He was nervous; he wasn’t getting any younger. As the other priests gathered around, the lot fell: it was his time. Zacharias was the chosen one to perform the most sacred of task. He was chosen to enter the temple and burn the incense. He knew that many would gather just outside to pray while he performed his duties.
He had trained for this.
He knew what to do.
He thought he knew what to expect.
But then an angel appeared.
Read MoreHerod was the first Jewish king to take the throne in Judea since the fall of the southern Kingdom 580 years before. For almost 600 years Jews had been humiliated and enslaved under the Babylonians, Persians, the Greeks under Alexander the Great, Egypt and the Syrians. Now during this time, it is the mighty Roman Empire that is really calling the shots.
Israel was in chaos. Their ruler Herod, merely a puppet king. He was not a spiritual leader, nor a role model. He built temples and idols to false gods and brought the violent Roman games into the land. The outside influences flooded in from the surrounding areas as well. The economy was unpredictable, there was no sense of stability or security. Oppression was always just around the corner.
In such circumstances, I can see how the people thought that the promised Messiah would be a political Savior. I understand how they thought that kind of Messiah would “fix” things. Many times I also have my ideas of what the Savior will do in my life. I try to guess the song He will sing.
Read MoreSilence.
Whenever there is Silence we usually have the tendency to read into it. Why is it there? What does it mean. In the silence that was created between the last words of Malachi to the first words of Matthew, the hearts of the world looked into the space created by God’s silence. Absence may cause the heart to grow fonder, yet the silence of God’s word from the world created a chasm so deep that souls longed for an echo of it to know their worth.
We have lost the use of the word “pining” from our everyday vernacular. The definition is to languish, to yearn intensely and persistently especially for something unattainable.
In this silence the world pined for the presence of God.
Read MoreJoin us this Advent and Christmas Season as we explore the Music of the Incarnation. We hope that you enjoying reading this brief introduction to the study. You can join us by downloading “The ABBEY” app in your phones app store and subscribing to follow along!
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