3. Childless

ADVENT MEDITATIONS No.3

3. Goodness doesn’t mean freedom from pain

Luke 1:6,7 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

Much of a Christian leader’s life is spent, not simply in teaching, but in correcting wrong ideas about Christianity. One idea, that is often around in people’s minds, is that if you are good, godly and/or a Christian, life will always be good. Not entirely true!

There is a truth in the teaching that if you are a Christian you are in line for God’s blessing, because that’s what Jesus came to do. The only problem is that we live in a Fallen World where Sin is the name of the game and because of that, things don’t always work out right. Sometimes we get it wrong, sometimes other people get it wrong, sometimes it’s just that’s how a Fallen World works.

Elizabeth and Zechariah, as recorded in Luke, chapter 1, are good examples of good people. Luke doesn’t give us any grounds to think badly of them in his description. They were upright in the sight of God; in other words that was God’s view of them, so that must be right! Moreover they observed all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. Now that says something. There aren’t too many of us who could make that claim, so these are good people, but life isn’t truly wonderful for them. Why? Because they had no children and, to make it worse, they were both well along in years, so they weren’t likely to have children.

Anyone who has struggled to have children and been unable to, knows the anguish that this couple would have felt. Even more in their culture, for having children was a high priority. Solomon had written, “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.” (Psa 127:4,5). That was the thinking of the culture. It was bad news not to have children. So here is this elderly couple who have struggled through life without any children – but they are good!

Doesn’t God reward goodness, someone might ask. Isn’t there a link between being good and God blessing you? Well if you look at most world religions you might be led to believe that, because striving to be good is so often equated with encounters with God, in their claims. However, that’s where Christianity veers away from the rest because it acknowledges ‘goodness’ is something that evades us. Chief letter-writer in the New Testament, the apostle Paul, knew this to his detriment. He wrote, “what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.” (Rom 7:19)

No, even our best efforts at doing good are tainted with self-centredness or self-effort. As we come to this ‘Christmas Story’ we need to realise from the outset that this is all about people, but none of them are perfect. This is all about God doing amazing things (including with Zechariah and Elizabeth) but not because they are good, but simply because He’s chosen them and they’re available. This is a story of God doing great things, not people doing them. Put aside your self-righteousness and you’re ready for this story!