Prince of Shalom

Scripture

Isaiah

Isaiah 9:2–7 NRSV

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Introduction

As a child this night was always full of wonder. It didn’t have all to do with the arrival of Santa Claus while I was sleeping. Christmas Eve was a night where we gathered with my sibs and their families and my Mother’s sibs and their families. it was my favorite night of the year. Anticipation hung in the air and truly, for me, even as a kid it was about this miraculous birth a long time ago in a far away land. I didn't understand the whole incarnation of God thing, but I knew Jesus was God and God was a tiny baby. As an adult we have all kinds of questions about how is God in a tiny baby. But I didn't question or doubt, I just knew that that is what it was. I am not saying as you get older and you try to understand these things like Jesus being fully human and fully God at the same time is a bad thing. On the contrary I think it is a good thing to use you mind. God gave it to you to use. But there is something innocent and pure about the faith of a child. I think trying to understand the miraculous sometimes takes away from it, instead of searching for what the miracle is telling us.

You heard the story straight from Luke tonight, then you heard a prophecy straight from Isaiah. Back in 1531 Martin Luther preached to sermons on Christmas Day. In the morning the preached from the Luke scripture, in the afternoon he preached from this Isaiah scripture. He began the afternoon sermon by quickly recalling that the congregation had heard the Christmas story earlier in the day. He told them that they would not hear it again; rather, they would learn how to make use of it. So this is what we are going to look at tonight, what this child means to us.

Exegesis

Isaiah’s prophecy is given to King Ahaz. Ahaz is in big trouble. The King of Israel and the King of Syria are fighting a war with him to dethrone him. At the same time the King of Assyria has captured the northern half of Judah taken thousands into exile and is now laying seige to Jerusalem. Isaiah goes to Ahaz, who is not a true follower of YHWH, and tell shim that if he will totally depend on YHWH that YHWH will give him a sign in the brith of a crown prince. Ahaz says no to God and things, of course get’s worse. However in these dark days, Isaiah still sees this birth as a sign of hope from God and that is what you heard from Isaiah’s own lips tonight.

We may be in the darkness now, but the people will see a great light. This great light will bring great joy! Joy like the harvest festivals or great military victory. Because the oppressor (Assyrians) will be broken like when Gideon defeated the Midianites. There will be no more war. All of this has come to pass because a child has been born! This child will be a great ruler and will bring peace!

What Isaiah has written here is actually in the form of a thanksgiving Psalm. All of the verbs are in the past tense even though he is speaking of something happening in the future. This is a common practice of the prophets that they use past tense verbs speaking about future events because they are so sure of God’s words. Of course these words were for Ahaz and intended for Ahaz. Isaiah at the time had no idea that this words would point to an event 700 years in the future.

On thing is for sure, this birth is no ordinary birth. There is something special about it. Of course if it is about a crown prince being born it would have been about King Hezekiah who did become a great King. But one thing is odd here, he is called “Mighty God.” As good as Hezekiah was, he wasn’t God. But, Isaiah probably preached this about the birth of Hezekiah. This just proves the eternal nature of God’s word, because of this texts diverse meaning. These words were uttered about the birth of a King, then later applied to other Kings, but ultimately applied to the expected Messiah and fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. And of course these words are made famous in Handel’s Messiah!

Matthew 4:15–16 NRSV

“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”

Matthew

Here’s where Matthew see’s the fulfillment of Isaiah’s words in the birth of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

Application

Ok, so how do we make use of this event?

First, lets look at verse 6

Isaiah 9:6 NRSV

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

“A child born for us, a son given to us.” He is not just born for us he is given to us! God became incarnate in this little baby as a gift to you and to me. Whether or not you want to believe that. This little baby will grow up to die for all of us whether we are believers or not! Jesus is a gift. There is nothing we do to earn him. He is ours and we have not done a thing to purchase or earn it. If we did he wouldn’t be a gift. he is given to us to bear us.

What I mean is he carries us. We rest upon his shoulders, like lambs upon a shepherd. This is backwards to everything we are told about authority. Our government is upon the shoulders of the voters. we vote people into office, we agree to give them authority, they are on our shoulders. But we are on Jesus shoulders. Jesus’ kingdom is on his shoulders. When Paul says this:

1 Timothy

1 Timothy 1:15 NRSV

The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost.

Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Jesus is a mighty God who turns our darkness into light, our conflict into peace, our loses to abundance, and our despairs into joy. This is great news of tidings of comfort and joy that we have such a God who is with us who is given to us!

Wonderful counselor. That word wonderful can also mean miracle. God with us is a miracle and he will reign forever. There will be no end to his kingdom.

Isaiah’s thanksgiving psalm here, really predicts a miraculous earth shaking birth. And jesus is still being born, not just tonight but always and forever in the hearts of people. have you allowed this infant-king to rule in your life? The only way you can “,make use” of this birth is that you do that. We cannot have the light, the honor, the joy, the abundance, the peace, that the child born to us offers, that the son given to us delivers.

Isaiah offered this prophecy in a time of gloom and doom. In this gloom and darkness he tells us that light will dawn. it is offered to us this evening the same way. Many of us suffer from the darkness of depression or the Christmas blues this time of the year. But God send us the light of Christ at his own initiative, we have done nothing to earn it. The son has been give to us, a child born for us!

The well known preacher J. Ellsworth Kalas in his book Christmas From The Backside says it is because Christmas has become so secularized that we have lost all our theological grounding in the theological understanding of Christmas. He says Christmas has become so "tied to fun, celebration, childhood memories, and sense of belonging, that when these elements are missing we give into feelings of melancholy, loneliness, and depression." He also remarks, "our secular Christmas stories can't help saying what the original Christmas story has always said. We human beings have a scandal to deal with, whether our name is Scrooge, Grinch, Adam, Eve, Sally or Bob. We all need to be converted-to be born again. And that's why we have Christmas."

We need to exchange those childhood memories with memories of a child born for us and a son given to us. This is the Christmas gift of all eternity.