In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.

Luke 1:5-14

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth

Today’s title is “Joy To the Hopeless”

Living with faith is a wonderful thing. But it doesn’t solve all the problems of life as one would hope for. It can even create more problems for some faithful people. Zechariah and his wife were very faithful. Their family had a long-standing tradition of piety. Zechariah was a priest. His wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Mose’s brother Aaron. Both of them were righteous and blameless in the sight of God. But they were without a child. Zechariah did not give up on it. Even when it was almost biologically impossible for Elizabeth to conceive a child, Zechariah prayed for a child. A child was a sign of God’s blessings in Israel. But Zechariah had a more pressing reason to have a child. Both Zechariah and Elizabeth were earnestly longing for the kingdom of God. Someone has to make a way for it to break the darkness of the Herodian age. They want their child to do it. They had faith. But they were losing their hope at the face of reality. The Lord broke the silence. He sent His angels to Zechariah with the answer that he so desperately hoped for. The miracle of Christmas started there. This can happen to anybody. You once had great hope that could change not only your life but also the lives of many. But your hope might be losing its steam by and by. You are getting weaker. The barrier is getting higher and higher. What can turn around the tide? You need the miracle of Christmas that breaks the shackles of hopeless reality. That is exactly why the Son was given to us. Isaiah prophesied, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned (Isa 9:2). “ For to us a child is born, to us, a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6). What is the hope that has made you down over and again? What is the hope that now almost seems hopeless in the face of reality? God gave us Christmas to save us from the dark reality. It turned around the history of humanity that was doomed. It surely can change your darkness into light, your frustration into peace, your hopelessness into joy. Merry Christmas!