Thursday of Third Week of Advent

Lectionary: 195

Then Zechariah said to the angel,
“How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”

Recently a woman, advanced in years, told me of the confusion and distress she has felt since beginning a Bible study.

I have read the Bible all my life, plus books and articles about the Bible, and several histories of Israel. Daily I celebrate the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours, which is 90% scripture. I can't say "I understand the Bible" but I found it hard to understand why Bible study should be so distressing.  

She explained she was trained in her Catholic faith in the 1940’s – a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. In those days, despite two World Wars and uneasy memories of a Civil War, the Catholic Church seemed impervious to change. I could only assure the lady that our Catholic faith – our liturgy, prayers, traditions and doctrines – is solidly grounded in the Bible. Everything we believe and do flows organically from the scriptures; and, in fact, little has changed about it in the past half century. Except for some window dressing, the Worship of the Church has not changed at all! 

Like Zechariah and Elizabeth, we live in changing times. Since I was born in 1948 the known universe has expanded exponentially; the known past has advanced by tens of thousands of years; technological abilities have stretched beyond my imagination. We have more knowledge and more access to knowledge than anyone could imagine 65 years ago. Meanwhile, species of plants and animals are disappearing as the earth warms. What is going on? 

The births of John the Baptist and Jesus signaled enormous changes in the religious universe for Zechariah and Elizabeth. The Evangelists document the signs of change: angels appear in dreams, sanctuaries and the heavens, to individuals and to groups of people; an elderly barren woman bears a son; and an unmarried virgin is pregnant. An old man cannot speak; a new star appears in the firmament; and children are given unexpected names. Eventually the blind will see, the deaf will hear, cripples will walk; the possessed will be freed and the dead will rise. What is going on? 

The truth be told, most of the Bible was written during times of uncertainty and change. Situated as they were in the middle of the Fertile Crescent, God's people were subject to one pillaging army after another -- on the way from Mesopotamia to Egypt and back again. Only the Word of God could survive such drama. 

The Bible knows change. Most of it was written for the sole purpose of preserving the religious customs, songs, stories and memories in the face of catastrophic change. In doing so it kept the memories of the patriarchs, bondage in Egypt, tribal alliances in Palestine, the independent Kingdom of David, the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the Babylonian Captivity, the return to Palestine, and the Maccabean Revolt. 

Christmas teaches us to expect the unexpected; it teaches us openness to surprise, courage under adversity and hope for unimaginable blessings. Christmas reminds us the Earth has been turning for billions of years and solstices swept the land before the first human being was born. Christmas remembers when Jesus was born and the solstice was renamed. Everything changes; much remains the same; the Word of God endures forever.