What a tremendous honor Zechariah had on that day. He was to enter the Holy Place in the Temple in Jerusalem – something that he had never done before and probably would never do again. In Israel there were 24 different divisions of Priests and many Priests in each division, so to finally have your name to come up for this great duty was a red letter day.

Every day a priest would go into the Holy Place, trim the lamps and burn the incense. There was a curtain that separated where he was from the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant sat, signifying the presence of the Lord. This honor would be even greater than coming to a dinner party with the President at the White House, invited or not!!

But Zechariah got to see and experience more than he bargained for. Standing by the altar was an angel, Gabriel, the one who would later go to Mary with news of her pregnancy. Gabriel told him that he was going to be a father and his wife, Elizabeth, a mother. This son was going to be the new Elijah, he would turn the hearts of the people of Israel back to God. He would be the one who would come before the Lord Himself. All this talk about this son, whom the angel said would have the name, John – which means God is gracious- was too much!! “Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.’” (Luke 1:18)

So Gabriel who had promised great things made another promise, “And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day that this happens.” (Luke 1:23) When Zechariah walks from the Holy Place he can’t speak. When he gets home to Elizabeth he can’t speak. But later he is given his speech back. He proclaims to all that this son is going to be named John. On that eighth day after his birth, on the day he was circumcised and the words out of his mouth were a great praise for all that God had done.

There is something great about silence. Before we can speak and say and make sound it is essential that we would be silent. But it seems that we live our lives with constant sound. Sometimes quietness makes us quite uneasy. Some people have to have noise in the house constantly. I know one lady who turns on her TV when she gets up and leaves it on all day, even when she in not watching!! She likes the noise!! When we wake up in the morning it is to the sound of an alarm. Then we turn on the morning news on TV or radio or on the computer. iPods, cell phones, MP3 players keep us constantly filled with noise. Traffic, crowds all carry some sound. Enough!! If we are going to have a heart that listens, if we are going to be people who will listen to His voice, we are called first to silence. Just as Zechariah had silence so He could hear so also we, many years later, are called to a holy silence so we can hear Him and His voice.

The Bible is filled with examples of quietness before God. Do you remember when Elijah was to wait for the Lord to come to him? A powerful wind came and shattered the rocks but the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake but the Lord was not there either. Then a fire appeared but that wasn’t where the Lord was to be found. Then came a gentle whisper. Elijah covered his face – the Lord was there. Quietness, silence. (See I Kings 19:9-13)

Do you know the verse from Psalm 46? “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) How often did Jesus go away to quiet places with His disciples, or simply by Himself? Silence can have a holy purpose.

Sometimes our silence is given because we have nothing to say, or we don’t know what to say. We have no answer to the problems that come before us. We don’t know what to do!! When we come face to face with our own sinfulness we find that we have no excuses to offer, no words to justify ourselves. Silence may be the most appropriate answer!! Paul says in Romans 3,” Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.” (3:19)

And in silence we are the greatest receivers of grace and love. When we are silent and have no defense for life or sin we can simply hear that “God has put away our sins and that we will not die.” (II Samuel 12:13) We are quiet receivers of absolution, we are folks that hold our hands out to receive the bread of life. We quietly reflect on the goodness of God. In the Old Testament these good words are given, “He will quiet you with His love.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

Zechariah had a quiet Advent. 9 months of it. And during that time he was amazed at what God promised and he watched the promise grow inside the womb of his wife until birth. But when he got to open His mouth he had something of importance to say. After he had given the name of John to his son we read, “Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.” (Luke 1:64)

I know that this is an amazingly loud month - many opportunities, parties, gatherings, shopping. And it can all be good. I hope that when you leave this month you will comment that you have never had a Christmas like this one. But before you get to the noise and the sound let there be silence. Reflect daily on this Savior and His love, consider how He treasures you, see Him as the child in the manger and the sacrifice on the cross and the Lord who reigns over the grave. Reflect in quietness how He does what we can’t and how His strength is what we need.

Advent silence. Zechariah has something to teach us. Amen

(The title and the outline for this sermon come from Concordia Pulpit Resources, Volume 20, Part 1, Dr. Steven Mueller, writer)