Special Christmas

     Christmas is a special season, filled with great joy for most Christians. The holiday is infused with faith, social gatherings, worship services, special events, music, decorations, communication from friends who live far away, good food, helping others, giving gifts, and receiving presents. Some Christmasses are just what you expect, and others are memorable. Special Christmases I remember include some when I was young, my daughter’s first Christmases, and a Christmas out west when we got snowed in and built snow tunnels. I remember Christmas Eve worship in Kansas, with my wife’s family, and the privilege of bringing her grandmother to church when she was in failing health.

Christmas in Denver with 34" of snow

     I have fond memories of the plays and musicals I participated in during the Christmas season. These events ministered to others, and built friendships as I worked with others on the production. I worked with Ronda and Brent Hart to decorate our church and mask the hallway for “Follow the Star.” I also work with them as the Bethlehem Rabbi in a production entitled Walk Thru Bethlehem. I have watched with great joy as God grew a small youth production in Apex, NC, entitled Journey to Bethlehem into a production that ministers to thousands of people each year.

Bethlehem Rabbis at Walk Thru Bethlehem

     In the first century, in a time when there was not yet Christmas, there was a village priest by the name of Zechariah, who served on rotation at the Temple in Jerusalem. (That means he worked each of the three harvest festivals and two other weeks annually, for a total of five weeks per year). The man Zechariah was an older priest, almost ready for his time of retirement.
     To be sure, there were special times of service in the Temple, and then there were times when the duties overtook him. On days when work was light, Zechariah was full of joy. At times when the tasks were great and the stress level was high, the village priest forced joy into his heart, because he knew that this pleased God.

Temple model at the Israel Museum

     Zechariah had learned to be joyful at all times. He had faced various problems in life, and with God’s help, they had all been overcome. All except one, and that was OK, because God is always in control. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth desired a child, but while they were young, and even in middle age, when it is still possible to have children, none were born. Elizabeth was barren. Zechariah found joy in his wife and in life.

Birth of Jesus

     In Zechariah’s final year of service, possibly in the week of his retirement, was an amazing week for the village priest (which I share in my book Advent Journeys, available as a book, as a Kindle e-book, and readable through Amazon Prime) and his wife Elizabeth. God chose Zechariah for a special place of service, tending the altar of incense. And while at the altar God sent the angel Gabriel to communicate that Zechariah's wife Elizabeth would give birth to a child. The priest was shocked! This was a story like that of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, Elkanah and Hannah, and Boaz and Ruth. The retiring priest was amazed!