What I would like to do this morning is to look at the struggles some of the saints who lived during Jesus’ birth lived through, and as we see their struggle, we will also see what the Lord used to bring them through their struggle.  Hopefully, this will be instructive for us as we face our own struggles this holiday season.  Our theme for this morning is Many saints from the past struggled with the plans of God to bring the Messiah into the world, but came to a place of rest in their faith in the promises of God.

I. The struggle of Zechariah, and God’s solution.

Let’s take a step back and remind you of the context in Luke 1.  The day when he is selected to offer the sacrifice of incense before the Lord is one of the highlights of Zechariah’s life!  It would be very rare for a priest to be chosen by lot to offer incense on the alter of incense which was in front of the veil to the Holy of Holies in the temple, the place where God Almighty dwelt.  There were many priests, but only priests of a certain age were eligible and they would draw lots after prayer, to determine who would offer the incense for the people– it symbolized the prayers of the people.  Zechariah would have prepared a long time for this moment and would have approached it with much prayer and much seriousness. 

Zechariah is in the Holy place, offering the sacrifice required, and an angel of the Lord appears to him.  He is frightened at first, as most of us would have been.  The angel tells him not to be afraid, and that his prayer has been answered.  The angel tells him his wife will conceive and she will bring forth a child whose name is to be John, and this child is to live according to the vows of the Nazarite.  The angel tells him his child will fulfill the prophecy about Elijah, the one who would come to prepare the way of the Lord.

Zechariah is in the middle of this stunning vision, hearing stunning news from a messenger who has come to him from God.  It appears, that although he has been praying for a child, he doesn’t fully believe it is possible for he and Elizabeth to have a child because of their age.  Instead of responding to the angel’s message with faith, he responds with doubt!  “Wait a minute!  Sounds good, but hold on a second!  As I think about what you are telling me, I don’t think this is possible– I am old and my wife is old and having babies at our age doesn’t happen, so...”  The angel interrupts him and tells him, “You hold on a second!!  I stand in the presence of Almighty God!!  He sent me to speak this good news to you!!”  In other words, I come from the place of highest authority, so it will happen just as I have told you!!  In judgement for his doubt, Zechariah is made dumb until the child is born.  God’s love for him doesn’t change.  His plan for Zechariah doesn’t change.  But Zechariah’s enjoyment of this blessing and participation in it is limited because of his doubt.  Can you imagine having a revelation like this and not being able to tell others about what has just happened?!

This was a struggle for Zechariah.  Initially believing the Lord was a struggle for him, and walking out the judgement of the Lord for his doubt would have been tough for him.  Because he could not easily communicate, he had many long hours to understand and own his sin.  There isn’t a shadow of doubt in my mind that Zechariah rehearsed what had happened with the appearance of Gabriel and what he had said a million times, wishing he had that moment of life back, so he could respond in faith instead of by doubt.  He was a priest!  He had been dedicated to the Lord!  He had known the goodness of the Lord and led many others in their faith, calling them to believe.  Yet, when the rubber meets the road, when the time came for him to believe, he failed.  I am sure there was great struggle with this thought.

What kept him going?  What kept his faith strong?  There was a Word which had been spoken over him by God through an angel, a Word which Zechariah knew was coming to pass.  He still had the blessing of experiencing the Word of the Lord come to pass, watching the Lord fulfill the promise He had given to his servant Zechariah.  He knew one day he would be able to speak again, according to the Word of the messenger God sent to him.  When John was born, the people came to him asking what he would name the child, and when he told them the child’s name, “John”, according to the promise given to him by the angel, his tongue was loosened and he began to praise God!  He was filled with the Holy Spirit according to the Scriptures and he prophesied about who John would be.  Zechariah had 9 months to reflect on his sin and to prepare for his child’s birth.  He was no doubt ready to explode as the time approached for John’s birth.  And when he obeys by giving John the name spoken to him by the angel, Zechariah experiences the blessing of the Lord in a marvelous way.  The Word of the Lord kept him going in his moments, days and months of struggle.

II. The struggle of Mary, and God’s solution.

A few verses later in Luke 1:26ff, the Scriptures speak clearly about Mary’s interaction with the angel and the Holy Spirit conceiving in her the Messiah to be born, but says little about what actually happened in the time between conception and birth, except that she went to the hillside to be with Elizabeth, her relative, Zechariah’s wife.  She went there for 2 reasons: to affirm this work of God in her because something else impossible had also happened, Elizabeth was to have a child in her old age which was a sign to Mary that what had been spoken by the angel was the Word of God and would be fulfilled; and second, Mary went to the hill country to be away from the constant ridicule which would have undoubtedly come from her pregnancy in a community as small as theirs.  We know that women who lived savory lifestyles were shunned in their community.  One example of this is the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well.  She comes to the well at noon, during the heat of the day, when no one would be there because of her shame.  Jesus meets her there and reveals Himself to her and her whole village comes to faith in Jesus.  But the point for our purposes this morning is to acknowledge the difficulty of being pregnant before marriage in this culture.  Every one would know through the gossip mill that she was pregnant  Remember, this wasn’t 20th century America!  The O.T. law gave the command to put to death anyone who committed fornication, which they would have presumed happened to Mary.  The shame which would have fallen on her family would have been very difficult for her to handle.  Why would God, the covenant keeping Lord, the One who loved Mary and knew she was righteous, put such a heavy burden on her?  This is a part of the struggle of life!

The other place of tremendous struggle for Mary, as you read and think about the birth narrative, was their travel to Bethlehem by donkey.  This would be a tough journey for a healthy person, let alone a woman who was about to deliver a child.  It was over 60 miles of rough terrain.  It would take several days, and would have been hot, dry and problematic.  Furthermore, by the time they actually reached Bethlehem, there was no where to sleep because many people had come in before them– it would have been worse than trying to find a parking space on game day in Death Valley, Clemson.  There was no where to sleep.  Most first time mothers have this idyllic notion of what things will be like when they have their child.  Mary would have had to lay all of this aside, because there was something more important at stake.  God had spoken through the prophet Malachi that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.  So, Mary had to get to Bethlehem, whether she and Joseph knew this or not.

What kept Mary going through all this hardship?  We are told in a couple of places that Mary treasured these things in her heart, meaning she held onto what God had promised her through the angel Gabriel.  This is a Word from God that she was highly favored in God’s sight, so much so, that she would have the incredible privilege of bearing the Son of God, the Messiah, the King whose reign would have no end.  In the midst of great pressures she endured, it would be easy to feel like– if this is what blessing feels like, you can have it!  But Mary believed the Word of the Lord.  She held fast to the promise which had been given to her.  And yes she would have struggled tremendously watching her son being beaten and crucified on the cross, even though she knew He was innocent.  This is part of the struggle we bear as God’s people on the earth.  For some reason, God has chosen suffering as one of His primary means to complete His work on the earth.  My flesh doesn’t like this idea, but it is the truth.

III. The struggle of our lives and God’s solution.

So, what are you struggling through this morning?  What stewardship assignment has the Lord given to you and what weight is associated with this trust?  Are you going back to His Word for you, His promise to you as you walk through struggle? You see, every child of God has been given a stewardship assignment.  For some, this assignment is quite heavy, or so it feels. We are to follow Zechariah and Mary’s examples as we face struggles this Christmas season, and believe the Word which has been given to us. If you don’t believe you have received a Word from the Lord in the midst of your struggle, I would urge you to set aside some time and seek the Lord.  Journal about things you are reading and ask Him what it is that He is doing and how you can join the Lord in building His Kingdom.  Struggle is a reality of life.  When you hear people singing a Christmas carol, sing with them, even if you are in a place of struggle.  Stand on God’s character and His Word.  Spend time each day seeking a fresh Word from the Lord.  Wait upon Him in faith, believing that He will speak to you.  As you respond in this way, this Christmas season, the Lord will hear and answer your prayers.  He will strengthen you to stand in the midst of struggle by faith.  He will win a victory in and through you, His child.