Doubt at Christmas
Why Zechariah's story gives me hope
About this time last year in this newsletter, I shared a story of how I rediscovered what Advent is for. (If you’re interested, you can read that post here: Advent is the Antidote.)
It was one of my most-shared posts since I started this newsletter. Part of the story there is how I helped move out of my “I hate Christmas!” funk by reading a lot of scripture, and writing a series of Advent devotionals that I used with my middle school students—it ended up being a deeply forming experience for me, and one that they responded to very positively as well.
And so, for today’s newsletter, I figured I’d share one of those devotionals—one of my favorite things I’ve ever written, in fact. I hope this will be a blessing for you, particularly if you’re feeling a bit burdened in this run-up to Christmas.
Doubt - Luke 1:5-25
You’ve got to love Zechariah; he’s quite a character. The guy is an old codger, and Elizabeth, his wife, is not exactly in the prime of life either. They’ve wanted a son for years, but haven’t been able to get pregnant. Despite this, they are deeply spiritual people, living a life devoted to the Lord.
Zechariah is a priest. He’s on duty at the Temple. In fact, he’s the lucky one who is allowed into the Holy of Holies, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You see, it was only one day of the year that a person was allowed into the Holy of Holies, and just one priest had this honor each year. This year, Zechariah’s name was picked.
And that’s where the story gets interesting.
There he is, burning incense and offering prayers on behalf of God’s people when he gets interrupted.
An angel appears.
And the angel gives him a shocking message: his wife is going to become pregnant and have a son. And this son? He’ll be as spiritual as his godly parents, and then some: he’ll grow up to be a powerful prophet, preparing the way for the long-promised King.
Zechariah’s response to this angelic messenger?
“Hmmmm…are you sure? I mean, well, I can see that you are an angel and all, and I understand that you speak for the Lord God Almighty, and you know we’ve wanted a son for all these years, but…”
“But” indeed.
Like I said, you’ve got to love Zechariah.
So the angel says, “Don’t believe it? Okay, here’s the deal. You’re going to be mute until it all happens, so that you’ll really believe I’m telling you the truth.”
And Zechariah says, “Oh, okay, hang on a MMMMMMMPH!” And it’s as good as if his tongue is glued to the roof of his mouth.
Actually, I have to confess, I’m glad a godly man like Zechariah had his doubts. I have had my share of doubts in my lifetime. And if a guy like Zechariah can doubt a message from God hand-delivered by an angel straight from the throne room of Heaven, I have a little more confidence that the King will forgive my moments of weak faith.
And, I’m thankful that Zechariah’s tongue was loosened later, showing his faith renewed and his doubt blasted away. (See Luke 1:64)
A King who can drive out doubt. That’s the kind of King I’m seeking.
Christmas blessings to you all, friends. In a season of busyness, may you find the joy and comfort—and doubt-shattering confidence!—that the coming Christ-child brings.
Dave’s Faves
Here are three things I’m absolutely loving right now that I hope you might love too…
Dave’s Fave #1: Hitting a milestone on the Hallway Conversations podcast
When Matt and I started recording the Hallway Conversations podcast in early 2021, we joked that we would make 10 episodes and see what we thought. Soon after, Abby joined us, which substantially upgraded the quality of the content! And here we are, two and a half years later, still going.
We recently hit a milestone: 100 episodes! (Okay, this was a month ago, but it still feels significant to us!) Our 100th episode was a live episode recorded at the Christian Educators Association convention, and you can listen to it here on the web: Episode 100: A LIVE Hallway Conversation! - Recorded in front of a live audience at the Christian Educators’ Association Conference. (You can also find us in your favorite podcast app—just search for “Hallway Conversations” and look for the cover tile pictured below. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!)
Dave’s Fave #2: Getting invited to be a guest on another podcast!
One of my pals in the EdTech world has a podcast of his own—Jared Pyles serves as an instructional designer at Cedarville University, and along with his partner in crime, Rob McDole, they record a podcast called “Transform Your Teaching.” Jared got in touch with me and asked me to join in a conversation about one of my favorite topics in the field of education: assessment!
You can listen to the episode here: Assessments with Dr. Dave Mulder (or find them on any of the major podcast apps, yeah?) My apologies in advance for the less-than-optimal audio for my parts on this podcast—unfortunately, I had a pretty unstable internet connection when we were recording. But I hope you’ll still find our conversation encouraging and inspiring. It was a lot of fun!
Dave’s Fave #3: Joyful Christmas Music!
Over a decade ago when I joined Spotify, I created a playlist that I called “Amazing Christmas” and populated it with some of my favorite Christmas music—from Trans-Siberian Orchestra, to Amy Grant, to Relient K, to the Vince Guaraldi Trio, to Handel. There are almost certainly versions of Christmas carols on this playlist that you’ve not heard before, but I hope you’ll give it a whirl to get you into a Christmassy spirit!
The Last Word!
Christmas break is fast approaching! If you are an educator, I know you have a MILLION THINGS TO DO between now and then. Grace and peace to you all, friends. Maybe you, like me, can tap into your inner Buddy the Elf…
