Seeing a Future that Seemed Impossible

Lectionary connections
Sunday, December 8
Luke 1: 68-79

Placing In Context

As kids, swimming with the tide feels required since doing anything else could result in rejection from the adults in your life. Zechariah’s questioning of the angel about Elizabeth bearing a son was his own form of protection. He couldn’t imagine that kind of swimming against the tide, whether physically (Elizabeth getting on in years) or realistically (they’d never been able to conceive before, why now?).

Beliefs that Endure

The angel’s news blindsides Zechariah with the unfathomable. He could not have imagined that life could exist in any other fashion until he saw it with his own eyes. In this week’s scripture, we see poetry pouring out from Zechariah, painting a world that seems nearly impossible. We often struggle to believe until we see someone defy our expectations. As humans, we still need to see something new to allow ourselves to dream of a future filled with hope.

Moving Forward

Who in your life has experienced the miracle of discovering a future that once seemed beyond any possibility? Perhaps you will think of a situation akin to Luke’s, where he has developed a non-religious community that offers rich and deep bonds, or it is similar to Zecharaiah, where good news came to a loved one who had become well-acquainted with bad news.