The white page between Old and New Testaments may look as simple as a blank break point between law and grace. But for those who lived it, it was an awful portrait of a silent God. For 400 years, God withheld an update on the progress of His plan. Then from obscurity the angel Gabriel appeared to a weary and sonless priest named Zechariah. His and Elizabeth's response, though not perfect, is remarkable after 400 years without a single syllable being uttered by God.
People leave churches after four bad sermons.
We give up on relationships after four tough weeks. Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, Elizabeth and the rest of the Emmanuel Players are to be commended for their readiness to listen and respond. With the birth of Christ, God broke the silence. Maybe He was comforting loved ones. Or maybe He rested.