NATIVITY By Mike Herron

become one as Gabriel declares ‘ my words’ will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time. The time of fulfillment is ‘ kairon;’ God’s appointed moment of grace and completion. 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary. The Talmud, (the rabbinical collection of laws and comments on the Books of Moses) tells us that the offering of incense takes but a brief time. The gathered worshipers intuitively knew that an angel of God had visited Zecharias. A new day had dawned; the unbelieving ceremonial priests would be replaced by a priesthood of believers who would declare the word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. 23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. 24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.” (NLT) Zechariah continued his week of service unable to tell anyone what had happened to him and then returned to his priestly city. Shortly afterward Elizabeth became pregnant and went into the customary 5 months of seclusion. ‘Hardly for the first time in Luke, a woman is put forward as a recipient of God’s favor and as a model of faithfulness to God’s purpose.’ 8 Elizabeth’s interest in all of this is more maternal than theological. Her words echo those of childless Sarah and Rachel, Abraham’s wife and granddaughter: ‘ He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.’ Her personal joy would soon be heightened by a visit from her cousin Mary.