For Unto Us a Child Is Born

²The people who walk in darkness
    will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
    a light will shine.
³ You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
    and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest
    and like warriors dividing the plunder.
⁴ For you will break the yoke of their slavery
    and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
    just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
⁵ The boots of the warrior
    and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
    They will be fuel for the fire.

⁶ For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ His government and its peace
    will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
    for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    will make this happen!

Isaiah 9:2-7

The Christmas season is one of peace, joy, hope, and of looking forward to the coming year. At some times this is harder than others. But for me the image of a small child in a manger brings an incredible sense of comfort, no mater where I’m at.

It is that child whom the above passage describes. The prophet didn’t have an image of a child in a manger, surrounded by mules and shepherds to draw comfort from. Instead he created his own image – and image which we believe foretold the coming of Christ.

His image is also one of peace, joy, and hope. He speaks longingly of a time when people will begin to see the end to their hardships, of a leader whom everyone will gladly follow, of a king who takes on the struggles of his nation as his own, of an end to war and sorrow.

The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

This prophecy was the guideline for Christ’s kingdom, and for every kingdom and ruler to come after Christ. These are qualifications which all Christians should use for any of their leaders. Wonderful Counselor. Prince of Peace. No one has fulfilled this image since Jesus, and certainly no one who is currently in power now fulfills it.

And that is why it is sometimes hard for me to remember that Christmas is a time of peace, joy, hope, and of looking forward to the coming year.

But whenever it is hard for me to remember, I think of a baby in a manger and the promise that one day he will return as our perfect leader.

His government and its peace
    will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
    for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    will make this happen!

Amen