Tales of the Unexpected Part one - Zechariah

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. Luke 1:5-10

An elderly man, kisses his beloved wife goodbye
and heads off to the temple
to join the rest of the priests of the order of Abijah.

God has blessed the generations
and there are so many priests that they take turns to serve in the temple.
Zechariah's heart is filled with joy as he approaches his destination.
He wouldn't admit it for the world,
but this is his favoutite place,
a place where he can leave behind
the whispers and callous gossip of the neighbours
and the shame of childlessness
and lose himself in the mystery and awe of worshipping God.
Letting the familiarity of the rituals heal his wounds.
Here Zechariah can hide and be anonymous,
just another elderly grey-bearded priest.
There is nothing to make him stand out,
from all the others who have gathered.

Zechariah has never been selected
and has no expectation of being picked.
He is the last of his line,
with no sons to mentor and encourage
and no one to be an inspiration to,
he sees no reason why he would be chosen.
What purpose would it serve,
other than to boost his own vanity?

Zechariah thought back to the days of his youth,
when he accompanied his father,
uncles and cousins to the temple.
Many of those were no longer here
or were too frail to make the journey.

Zechariah is suddenly aware that every pair of eyes are looking in his direction expectantly.
The Chief Priest is nodding approvingly at him...
Thoughts of the past vanished abruptly
dismissed by the dawning realisation that he had been finally chosen.

He had always wondered what it would feel like to have the rope tied around his ankle,
and feel the courseness of the rope rasp against his skin
and now he knew,
and, oh what a joy it was!
He had always assumed that it would no more than a reminder
of the other priests waiting for the chosen priest to emerge
but suddenly he understood that it was instead
a cord that held him in unity
with the rest of the priesthood.

"Thank you, thank you, Lord!" Zechariah rejoiced,
"Today my Lord has chosen me!"

Zechariah stepped away from the harmony of the priests prayers
and stepped into the silence of the Holy of Holies
and the divine presence of God.