Latest when I turned 50 I thought about the fact that the days of my youth are over and that I clearly belong to the so called older generation. Even 50 is called the new 40 I can't deny that my son is by far better in soccer now and that I struggle to keep up in jogging with my athletic daughter. However I am not alone with these thoughts and I found tremendous insights through the story of Zechariah and Elisabeth. Luke 1:8 tells us that they were old and that they were in the ministry. Being a missionary and full time minister it helps me even more to identify with them.. Apparently they were very righteous and godly people. Yet, things didn't work out the way they wanted to. A life in godliness and righteousness obviously doesn't garentee us a smooth ride through life. I guess we all figured that one out already. This old couple lived with a deep struggle that we can hardly comprehend in our days. They had no children. It must have been a constant challenge to stand up against discouragement and shame. Children were a sign of God's blessing and people would conclude that this couple wasn't blessed and for sure not righteous. They had to endure stupid and painful remarks of other people. They prayed and prayed for a child....but Elisabeth wouldn't get pregnant, month after month...year after year! Have you ever experienced that your prayers seem to be blocked off? Especially those desperate prayers....that matter to you most! God seems to silent. People around you receive what you are asking for, but you seem to get nowhere. I am sure that Zachariah and Elisabeth felt that way. They lived with a heavy burden of having no children and they felt the disgrace of their unfulfilled desires and dreams painfully. Yet they kept on serving God. They were not bitter. They didn't understand but they didn't quit. Then one day in the middle of his spiritual ministry, he did his duty and daily routine faithfully (Luke 1:13) the angel of the Lord appered to Zechariah and tells him that his prayers were heard. Obviously Zachariah didn't expect anything anymore to happen., because he doubted. The thought that they could become pregnant as senior citizens was really a impossibility. HE doubted everything the angel had said, but this didn't hinder God to still answer their long forgotten prayers! What a comfort! We know that Zechariah became mute until the day his son was really born, but God's plan came to pass. HE TOOK AWAY THEIR DISGRACE IN HIS APPOINTED TIME (Lk 1:14). God wasn't finished with them. After John was born and Zechariah was able to speak again he started to prophecy (Lk 1:67)! A new chapter in their lives began at a very old age and they made history.
Thomas Erkens
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
In Good Company
The stories around the event of Christmas fascinate me for a long time. Every year I seem to discover more miracles that took place in this awesome time during our saviors birth. The Christmas story is actually the most popular story of all and even people who don't believe in God, know quite well what happened. Every child knows it...and yet...do we really know it?
I read through Matthew 1 and you can easily get bored reading through the genealogy. ...all these names that I can hardly pronounce....it's a hassle to read through them one by one, right? Then it dawned on me that there is a high importance on this family tree, otherwise it wouldn't have been written...Abraham was the father of Isaac...yes the father of faith: Abraham! What a man of God, of course he is mentioned here. But when we look deeper into his life don't we see behind the tremendous strength also the tremendous weakness. Wasn't he the one who out of terrible fear of men gave his wife to a foreign king for him to sleep with her? What kind of a husband is that? And...he did it twice when I remember right! Wow! After that I guess they had some marriage problems to work on, don't you think? But God had a plan with them and in we know the story how Sarah became pregnant with Isaac (after Abraham slept with their maid and had a baby with her). Isaac became the father of Jacob, a cheater and liar...yet chosen by God. Jacob, father of Judah (remember Jesus is the LION OF JUDAH!) and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. We can read her special story in Genesis 38. A woman who sneaked her way into the family tree through sleeping with her father in law....I skip a few names and come down to Rahab.(Joshua 2:1, 6:17; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25). Remember Rahab. She was a prostitute in Jericho during the time of Joshua. We read over her life in a few seconds and are not aware how messed up she really was. Rahab was caught up in terrible occultism and slept with whoever came along. If we would meet her today, we would barely have hope for her to change her life into decency. Yet she was desperate and in search of the living God. She was fed up with her life. She was broken! We know the story how she helped Joshua's spies and got spared from the destruction as a reward.. She joined the people of God as a foreigner and believed in HIM! A foreigner! God honored her so much that he put her in the family tree of his son and her name is mentioned even with the other heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. Then we come to Boaz, who became the redeemer of Ruth...another foreigner lady! Then we read Davids name...yes David! We all know about his glories and downfalls! An adulterer and murderer, yet a great worshiper and man after God's own heart. A couple of generations later we read JOSEPH, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, our Lord (Matthew 1:16). Mary and Joseph, two nameless and faceless, simple teenagers. Why them? Sometimes I thing God has a special thing for the unimportant. The insignificant, the nobodies! They became the earthly parents of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And HE is NOT ASHAMED to mention his family tree with all the stories, with all the glory and the shame in his word. The line goes forth...Today you and me are adopted in this wonderful family tree when we receive HIM as our Lord and Savior. What a privilege and honor! We are in good company with our ancestors and Jesus himself redeemed us from darkness and shame to a life of dignity and purpose! This is Christmas!
Thomas Erkens
I read through Matthew 1 and you can easily get bored reading through the genealogy. ...all these names that I can hardly pronounce....it's a hassle to read through them one by one, right? Then it dawned on me that there is a high importance on this family tree, otherwise it wouldn't have been written...Abraham was the father of Isaac...yes the father of faith: Abraham! What a man of God, of course he is mentioned here. But when we look deeper into his life don't we see behind the tremendous strength also the tremendous weakness. Wasn't he the one who out of terrible fear of men gave his wife to a foreign king for him to sleep with her? What kind of a husband is that? And...he did it twice when I remember right! Wow! After that I guess they had some marriage problems to work on, don't you think? But God had a plan with them and in we know the story how Sarah became pregnant with Isaac (after Abraham slept with their maid and had a baby with her). Isaac became the father of Jacob, a cheater and liar...yet chosen by God. Jacob, father of Judah (remember Jesus is the LION OF JUDAH!) and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. We can read her special story in Genesis 38. A woman who sneaked her way into the family tree through sleeping with her father in law....I skip a few names and come down to Rahab.(Joshua 2:1, 6:17; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25). Remember Rahab. She was a prostitute in Jericho during the time of Joshua. We read over her life in a few seconds and are not aware how messed up she really was. Rahab was caught up in terrible occultism and slept with whoever came along. If we would meet her today, we would barely have hope for her to change her life into decency. Yet she was desperate and in search of the living God. She was fed up with her life. She was broken! We know the story how she helped Joshua's spies and got spared from the destruction as a reward.. She joined the people of God as a foreigner and believed in HIM! A foreigner! God honored her so much that he put her in the family tree of his son and her name is mentioned even with the other heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. Then we come to Boaz, who became the redeemer of Ruth...another foreigner lady! Then we read Davids name...yes David! We all know about his glories and downfalls! An adulterer and murderer, yet a great worshiper and man after God's own heart. A couple of generations later we read JOSEPH, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, our Lord (Matthew 1:16). Mary and Joseph, two nameless and faceless, simple teenagers. Why them? Sometimes I thing God has a special thing for the unimportant. The insignificant, the nobodies! They became the earthly parents of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And HE is NOT ASHAMED to mention his family tree with all the stories, with all the glory and the shame in his word. The line goes forth...Today you and me are adopted in this wonderful family tree when we receive HIM as our Lord and Savior. What a privilege and honor! We are in good company with our ancestors and Jesus himself redeemed us from darkness and shame to a life of dignity and purpose! This is Christmas!
Thomas Erkens
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