Hope in the Waiting

This message invites us into an understanding of Advent—not merely as the Christmas season, but as a time of waiting for Christ's return. Through the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth in Luke 1, we discover that God's silence doesn't mean God's absence. For 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, no prophetic word was spoken, yet God was orchestrating history—establishing universal language through Greek, building roads through Roman peace, creating synagogues for gathering, and preparing the world for the Messiah's arrival. Similarly, when Zechariah questioned the angel Gabriel's announcement of his son John's birth, he was struck silent for nine months. Yet even in his silence, God continued working, bringing life where there had been barrenness. This narrative challenges our impatience with unanswered prayers and teaches us that waiting is often part of God's redemptive plan.