What Child is This?
Notes
Transcript
Opening
Opening
Good morning everyone. I am Pastor Ben and on behalf of Burr Oak Church I would like to welcome you. As we come to our meditation for this morning would you first join me in prayer?
PRAYER
Oh Father what a special time of year it is. A time when our hearts are softer as we remember the great work that you have done. Lord we ask your blessing on tonight’s message and ask that your Spirit be present amongst us and draw us in nearer to you. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
PASSAGE
Our passage this morning comes from Isaiah 9. If you brought your own Bible and want to follow along please turn there now. If you are using the blue Pew Bible it can be found on page 638, or you may follow along on the screen.
Let us hear the word of the Lord.
1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
May our Lord bless the reading of his word.
What Child Is This?
What Child Is This?
What child is this that laid to rest on Mary’s lap is sleeping? We recognize this as the iconic opening line to the the 19th century Christmas Hymn by William Chatterton Dix who penned these words to a 16th century English folk song. Through this song Dix ponders the question of who is this child that Mary has given birth to. It is this very question that all men still need to answer. So this morning we are going to take some time to look at this question by considering the words of Isaiah.
The Land Turned Dark
The Land Turned Dark
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God then said let there be light and he saw that the light was good. At the end of the creation week God created mankind both male and female and made a covenant with them that if they loved God and walked in obedience to him that there would be blessings that came from continuing to live within the light.
Yet, love is not something that can be coerced. For true love, obedience, and submission to come there needs to be the ability to choose not to. There needed to be the ability to chose darkness rather than light. And in their free moral agency, that was what the first man chose. So that by Isaiah’s time, Isaiah could pen these words.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
And by this choice of our first parents, the generations of mankind became separated from the light. This separation caused the darkness to be able to dwell within man’s heart, causing him to look to his own strength and concerns. Causing him to worship anything other than the One True God.
Yet, God’s love for mankind was such that God would not leave man to his own devices. From the very beginning God had a plan to reconcile man to himself. A plan that he progressively revealed to mankind. A plan that had been shown through the different covenants that God made with mankind throughout history. And through these covenants it was revealed that God wanted to bring mankind up out of the darkness and back into the light. That he wanted to replace their sufferings with joy.
Joy to Replace Oppression and Strife
Joy to Replace Oppression and Strife
The God who is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. The holy God who extends mercy to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity and transgressions. He wanted to bring mankind up out of the darkness and replace that which oppressed them with joy.
You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
And not a joy that is a temporary happiness, but a joy that comes after a long and hard fought battle. A joy that comes after a period of anxious waiting. A joy that shall be everlasting without end. The joy that comes when the warrior can shed his battle clothes and arms and find rest. The joy that comes when the long awaited harvest finally arrives. The joy that comes when a heavy burden is lifted off of your shoulders.
This is the joy that the Lord was wanting for his people. Yet, regardless of how Yahweh manifested himself to his people, they continued to run towards the darkness believing the lies that it was telling them. Yet, when man got himself into trouble he would cry out to Yahweh wanting salvation to come. And our God would bring it. He would raise up an individual to save the people. He would speak through individuals who would encourages others to come back to his ways and forsake the ways of the world. When the people wanted a king Yahweh gave them a king to rule over them. Each and every step of the way, he continued to be there for mankind. Proving his emet, his trustworthiness and steadfastness. Proving that he was loyal to his hesed, his covenantal love for them. And as man grew more and more wicked, chasing further and further after the darkness, Yahweh continued to be faithful to his promises.
He promised that there would be a seed of the woman to crush the head of the serpent. He promised to never again destroy creation through a flood. He promised an offspring that would birth a nation. He promised a son that would have an everlasting reign. Yet, as the years and generations went on, man continued to turn from Yahweh and his ways to chase after the darkness. And after a thousand years of written record. A thousand years of witness to miracles, the raising of judges in times of trouble, the raising of prophets who gave the word, and the raising of kings to rule as a representative, Yahweh left his people with one message.
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
A day is coming when those who stand against will stand no more. A day is coming that those who have their faith in Yahweh will leap like calves from the stall. A day is coming that for some will be a glorious day of relief. A day is coming that for others will be a terrible day of judgement. A messenger will be sent before hand, because a day is coming when God will be amongst mankind.
And then, things just went silent.
For 400 years things laid silent. Imagine the thoughts of the people. Where is God? When is he going to come through? Did he forsake us again? Did he leave us again? He has never been there when we needed him. I guess this is just life. You live once and you die.
But God did not leave them or forsake them, for God began to break the silence. God sent his messenger Gabriel to proclaim that a son was coming to the barren womb. A son was given when there was thought to be no way for a child to come. And he was to be the earthly messenger that comes before the Lord. He was the sign of Elijah coming to prepare the way.
And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
But Yahweh was not done breaking the silence yet. Six months later Yahweh again sends Gabriel out, this time to proclaim that a son would come from the virgin womb. The long awaited sign. 700 years had they awaited for this sign. The child to be born from the virgin’s womb who would be known as Emmanuel, God is with us.
And while God was beginning to break the silence, the collective still believed that he was distant. Anticipation was building with a few, but for the majority, everyday life continued on.
Until one night when Yahweh boldly broke through the silence with both the thundering sound of a multitude of singing angels and the cry of one tiny babe.
Oh what child is this that lays to rest on Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet while shepherds watch their keeping? This, this is Christ the King, whom the shepherds guard and angels sing. Haste, haste to bring him laud the babe the son of Mary!
The waiting is over, the silence is broken. Fear not for behold, I bring you good news of great joy for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!
Take heart! Find joy!
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
God has broken the silence by entering into humanity. The seed that will crush the serpents head has been born.
Yet, this is not where the story ends. This is where the story cannot end. See the birth of the promised child was only the beginning. There was still the issue of sin that needed to be paid for. There was the atonement for sin that still needed to take place.
Dix captures this in his iconic Christmas hymn. If you would turn to page 180 of your hymn and the third line down look at the middle verse.
Nails, spear shall pierce him thru, the cross be borne for me, for you.
During the advent season and Christmas time we celebrate the coming of a baby. A baby who is the everlasting King. Yet, that baby was born with one mission. To pay the price for the sins of mankind. To be the receiver of God’s wrath against sin.
Nails, spear shall pierce him thru, the cross be borne for me, for you. Jesus the Son of God who is the very essence of God, came to be the payment for your sin. But there is not a blind covering. You have to accept this gift. You have to accept his lordship over your life. You have to believe and confess that he is Lord. And his lordship is not difficult. No he is kind and loving, he is gentle and lowly. He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
So what child is this who laid to rest on Mary’s lap is sleeping? The King of kings, salvation brings, let your loving hearts enthrone him. Raise raise your songs on high. Joy, joy for Christ is born, the babe, the son of Mary.
END IN PRAYER
40 Prayers for the Christmas Season: Prayers for your Church or small group Prayers of Commitment
IDENTIFIED
As Christ identified himself with those whose lives
were in a mess
and who were far from God, and as he gave his life for all,
help us, weak and imperfect as we are,
to follow his example as we walk in the steps
and rely on the power of Jesus. Amen.