So profound were the events of the first Christmas that one angel of the Lord wasn’t enough. As soon as the angel finishes his announcement of “good tidings of great joy” to the shepherds of Bethlehem, the lights go up and a choir of hundreds—perhaps thousands—of angels celebrate in song.

We sometimes forget that Mary and Joseph’s relatives, friends, and neighbors couldn’t understand what was happening in their lives. The same was true for Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Before the first Christmas, Zechariah finds himself in the presence of the angel Gabriel. Incredibly, Zechariah speaks words of disbelief, only to be told he will be unable to speak another word for nine months.