Advent's Extended Silence: Zechariah's Path to Solitude and Service

Key Quotes

"40 days 40 days is the season of preparation that we call lent that takes place in when will take place in the new year leading up to easter it's a season of preparation of introspection of self reflection and examination of acknowledgment of our inward and our outward brokenness as we prepare for the holy mystery and the meaning that is the resurrection of jesus those 40 days are also um symbolic of jesus' own time of preparation and prayer and fasting in the wilderness before he entered into his public ministry"

The speaker explains that the number 40 is a significant period of preparation in Christian tradition, referencing Lent and Jesus' time in the wilderness. This highlights the symbolic richness of this duration for introspection and readiness before significant spiritual events. The speaker connects this to an extended Advent season, suggesting a deeper, more ancient practice of preparation.

"though if you were to do the the math on that and you were to go okay 40 day first of all the math in lent is super awkward and super weird it's total preacher math it's 40 days but you have to exclude sundays those are like mini easters leading up to the big easter it's i know it's confusing and then to make matters worse we started we started celtic advent here at south elcorn seven weeks before christmas and if you do the math we should have started it only six weeks before christmas i mean what is it preacher six seven six seven told you i was going to do it i told you and then you heard the moaning from middle school parents yes and middle school children like listen we've heard it enough already all right parents think they're so cool"

The speaker humorously points out the unconventional calculation of the 40 days of Lent, which excludes Sundays. They then admit to starting their church's "Celtic Advent" seven weeks before Christmas, which is mathematically one week longer than a traditional six-week Advent. This observation highlights the speaker's playful approach to tradition and their acknowledgment of the potential confusion or weariness this extended season might cause.

"but i want to lift up two things for us this morning the first is this a reminder that the story of jesus cannot be extracted from the story of the generations that came before him that the new testament and the old testament belong together that the god who is experienced through the new testament can be experienced throughout the old testament as well that this story of jesus to be fully embraced and understood requires us paying attention to all of the backstory that is there and we see that even in this passage with elizabeth and zechariah and their son john who would prepare the way of the lord prepare the way of jesus"

The speaker emphasizes that Jesus' story is inseparable from the preceding generations and the Old Testament. They argue that understanding the New Testament requires acknowledging the historical and theological "backstory" found in the Old Testament. This point is illustrated by the passage's connection to Elizabeth, Zechariah, and their son John, who is presented as a precursor to Jesus.

"what if the being rendered mute was truly actually a blessing for him to wrestle with himself with god and his inner demons i wonder what it was like for zechariah to go through this prolonged season of silence i'm grateful for the theologian and practical theologian henri nouwen who wrote a little book called reaching out that is one of my favorites and it talks about the three movements of the spiritual life and one of those movements is the movement from loneliness to solitude"

The speaker proposes that Zechariah's muteness, rather than being a punishment, could have been a divine blessing for introspection and wrestling with his inner self and God. They introduce Henri Nouwen's concept of the movement from loneliness to solitude as a framework for understanding this potential spiritual benefit of silence. This reframes the experience of being rendered mute as an opportunity for spiritual growth.

"henri nouwen puts it in some other ways ways that i'll paraphrase as we also discover that we don't have this when we're in loneliness we tend to need people something from people their presence their affirmation and solitude is a shift of being ready to be for people and give to people no longer needing something from people but now ready to be for with and provide for people henri nouwen thankfully reminds me that like we're not going to be we're not going to escape loneliness so loneliness is going to be there but the spiritual life is about cultivating solitude and not getting stuck in loneliness"

The speaker elaborates on Henri Nouwen's distinction between loneliness and solitude, explaining that solitude involves a shift from needing affirmation from others to being ready to give to others. They emphasize that while loneliness is inevitable, the spiritual life's aim is to cultivate solitude, not to remain stuck in loneliness. This highlights the active practice required to move from a state of need to a state of generous presence.

"i knew i had some wandering to do and to trust that there was no hard and fast destination there was just the journey of trusting god to take me wherever i needed to go and part of that destination was going to one of my happy places but trying someplace new i went out to the red river gorge and i went hiking and i needed because again did i mention i talk for a living um i had to get away from people and force myself not to talk i i i hope i'm not the only one with that problem but i might be unique in that way and i got out to a on a new trail and into a new place and i said okay silence and solitude silence and solitude make it happen god and i sat there and i listened and i prayed and i opened up the advent devotional and i flipped to the first day of advent because i had missed it yeah first day of advent in this longer advent season and i stared down at the date and it just wrecked me because my dad died on the first day of advent and it was both sorrow and joy mingled together i knew i needed this advent"

The speaker shares a personal experience of "wandering" in grief after their father's death on the first day of Advent. They describe going hiking in a new place, seeking silence and solitude, and realizing the profound need for this Advent season. This personal narrative illustrates the concept of "wandering for the sake of Christ" and how unexpected life events can align with spiritual practices, blending sorrow and joy.