Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I hope you all are well.  I felt the Lord calling me to devote more time to reading the Scriptures this Advent, so I am hoping to read the Gospel of Luke and to share some short reflections over the course of this month.  I would like to invite you also to read the Gospel of Luke this month, and I would love to hear what touched you!  

Today, I read Luke 1, and I would like to share three points with you that especially touched me.  First, when the angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, he was overcome with fear (Luke 1:12).  Although the angel tried to reassure Zechariah, encouraging him not to be afraid and explaining that God had heard his prayers, Zechariah still doubted.  He was relying on his human intelligence, thinking that it would be impossible for Elizabeth to bear a child since they were both getting on in years.  But God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9), and nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37).  

Zechariah’s fear seems also to have initially obstructed his ability to see the loving way in which God was answering his prayers for a son.  Love drives out fear (1 John 4:18), and as is also said, fear drives out love.  Jesus knows that we struggle with fear, and time and time again, tells us not to be afraid.  The Lord has given us the Spirit of power, love, and self-control, not of fear (2 Timothy 1:7).  Let us pray for the grace to receive the fruit of the Holy Spirit of trustfulness (Galatians 5:22), and may the Lord open our inner eyes (Ephesians 1:18) to see the loving ways in which he is working in our lives and answering our prayers too.  

Second, we see from Luke 1:25 that Elizabeth suffered humiliation in public, presumably for many years, because she remained childless.  However, at the right time, the Lord answered her prayers more beautifully than she ever could have imagined.  Her son, John, was to be great in the sight of the Lord and filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, bringing many people back to the Lord (Luke 1:14-16).  What more could a parent hope for?  In our lives, too, we must trust in the Lord’s timing.  In Isaiah 60:22, the Lord says, when the time is ripe, I shall quickly bring it about.  

In the wedding feast at Cana (John 2) and the raising of Lazarus (John 11), we can understand how the people may have felt that the Lord was “too late.”  Running out of wine on your wedding day or seeing Jesus arrive after your brother has already died can both seem like poor timing.  Indeed, Mary and Martha each said, Lord, if only you had been here, Lazarus would not have died.  But in both passages, Jesus answered their prayers at just the right time and more beautifully than they could have imagined—the best wine and the raising of Lazarus.  Jesus wants us to know that there is a purpose behind his timing (John 11:4, 15—“This sickness will not end in death, but it is for God’s glory so that through it the Son of God may be glorified . . . for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you will believe.”).  Sometimes, Jesus is also telling us, as he told Peter in John 13:7, at the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.    

Third, the Lord gives light to our darkness and guides our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:79).  This reminds me of 2 Samuel 22:29, which says, “Lord, you yourself are my lamp, my God lights up my darkness.”  How wonderful that the Lord promises that the darkness will never overpower the light (John 1:5)!  The Word is the real light that gives light to everyone (John 1:9).  Let us ask the Lord to light up all the areas of darkness that we experience in our current circumstances.  

May the word of God be a light on our path (Psalm 119:105), illuminating the way, which is Jesus (John 14:6).  May the Lord enlighten our hearts and minds to see him and his love for us with greater conviction and clarity.  

Awaken us and fill us with the vision of you, Jesus (Psalm 17:15).  When we see you, we will be filled with your peace and joy.  

Jesus said to the disciples, “Peace be with you, and after saying this, he showed them his hands and his side.  The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord, and he said to them again, peace be with you” (John 20:19-21).  

Peace be with you!