When the Christmas whirlwind finally stops, I usually find myself sitting with tired feet in the glow of a tree that is sadly empty of packages and bows. For the first time in awhile, I think about life after Christmas. There is always a day after. A new year is approaching. Resolutions come to mind, but I know from experience that most of them will be forgotten within the first few weeks of the year.
I wonder what sort of faith will show in me this year. Generally when I start to dwell on where I am growing spiritually, I get discouraged, because growth, at least in me, is slow. As much as I would love to find that I am suddenly a more faithful Christian in 2025, chances are good that when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, I will find that I’m still a slow grower.
But I find comfort in the Christmas story. Of course we know that sweet young Mary met an angel and got the most shocking news she could imagine. Instead of running away screaming or fainting of fright or sobbing over how this news would complicate her life, Mary responded the way we all wish we could: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me as you have said.” Sure, she wondered how this plan for her would be accomplished, but her faith was displayed almost instantly. She accepted God’s plan. She believed it. It’s inspiring. But for me, that’s not necessarily the encouraging part of the story.
Before the angel visited Mary, he appeared to someone else. A Priest. A man who was no doubt considered one of Israel’s best and brightest: a man who had the special privilege of helping lead the nation of Israel in worship of the One True God. As he was carrying out his duties, alone in the temple, he should have been keenly aware of who God is and how He works. He should have been especially focused on the mysterious nature of the One he was there to worship. But when a heavenly being appeared to Zechariah and delivered shocking news, Zechariah’s faith failed him. Instead of inquiring as to how this would happen, he asked a different question: “How can I know this is true?” In that game-changing moment, Zechariah struggled to believe. He wanted more evidence. He wanted to see. In the moment he couldn’t bring himself to believe without seeing.
The angel declared that he wouldn’t be able to speak until the child, John, was born. Zechariah exited the temple to a crowd of people who could clearly understand that something out of the ordinary had happened. And it wasn’t until John was born, when Zechariah frantically wrote a message to his family affirming his wife’s decision to name the baby John that he was able to speak again. In the time between the visit from the angel and the birth of his child, Zechariah had come to a place of faith. God had done exactly what He said He would do, and He had also done something amazing in Zechariah’s heart.
I guess what is so encouraging to me about this part of the Christmas story is that even though Mary shows us the way an instant faith response brings glory to God, Zechariah shows us that even when our faith is slower to show, God will get us there. And He will bring glory to Himself even through faith that is as small as the tiniest mustard seed. Zechariah may have felt doubt as he stood in the temple that day, but God changed his heart eventually. His growth was slower. Even Zechariah, the priest, had a hard time believing in what God could actually do.
So as I sit by the Christmas tree that is now growing old, thinking about the year to come, I don’t have to be discouraged about slow growth. Some days God may help me to respond like Mary. Other days, in my flesh, I may respond like Zechariah, demanding proof that God is powerful enough to handle what lay ahead. But no matter what happens, I know that God won’t quit. He won’t stop working in my heart and life in 2025, no matter how slow my growth is, no matter how tiny my faith may feel at times. God is not willing to let me stay as I am. So this year, among all the starts and stops of an imperfect faith, I fully expect to be changed by the God who loves nothing more than to sanctify His children. If the priest Zechariah can stand in that holy place, worship a perfect God, encounter a heavenly being, and still have doubts, then I surely have to know that I, too, will have periods of slow belief. As the year ends, I’m so grateful that I worship a God who continues to love me and grant me new measures of faith despite it all.
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