I Wish You A Faithful Christmas
The Christmas story begins and ends with faithful aged people who were doing what they were called to do.
It begins with Zacharias and Elizabeth concludes with Anna and Simeon.
In expectation,
In faithfulness,
In duty,
They became a part of God’s narrative of the miracle of the incarnation.
How were they chosen to play such incredible parts of this eternity-changing event?
Because they were there.
How is it they were there then?
Because they were there all the days before then.
So many people wonder why they don’t see Jesus working in their lives.
The Answer is profound in its simplicity.
They don’t understand the call of duty.
Duty can be defined as faithful service.
What permits them to be a part of the miracle?
They were there every other day when nothing miraculous happened.
It is the same for us today.
Faithful duty connects you to those miraculous moments.
Let’s examine this event. The significant event is recorded in the first chapter of luke
Zacharias, an old man, whose lot it was, to burn incense.
The silence was about to be broken. He would be the first to have a prophetic supernatural experience to be recorded in
four hundred years.
Four centuries of silence had been the reality of the Jews.
“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying without at the time of incense.
And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.”
This man and his wife had been faithful in his lot of ministry for his whole life long.
In all of those decades of faithful service, nothing significant had happened.
What some would think was the end of his life, the Bible describes it, “Well Stricken in Years.”
This faithful man is chosen to play a significant role in this opening scene of the incarnation of the mighty God in Christ.
They were consistent, content in their consecration.
Is it any wonder they get to be a part of the incarnation?
These two precious saints were at rest in their faithfulness.
They were not serving expecting anything; they were serving because it was their lot. And they embraced it wholeheartedly.
The Bible describes them as blameless and walking in the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.
And on a day, like many other days before it,
Old Zach was burning incense before the Ark of the Covenant,
Interceeding for the People,
The people, the multitude of the people, were praying outside at the time of incense.
The Angel of the Lord appeared unto him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
Zacharias was afraid.
“But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
While reading and meditating on this story, I realized that at the end of this narrative, there are two more old saints of God.
Anna and Simeon
Faithful old people who were doing what they were called to do.
In expectation,
In faithfulness,
In duty,
And they became a part of God’s narrative of the miracle of the incarnation.
Because they were there.
How is it they were there then?
Because they were there all the days before then.
So many people wonder why they don’t see Jesus working in their lives. Why?
Because they don’t understand the call of faithful service out of faith and duty to God.
I wish you a Faithful Christmas.
Standing before the Lord.
Burning incense.
Interceeding.
It is your lot in life.
Embrace it.
Addict yourself to it.
Scent your life in the incense of faithful service.
I wish you a faithful Christmas!
In Him, By Him, Through Him,
Scott A. Phillips