. For me, one such change is a fresh encounter with a Bible character to whom I previously gave only passing attention: Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist in the first chapter of Luke. I was plenty familiar with Zechariah’s story thanks to its common use during the season of Advent. I knew that Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, became parents at an advanced (well beyond childbearing) age, a callback to the stories of Abraham and Sarah in the Book of Genesis. I laughed along with many hearers of the story when Zechariah, questioning God’s promise given through the angel Gabriel, is made mute--unable to speak--until after the birth and naming of John.


During this past Advent season in November and December, though, familiarity with and knowledge about Zechariah’s story was transformed by the Holy Spirit into experiencing and living his story.

1. While Andrea and I are definitely younger than Zechariah and Elizabeth, respectively (Luke 1:7), we also know that we will probably be significantly older than most of the parents of Rosalind’s eventual classmates and friends. Older first-time dad…check.
   
2. Zechariah is a priest on duty in the Temple, offering incense to God in the sanctuary (understood in Temple-period Judaism as the very home of God), when the angel Gabriel appears with the message of John’s impending birth (Luke 1:8-17). Though he is standing in the one place on earth where God’s presence is understood to be an absolute guarantee, Zechariah doubts Gabriel’s message and brings upon himself the hilarity of having to “eat his own words” (Luke 1:18-20). Flawed clergyman who sometimes puts his foot in his mouth…check.
   
3. After John is born, Zechariah follows through with Gabriel’s naming instructions and his tongue is free again (Luke 1:59-66), and he launches into a hymn of praise (Luke 1:68-79) that is known as the Benedictus because of its Latin translation. Hymn nerd who finds his way to praise God...check.
   

While points #2 and #3 above are things I could perhaps have noticed before, it took point #1 to open my eyes to the rest.
My situation as a new parent was an opening for the Holy Spirit to help me see my own life reflected in a Bible story I never thought about very much; however, having a new baby at home is not the only life change that drives us to find new meaning in old scripture. I invite you to get out your own Bible and to listen intently to the readings as we worship God each week--you just never know when the Spirit will give you an old story that brings new perspective to your life!