FRIENDING JESUS
Caitlin Shaw wanted to do what a lot of us have done: set up a profile on the Facebook social network. But since Shaw was her married name, the thought some old friends might not recognize her without her married name. So she decided to include it. Therein began the problem. Facebook rejected her. The reason had to do with her maiden name: Batman.
Same problem happened to Becky Super, and to Bess Pancake, and Keith Kisser, and Jack Money, Mary Stalker. Facebook is based on "real people making real-world connections.” But if your real name doesn’t sound authentic, you’ll be rejected because Facebook does not allow fake profiles. For the record, names like Yoda, Beta, Jelly, Duck, Beer, and Christmas are also banned. Fortunately, most of these folks have eventually made it onto the social network by going through an appeals process even one whose last name is Batman or Super.
Some 700 years before Jesus’ birth, the prophet Isaiah tells of a child with unusual names.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
These are certainly unusual names. You have to wonder: Would Facebook reject them too. But the more important question is Will YOU reject these names or friend them.
Take some time with me this morning to look over Isaiah’s profile of the child to be born with the unusual names and you will find that He is a…
WONDERFUL COUNSELOR
I like a translation that says he is a wonder of a counselor. Look at the gospels and you will see that Jesus always interacted with folks in just the right way. He affirmed the generosity of Zacheaus, confronted the greed of the Rich Young Ruler, asked a crippled man if he wanted to get well, offered grace to the Samaritan woman at the well, and restored the fallen Peter.
In short, Jesus had matchless wisdom with every situation and every person he encountered.
Often, our success in life depends on the quality of our counselors and advisors. We need people who know more about topics than we do. And when our emotions are intense, we need people who can be more objective when your decision-making abilities are hampered.
And adage states: A wise man seeks much counsel. A fool listens to all of it. Let’s confess, we have all followed and given poor counsel during our lives. In contrast, Jesus council is the best, telling us what we need to hear.
He gave council that it is better to love our enemies than to hate them.
He gave council that NOTHING is of greater value than one’s soul.
He gave council that forgiveness is much better than to dwell in hatred.
Let us join the psalmist in saying…I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; (Psalm 16:7a )
Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor the one who knows us most fully and loves us most deeply. He hears our every problem, every anxiety, every fear. The intimate Jesus holds our hand when we are lonely or hurting, offers us his shoulder to cry on when we are sad
MIGHTY GOD
It is ironic that a new born child would be profiled as mighty. The picture of Jesus’ birth is ANYTHING but mighty. A boy is born into a poor family in a barn and laid in a manger. Still, this title emphasizes that the baby whose birth we celebrate is nothing less than the living, true, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, creator and sustainer of humankind.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:3 NIV) The Christmas Song, Mary Did You Know? Includes the poetic line, Mary did you know that your baby boy was Lord of all creation.
The miracles of Jesus ministry testify to the source of His might. He could calm the wind and the seas because He was their creator and master over them. He could call on great numbers of fish to be caught in a net, because he was their creator. He made blind eyes see, deaf ears hear, and broken limbs strong because he was their creator and had power over them. Such wonders bore testimony that His power came from above. At the beginning of their conversation Nicodemus says to Jesus, Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him. John 3:2 NIV
It is no coincidence that many of our favorite Christmas stories contain a message of a mighty changed life, even if they fail to give credit to Jesus. Think of A Christmas Carol, which includes the transformation of the miser named Ebenezer Scrooge. In It’s a Wonderful Life George Bailey discovers of what really matters. In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch’s heart, which had once been two sizes too small, grows three sizes. All these powerful changes take place, not because of Jesus, but because of Christmas.
But the transforming power of Jesus goes back to Bible days and beyond. Fishermen became great teachers of the Gospel. Saul the persecutor became Paul the Apostle. And the power of Jesus to change lives continues throughout history.
· Augustine was a womanizing man who ran with the wild crowd before becoming one of the church’s greatest leaders.
· John Newton was a drunken slave trader before he wrote “Amazing Grace.”
· Johnny Cash was a hard-living country singer before coming to Christ.
· Chuck Colson was a convicted Watergate conspirator before he met Christ. The Lord led him to begin Prison Fellowship, and Colson has become one of the prophetic voices of our time.
Christmas is all about moving from death to life, enabling us through the power of our Mighty God. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.. Philippians 4:13
EVERLASTING FATHER
When Jesus is having dinner with his disciples, his follower Philip says to him, Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father John 14:8-9 NIV
The wonder of the birth of Jesus is that He and the Father were one and the same. God comes to us most clearly through Jesus, the one who is the flesh-and-blood appearance of God in human life. John’s gospel opens:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1, 14 NIV
Unfortunately, for many today the word father does not bring to mind a positive image.
Fatherhood is in a sad condition. Today, the word, father, more often refers to a biological role than a nurturing role. For some, father means abuse or neglect. For others, father means the one who never saw my best as good enough. For others, father means someone who was always absent. To them, the human idea of fatherhood carries with it the idea of absence rather than presence. It is certainly something less than everlasting. Even in healthy homes, children we grow up and out and often away from our fathers. But Jesus name is Everlasting Father – all-eternal, ever reliable father.
PRINCE OF PEACE
At Jesus’ birth the angel’s proclaimed, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:14
In that time, people were looking and hoping for a military messiah to drive the Romans out of Jerusalem and return the land to Jewish control. But Jesus comes not to be a military messiah but a Prince of Peace. The peace that this Boy would establish was not between nations, races, or families, but between God and men.
Paul affirms Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1 NIV) It is a familiar adage, but it is true: NO JESUS…NO PEACE. BUT KNOW JESUS…KNOW PEACE
Jesus came that we might have peace even when life is not peaceful. And being recipients of peace with God, we are then called to be agents of peace:
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 2 Corinthians 5:18 NIV
Thus, the work of peace and reconciliation is an everyday effort for all who follow Christ.
Conclusion
So a friend request is coming your way: Someone with unusual names: Wonderful Counselor from whom to find sound advice, Almighty God from whom you will find strength, Everlasting Father from whom you will find security, and Prince of Peace from whom you will find rest for your soul.
Facebook may not believe that He is real, but do you? Will you friend Him? Will you in faith welcome a connection with Him? Will you welcome Him throughout the network of your life?
Like, when you get a “friend request” on facebook, you have a choice. You can accept Jesus into the network of your life. You can reject Him outright. Or, as many do, you can simply choose to not respond at all.
Let us not be put off by these unusual names and reject him. Instead, let us receive him, accept him and strengthen our connection to him. His names may be offbeat and unusual, but His true identity is real.
