Dec 6

Luke 1: 11-17

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 

Poor old Zachariah must have thought his time had come.  He was already expecting trouble and then an angel appears.  He must have been terrified. His worst nightmare - he was about to be struck dead - and he still didn't know why. What would I be thinking if I was suddenly faced by an angel of God.  Would I be able to stand there with my head held high or would I be more than a little terrified?  I know that we are able to approach God through the death and resurrection of Jesus, but I must admit, I still don't feel really bold about it.
The angel gives Zachariah the reassurance he needs but then blows him away with more news!! He is going to be a dad!  That must have been more than a bit of a shock. And his child comes with his future mapped out. A special child to be the messenger. He is given the child's name (saves all that angst of choosing a name for your baby I guess) and also told not to let him drink.  An odd promise to make for a child, but I guess this was a culture where alcohol was a natural way of life, part of every meal.  It would take some instruction to keep John from alcohol.
The responsibility of bringing up a child is bad enough, but having the responsibility of bringing up a child who is fulfilling part of scripture.  Wow.