Stupid things we do and say…

Stupid things we do and say! Why do we do or say stupid things? I don’t know. When it comes to God’s greatness, Zechariah’s story gives us few hints as to why we do or say stupid things. Who is Zechariah? There are few things we know about Zechariah. He was a high priest. Basically, high priests were the ones between God and the people of God. The high priests were responsible for offering worship, prayers, and sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. Zechariah was very old. Actually, Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were very old and childless. From the brief description the Gospel of  Luke gives us, Zechariah didn’t seem to be one of those short-tempered kind of guy. He didn’t seem to be one of those who speak first and then think last. Yet, when it comes to God’s greatness, Zechariah didn’t expect God to show up,
“While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him” (vv. 11, 12)
Zechariah was serving God as God’s chosen high priest. He was living a normal high priest life, so to speak. In other words, he did what he was supposed to do as a high priest. He did his job bringing the offering and prayers on behalf of the people.
You see the problem is God has this bad habit of manifesting Himself in a way we don’t expect. Zechariah feared….
Yet, the fear that took Zachariah over was the recognition of a sudden consciousness of the presence of God. Zechariah did everything in the expectation for God to manifest Himself but didn’t expect God to show up.
Every year December comes and Christmas happens. Like Zechariah, a number of us do our Christmas routine as if we are in expectation for God to manifest Himself but we don’t expect Him to show up. I know, how stupid is that, huh? I believe that is how we behave towards God’s greatness. If God shows up, we expect Him to show up and/or manifest Himself in a specific manner.
Stupid things we do and say!  We don’t expect God to show up and, in many ways, don’t expect our prayers to be answered. I mean we often pray and do our religious duties, so to speak.  But, how often do we really expect that God will answer some of the impossible prayers? Furthermore, how often do we expect that God might answer but only a little bit? Not only does God unexpectedly show up but He overwhelmingly answers Zechariah’s prayer,
“Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly” (vv. 13-17).
Zechariah was expecting a little plastic toy and God stopped His 18 wheeler filled with gifts. God tells Zechariah that he and Elizabeth will have a child despite being very old. By the way, God is a specialist in that (Genesis 18: 10 – 12). The child (John the Baptist) will be filled with the Spirit and power of Elijah. Just so you know, in Jewish tradition, Elijah was considered the Michael Jordan of the prophets. So, for God to say that someone – for whom, from a human standpoint, it would be impossible to have children  — that his son will receive the spirit of Elijah was the impossibility of impossibilities. Then, when Zechariah thought that the 18 wheeler was empty, God blows Zechariah’s mind away. He tells a childless and very old high priest that his son was the one to prepare the way for God’s Son. John the Baptist was the one to prepare the way for the coming of the so anxiously waited Messiah. Now, for a very old and childless Jewish high priest, that was the impossibility of impossibilities covered with an outrageous impossibility.
Like Zechariah, how easy is it for us to get into a prayer routine about impossible circumstances in life with no real expectation that God will stop His 18 wheeler in front of our house?  More importantly, how often do we measure God’s greatness based on what we see?
Stupid things we do and say! Whenever we measure God’s greatness based on what we see and/or think is good enough, we have a good chance of saying something stupid. Have you ever said something you wish you could take back? After the angel Gabriel parked God’s 18 wheeler, Zechariah could have said a number of things,” Wow! Thanks, man.” Or, “Dude, that is awesome!” I mean, those wouldn’t be the greatest things to say but they would’ve been OK. Right? No, Zechariah decided to measure God’s greatness based on what he saw. Sure enough, he says something that I would classified as stupid,
“Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure this will happen? I am old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.’ Then the angel said, ‘I am Gabriel I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time” (vv. 18 – 20).
Sometimes we just miss the opportunity to shut up!  I believe Zechariah’s story became Jesus’ family’s favorite story (joke) every time they got together.  This story shows that God has a good sense of humor. God played a prank on Zechariah. Since Zechariah limited God’s greatness based on what he saw instead of celebrating what God was going to do, Zechariah’s  speech of celebration was taken away until John the Baptist was born.
How often do we say stupid things because we limit God’s greatness based on what we see? What is in our life that causes us to limit God’s greatness based on our human perception of what God can do? This Christmas season, my hope is for us to celebrate in anticipation God’s greatness and what He promises He will do…