Elizabeth and Zechariah: Sharing the legacy

 For the past couple weeks, we’ve looked at the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth from the New Testament. They doubted that God could give them their heart’s desire (a child) because they were old. Culture and societal norms may look at age as the end of usefulness. That is not true, especially when we look at men and women, both in the Bible, and around us who have begun new and powerful ministries when “old”. For instance, newly elected Pope Leo is 70. King Charles became King of England at 73. Men and women all around us in churches and civic organizations are doing good works all their lives long. All these are sharing their legacy with those younger than themselves. Throughout the Bible are many elders called by God to do great things.

God doesn’t use a clock to say, ‘this one is too old to be useful.’ God knows the gift and talent and potential engrafted in our souls at birth. We can be like Zechariah and deny that gift, or we can be like Elizabeth and embrace the chance to offer our legacy of faith to the world.

Mark Roberts of the DePree Institute noted “Often, people discover a new sense of purpose as they get older. Remember, at 80 years of age Moses wasn’t exactly planning on leading the Israelites out of Egypt when God called him through the burning bush (Exodus 7:7). In the New Testament, Elizabeth was “getting on in years” according to her husband, Zechariah. She was not expecting that she’d soon be expecting a baby, the person we know as John the Baptist (Luke 1:18). Sometimes, as we get older, God calls us to something we never anticipated. Yet even that new calling is likely to be continuous with what we have done in the past, at least to some extent. Though your core purpose in life might remain the same throughout the years, the facets of your purpose will likely evolve over time. Yet your new facets of purpose will often be continuous with what you have done in the past, even as they are also surprising. Thus, as you are open to God’s unfolding purpose for your life, expect both continuity and surprise. See how your past experiences have prepared you for what is new, even if your new purpose is not what you ever expected.”   

I think what Roberts says is important. God builds on what you have done in the past. We aren’t called to some dramatically new direction. Even though we don’t know the ‘back story’ of Zechariah and Elizabeth, we can infer that they have been godly throughout their lives and probably were greatly loved by those around them. Consider the fact that Mary turns to her cousin Elizabeth when she learns she will bear Jesus. There must have been a deep relationship there already. Even though they lived many miles apart, Mary knew that she could turn to Elizabeth for affirmation of her calling. Imagine the relationships Elizabeth must have formed with young women living in the same village. She had a mother’s heart, before she was a mother. God built on that love, and she was gifted with her son John.

Zechariah, too, was known to be godly. In fact, the Bible notes, they [both] lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God. He was faithful in carrying out his priestly duties and received the honor of presenting the incense in the Holy of Holies at the Temple, where he met Gabriel. We know he was learned, too, because he was able to write. Probably he was a mentor to the younger men in their hometown as he taught them to write and lectured about the Bible. He was probably a father-figure to many even before he became a father.

Sometimes it’s easy to see the ways God has moved our life forward. For instance, there was a time in my younger life when I worked a series of temporary secretarial jobs. At each one I learned something important that helped me be better in the next position. It was almost ten years before I found the ‘perfect’ fit—where I stayed for 19 years. It was the decade of learning and growing that made me ready for that administrative assistant job that became my career. I can see a similar progression in my writing ministry. From the early, unpublished, parable stories to the published books and even this blog, I see God’s hand each step of the way.

 Take some time to map out your life as a series of steppingstones to help you see how God has worked in and with you to grow in your faith and ministry. Where might this path be taking you?

Think of some older women and men in your life who have been inspirations and mentors. How might you emulate them and encourage those around you?

 Next week we’ll start looking at the story of Abraham and Sarah, another older couple who had a child unexpectedly. They can teach us about the opportunity to “birth” new things no matter our age.