One of my Strengthsfinder Key Characteristics is that I am a Learner. What this means is that I tend to go through my day and the world, seeking to gain new information, seeking to learn what I can. This is why I tend to be reading multiple books at the same time. There is so much to learn. It is because of this quality I find one of Susan Robb’s statements in her book, “The Angels of Christmas,” so intriguing. What she said is that maybe the muteness that Zechariah received from the angel Gabriel was not so much a punishment for disbelief, as it is often portrayed, but rather was a gift in which Zechariah would be able to gain new insight, new understanding, a new perspective on God. This was truly a new and mind opening thought for me. Sometimes there is just too much noise in our lives.
When I lived in the Chicago area I was amazed at the amount of noise present in the world around me; traffic, sirens, airliners on approach to O Hare International Airport, trains, etc. Even at night there was a lot more noise than what I was used to. Of course, people from the area would always say, “You’ll get used to it.” And I did…but I wasn’t sure I wanted to get used to it. I valued the quiet of nights on the farm.
Another memory of mine from my Chicago days is that of taking my youth group canoeing down a river in rural Missouri. These were kids that had rarely been outside the Chicago Metropolitan area. Some of them were rather frightened by the lack of noise (the sheer quietness of the night) and by the absolute darkness of the night.
Our society of today has become much like some of those kids in my youth group from years back. We fill our days and even our nights with noise. Yes, even nights! How many of us sleep with a white noise machine? I do. Sometimes we use noise, like the TV, radio, or some other device, as a companion so we don’t feel alone. Sometimes we use noise, our own noise (as in talking) to make ourselves feel important or in control of a situation. Sometimes we use noise as a distraction, so we don’t have to deal with what is really important, what needs to be dealt with in the world around us, or what needs to be dealt with within our own soul.
One could say that Zechariah’s talking/noise identified an area in his life and faith where he simply needed to be quiet in order to listen and to allow God to work. So, Gabriel gave him a gift - gift of silence. This was a gift of not feeling the need to explain things to others, or maybe even himself. It was a gift of not having to keep up the priestly pretense and appear to have all the answers about God and faith. (Yeah, sometimes we pastors fall into that trap.) It was the ultimate gift of Psalm 46:10, where God says to the Psalmist, “be still (or cease striving) and know that I am God.” Out of that entire Psalm, where the writer and the worshipers are giving praise to God and proclaiming God’s mighty deeds, verse 10 is the one verse in which God speaks to the people. God doesn’t remind the people of the miracles God has performed or the ways God has helped them. The word God speaks is simply, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted in the nations. I will be exalted on the earth.” Be Still…Be silent…Be with me…God!
Today, on our Advent journey, I believe I need Zechariah’s gift, that of silence. I’ve been trying to practice quietness a little bit each day this week. What is the gift that you need during this Advent season? What gift do you need to receive from Gabriel or God, so that you might better sense, hear, and see that God is at work in our world…in our community …and even in our lives? May we each be open to the Spirit of God presenting us with whatever gift we need in these days of preparation, even the gift of silence.
Serving Together,
Pastor Keith