A Super-Spreader Event

Luke 1:65–66 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him. CONSIDER THIS Zechariah was served a sentence of silence from Gabriel. Not a life sentence, mind you, just a period of nine months. It’s worthy to note the following: nine months equals thirty-nine weeks, which is a grand total of 273 days. That’s a culmination of 6,552 hours of no speaking, no talking, no chance of letting his vocalized doubts get in the way of the wonder of the dream that God was birthing in Elizabeth in that moment. So Zechariah emerged from the temple speechless. Don’t forget, Zechariah had entered the temple to burn some incense. It’s not a long process. But, as the time passed, I am guessing the other priests started looking at their watches and suspecting something was happening. When Zechariah emerged, he emerged without words. The other priests had to know something was up, but Zechariah couldn’t tell them about it. He made it back to Elizabeth and, through pen and paper, shared with her the good news of what was being done, to which she sweetly replied, “The Lord has done this for me” (Luke 1:25). The months passed and the day came that Elizabeth would give birth to a son. Luke records what happened next: On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately, his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. (1:59–64) As incredible as this whole story is, it’s the verse that follows that I want to highlight. Luke says that, as the neighbors watched all of this play out, they were “filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things” (v. 65, emphasis mine). Do you see the progression? As people saw the miracles of God play out, they watched, they were filled, and they told others about what they had seen. Here’s what I love about wonder: wonder is contagious. Think about this. We have the gospel today because of the wonder that has been passed down through the generations, telling the stories of the movement of God among his people. In fact, go back to the very beginning of the church in Acts 2. You find that the early believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (v. 42). What followed? “Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles” (v. 43). What happened next was this: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (v. 47b). Who is watching us today? What stories of wonder are we proclaiming, and what are people saying about the work of God in and among us? The psalmist says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe” (Ps. 107:1–2). Our good news for today is this: the gospel and our story is not just a gift to be treasured; it is a gift to be shared. THE PRAYER  Gracious God, we thank you for the good news that is found in the Advent story. In a world where the news channels don’t often lead with good news, we, as your children, get to declare it all through our lives. Today, may we intentionally lean in to both the wonder found in this story and the wonder that needs to be shared with those you place in our paths. Amen. THE QUESTIONS Can you think of a time when someone shared a story of God’s wonder and work in their lives with you? What is a story of God’s work in your life that you could share as an encouragement to someone else today?