A SPIRITUAL AND SPECIAL SENIORS MOMENT, PART 3

A SPIRITUAL AND SPECIAL SENIORS MOMENT PART 3

And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. Luke 1:12 

Zacharias was experiencing his monumental moment of ministering the offering of incense in the holy place. This was a high honor and a once in a lifetime opportunity in the office of the priesthood. The incense was offered daily before the morning sacrifice, and subsequently the evening sacrifice which was close to 3:00 in the afternoon. It is believed that it was the evening offering that was allotted to Zacharias.

Zacharias’s spiritual and special moment suddenly moved in an unprecedented manner. When Gabriel the angel appeared by the altar to make an astonishing announcement Zacharias was arrested by overwhelming fear, for he was considerably convinced that the angel’s appearance could have indicated divine judgment. 

I suspect that this special and spiritual senior found himself being face-planted in fear and fabulously floored by Gabriel’s glorious news regarding two seniors having a son together. I submit to you that it's plausible that this experience caused him to move from deep dread to dominant delight in less than sixty seconds!

Gabriel proceeded to share some extraordinary specifics and directives regarding the rearing of the son and his call to his people. (Luke 1:14-17)  This special and remarkable baby boy born to a special and spiritual senior couple will be filled with the Spirit before he was literally born (Luke 1:41) and would be our great and good God’s prophet to show His Son (Jesus) to the people of Israel (John 1:15–34). 

Luke 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:  

Luke’s revelation regarding an unborn baby (John) worshiping in a womb encourages us that praise powered by the Holy Spirit can happen in any environment. 

God will utilize John’s ministry to redirect and return many people back to the Lord according to the words of the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

You would reckon that the aura and authority of an angel and the announcement of God’s Word would advance the attitude and actions of faith in Zacharias’s. But this special and spiritual senior moved with a mentality marked by doubt and consequently created a moment that was not so special and invited a consequence.

In our next time together, we will visit this senior’s consequences and his senior spouse’s special moment.  

Not a sermon, just some thoughts.