Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
Who is That Baby in a Manger?
Did you know that, in the midst of the destruction of Hurricane Irma, babies were born? A woman in Coral Springs gave birth to a daughter on her bathroom floor, assisted by her mother until emergency workers arrived. A Miami woman gave birth just hours before 125-mile-per-hour winds hit the city. She named her daughter Nayiri Storm. A Delray Beach couple evacuated to Atlanta, where their son, Nathan, was born, not in his parent’s home state of Florida, but in Georgia. The couple noted that the name “Nathan” means “gift from God.” A woman in the Little Haiti neighborhood in Miami delivered her baby girl herself, with coaching assistance from emergency workers over the telephone. [https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/fourth-sunday-of-advent-2017-preaching-notes]
Babies are born during hurricanes and every other circumstance in this world! There was one baby born some 2,000 years ago in a dark time in history. Israel had been under Roman domination for some time. Generations had longed for the birth of their Messiah. Tomorrow we celebrate his birth. Jesus is without a doubt the most famous person to ever be born. All these years later, he still attracts more attention than any other person in history. What is it about Jesus that makes his birth so special? And what are the implications for us today? Perhaps we can find some clues in Isaiah’s ancient prophecy.
The prophet Isaiah lived under the rule of Ahaz, king of Judah, whose faith in God was weak. Isaiah foresaw a different kind of king who would come someday, the King of all kings. He described him as the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Each of these four titles tells us something special about Jesus and reveals him to be the very best Christmas gift ever! So let’s unwrap each title, beginning with ...
1. Wonderful Counselor - Jesus gives us guidance.
I work with a lot of counselors at the VA, some more wonderful than others. I was talking with a Veteran the other day who opted to change his counselor. He got a new psychologist, someone he believed would better understand him.
Jesus is our wonderful counselor. He understands us well. After all, he entered this world as a helpless baby who grew up with all the challenges of life we face. Hebrews 4:15 says he “has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” Jesus gets us. He relates to us. He has walked where we walk. Yet he never sinned. He always stayed close to God and chose God’s will over his own.
As the adult Jesus got ready for his ultimate mission—to die on a cross so that all of our sins could be forgiven—he prepared his disciples for his departure. He told them that, when he returned to heaven, he would send a comforter in his place, a guide, a counselor, the Holy Spirit. In John 16:13-14, Jesus promised his followers, “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.... He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” Jesus sends his Spirit into each new believer. The Holy Spirit makes known to us what Jesus wants us to know. Jesus is our counselor.
I wonder, this Christmas, what guidance you might need. It’s always wise to seek counsel from others, even professionals in their fields. But what about seeking counsel from Jesus? Maybe you have a relationship issue. Holidays sometimes bring these out, don’t they? Or a financial issue? Or time management or health issues? Jesus is our ultimate counselor in all areas. Bring your problems to him. Consult his word, holy scripture. Spend time in prayer. Jesus’ office is always open, and there are no co-pays! He is our Wonderful Counselor, and he is the...
2. Mighty God - Jesus gives us strength.
This helpless baby in the manger is “mighty.” The word suggests strength in battle, like a conquering war hero. The eighth installment of “Star Wars” just opened in theaters. “The Last Jedi” features a new young female apprentice, Jedi Rey. Why do Star Wars movies do so well over forty years of time? Frank Pallotta, CNN Money reporter, says they connect with people who long for “a new hope and a force of good at a time when the world needs heroes.”
Jesus is our ultimate hero. Christmas is all about a new strength coming into our world, a divine strength, the “Mighty God!” Jesus is the God-Man who triumphed over sin and death forever. Listen to God’s promise recorded in Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” God promises to strengthen you, to help you, to uphold you.
What do you need strength for this Christmas? Do you need emotional strength to keep walking through those low days? Do you need physical strength just to get out of bed in the morning? When your strength seems to be faltering, remember God is with you. God will be your strength.
Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God. And he is also the...
3. Everlasting Father - Jesus gives us love.
Jesus is a full member of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—three distinct persons in one God. We get to know our Heavenly Father better as we get to know his son. The grown-up Jesus once told his disciple Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
When I think of Jesus as our “Everlasting Father,” I’m reminded of his compassionate love and care and provision for us as the perfect father figure. Those of us who have pledged our lives to him become God’s children. Scripture says we are Jesus’ little brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11 and Romans 8:29). Jesus is like that responsible older sibling who cares for us as a father cares for his own children. When my mother-in-law was a young teen, she lost her own mother. Overnight she had to become a very responsible older sister to care for her younger siblings. Jesus cares for us with the love of a parent.
I also think of that word “everlasting.” Jesus’ great gift for us this Christmas is his forever love. He said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Notice he said that God “gave.” Eternal life is a gift. We don’t earn it by being good enough. We simply receive it. Today you can receive it by saying, “Jesus, here is my sin. Please forgive me. I trust my life to you.” As you say those words to Jesus, you receive the best Christmas gift of all: eternal life. John 1:12 promises this: “To all who received [Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” In a way, Jesus’ birthday becomes your birthday, your spiritual birthday as you enter the family of God.
As you become God’s child, you discover Jesus as not only our Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, and Everlasting Father, but also the...
4. Prince of Peace – Jesus gives us peace.
The prophets Isaiah and Micah foresaw a time when the King of kings, the Prince of Peace would govern all the nations of the world. There would be no more conflict, no more war. Listen to these verses from Micah 4:3: “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
No king on earth has been able to usher in lasting peace. Many have tried, all have failed. Our President’s mention of moving the American Embassy of Israel to Jerusalem set off a firestorm of criticism. We are far from peace in this world. Yet, the King of kings will establish a kingdom of peace that will never end.
When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure to heaven, he shared these words in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” There is something very different about Jesus’ peace. The word in Hebrew is “shalom.” It conveys not just a lack of conflict, but also complete health, well-being, prosperity, happiness, and wholeness. Could you use some Shalom this Christmas?
Mark Buchannan, a Vancouver, BC pastor, wrote about a young woman who, in his words, “had a desolate past, a blighted landscape of childhood neglect and sexual abuse and, stemming from this, the many broken pieces of her own bad choices.” As she poured out her heartbreaking story in his office, he sat in stunned silence, not knowing what to say or do. He reflects in his book, “The Rest of God,” that therapy helps deal with past hurts, but he is not a therapist. Somehow God prompted him to help this woman by not looking at her past but seeing the possibility of a new future. He helped her encounter a Wonderful Counselor, someone who knew the way home. He helped her find a Mighty God more powerful than all her brokenness of the past. He introduced to her an Everlasting Father who would never abuse her with his love. And he shared a Prince of Peace who had come to make her life whole again. [Mark Buchannan, “The Rest of God,” Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006]
That baby in a manger is so much more than a baby. Will you invite him into your life this Christmas? Let us pray:
At this special time of the year, o God, we contemplate your great love for us. In the fullness of time, you gave your son, the best Christmas gift we could ever imagine. Help us to accept your wonderful counsel, to rest in your mighty strength, to bank on your forever love, and to know your calming peace. Help us to trust our lives to this baby who grew up to become our Savior. We ask this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
