For to Us a child is born

ISAIAH 9:1-7

1 But there will be no more gloom for those who are now in anguish. In the past the land of Z'vulun and the land of Naftali were regarded lightly; but in the future he will honor the way to the lake, beyond the Yarden, Galil-of-the-Goyim. 2 The people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the land that lies in the shadow of death, light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice in your presence as if rejoicing at harvest time, the way men rejoice when dividing up the spoil. 4 For the yoke that weighed them down, the bar across their shoulders, and their driver's goad you have broken as on the day of Midyan['s defeat]. 5 For all the boots of soldiers marching and every cloak rolled in blood is destined for burning, fuel for the fire. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; dominion will rest on his shoulders, and he will be given the name Pele-Yo'etz El Gibbor Avi-'Ad Sar-Shalom [Wonder of a Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace], 7 in order to extend the dominion and perpetuate the peace of the throne and kingdom of David, to secure it and sustain it through justice and righteousness henceforth and forever. The zeal of ADONAI-Tzva'ot will accomplish this.

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When Isaiah wrote this prophecy under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it was not an unusual historical situation. Isra'el were being attacked and oppressed by neighbouring enemies, notably the Assyrians who were attacking the Northern Kingdom. Naphtali and Zebulun were on the northern border in NE Galilee, West of the River Jordan and were the first part of Isra'el to be invaded by the Assyrian King. An account of the events that occurred can be read in 2 Kings 15:29-31.

Isaiah wrote this prophecy somewhere in the years 735-715 BC, but if we look at Isra'el now we can see that there has been little change in her vulnerability to the enemies she has in the world. Not only is she being almost daily attacked by rockets from Gaza but the posture and attitude of many of her surrounding neighbours is in opposition to her very existence as a nation. On the world stage she is being adandoned by one nation after another. Countries which once supported Isra'el such as Turkey, USA and the UK are tending now towards support for the opponents of Isra'el, where they are tempted by worldy riches and power and the material assets which can be gained from this political stance.

Isra'el has been preserved and protected by God from the enemy hordes surrounding her, and today, so long after Isaiah's prophecy, against all the odds, she stands as a symbol of God's care and preservation of His own, of His salvation and deliverance. Similarly, we as the children of God are individually and collectively kept and preserved by a loving and caring God who in His mercy has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

We go on to read in verse 3 of isaiah 9 that "The people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the land that lies in the shadow of death, light has dawned." We know that this points forward to the coming of Jesus into the world, who referred to Himself as the light of the world. We are called to reflect that light to others, to be like beacons set on a hill. As the days we live in grow ever darker, the light of Christ shines out all the brighter in a dark world.

After explaining how Isra'el will overcome the opposition, we come to the words which are so relevant to us as Christians, and which we so often recall during the Christmas season as we celebrate the birthday of our Lord Jesus. In verse 6 we read, "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.; dominion will rest on His shoulders, and He will be give the name Wonder of a Counsellor, Mighty God,, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace."

If you feel you need a Counsellor, it's fine to talk to fellow Christians and professional counsellors, but if they are any good they will point you to the most Wonderful Counsellor, Jesus Himself.

Jesus is also Mighty God, emptying Himself, becoming flesh and being found in the form of a servant. This is the wonder of the Incarnation, that God could become a man, He who is the Father of Eternity. Have you ever wondered how He finds time to answer all our individual and corporate prayers? He doesn't need time, because He is eternal and doesn't have to work within time constraints like us.

The final title given here, Prince of Peace, is the most significant one to me. In the same way way as Isra'el needs peace and we are told to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we need it now more than ever before. Jesus has produced peace and unlike earthly elements or commodities, it is priceless and available in endless supply. Jesus has bought us Peace with God through His perfect sacrifice for sin which is effective for all eternity. May you experience peace with God this Christmas as you allow Him into your life, and let Him impart His peace to your troubled soul and mind.

We read finally in this passage that the son of God, born to make us whole and reconcile us to the Father through dealing with the problem of sin which was nailed to the cross when He died, is establishing a Kingdom which will be an everlasting Kingdom. This is a work under construction, we often say that the Kingdom of God is "now-and not yet." Where you see God at work today, saving people, reaching out to those in need, healing and delivering people from those things that have enslaved them, the building blocks of that Kingdom are being put in place. I don't know about you, but I get really excited when I see the work and purposes of God being manifest day by day across the world.

I wish you a very happy and Christ-filled Christmas and end with a quote from a well-known carol, "Where meek souls will receive Him, Still the dear Lord enters in."

Jesus came to earth to live with us

This is the time of year when everyone goes on a mad spending spree in the UK and embarks on a season of festivities and celebrations which seem to last from just before 25th. December until well into the New Year. The following link will give you a snapshot of the sad situation we find ourselves in here, and my guess is that many European and other nations around the world are in a similar position.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8170637/Lord-Carey-Christianity-being-airbrushed-from-society-as-Christmas-is-rebranded.html

I don't know what it is like in the country where you live, but Christmas is always the time of year which is completely different from any other time in the yearly calendar. Why is this? Has it real significance and how do react to it, celebrate it or think about it?

To me the significance of Christmas is the fact that we are celebrating the Incarnation of Christ, that is, God sending His only son into the world to be born as a man. By God becoming a man in the form of our Lord Jesus, He was able to experience temptation, suffering, strained relationships and all the brokenness of a fallen Creation brought about by the rebellion of man against God, which is called sin or wrongdoing. Paul puts the wonder of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus most succinctly in the following passage in a letter he wrote to the church at Philippi in about 60AD, which was situated in an urban city which was then a colony of the Roman Empire.

Pictures of Philippi today Amphitheatre at Philippi

Many of you reading this probably live and/or work in urban communities and may also worship regularly in an urban church fellowship. Whether or not that is the case these words are as relevant to us today as they were then, being a part of the eternal truth of the Bible.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5:11 (ESV)

In this passage we note first of all that we are called to have the mind of Christ. We then see that Jesus as a man didn't seek to be equal to God but took the form of a servant. He could have taken the form of a superman type hero, strong man or an angelic appearance, but in Isaiah 53:2 it says "He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should look at Him." I don't believe this means He was ugly looking but if you or I were to walk past Him in the streets of London, New York or Djakarta He would have looked like any ordinary man of His time and location.

However, if He had stopped, smiled and greeted you, He would have known your need and the right words to say to you, He would have sought to meet you at your point of need. Why? Because He was a servant of His Heavenly Father! As followers of Him we are called to have the same mind and attitude in our lives. In our natural human condition this is impossible, but when we come to know Him as our Saviour and Lord, He comes to live within us by His Holy Spirit who gives us the gifts and ripens spiritual fruits within us to enable us to become more and more like Him as we walk day by day with our Lord.

Not only did Jesus humble Himself by leaving the heights of glory in Heaven to come to a world full of conflict, war and sin, but there was no room for Him to be born in. The only place found was the corner of a stable at the back of a hotel for Him to be born. In the same way many people have no place for Jesus in their lives today or just find a small corner in their lives, maybe an hour in church on a Sunday from time to time.

We then read that after three years of serving others, meeting their needs, healing them and teaching them about His Father, and being misunderstood a lot of the time, Jesus the Lord of glory was subjected to a trial (where the judge, Pilate, could find no fault in Him) and extreme torture before being nailed and hung on a cross to die. This willing sacrifice of the servant King, as He is described in a Graham Kendrick song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBd3ThCResI was accepted by His Father as the ransom price for our sins, if we put our faith and trust in Him and His finished or completed work.

While He was on the cross, our Lord Jesus said "It is finished," this was not referring to His own life, which is what some may have thought, who heard Him say it, but it meant that no further animal sacrifices were required for the forgiveness of sin, as practised under the Jewish temple requirements (sometimes known as the Old Covenant). Jesus had covered them by offering Himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin.

We know with hindsight that this was not the end of the story, because three days later Jesus rose from the dead after being placed in a sealed and guarded tomb. He had conquered death, sometimes referred to as the last enemy, as well as sin, the world and Satan.

As a result of His humility and service, which we are called to follow, it says, "Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name." This occurred after Jesus ascended to Heaven where He is forever interceding for us at the right hand of God. In 1 Peter 5:6 we are urged to "humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you." We are called to humbly serve God; when we serve with one another we are therefore serving with the greatest, humblest and most perfect servant there has ever been.

What a wonderful Lord we have, who put in place a plan to save us and enable us to serve Him despite our own shortcomings, troubled lives, sad upbringings and sufferings. When we look at what He suffered as the perfect example of humility in service to His Heavenly Father, nothing that we can offer can be compared, He has given us everything.

Christmas is the time when we celebrate the birthday of Jesus. We spend a lot of time choosing and giving one another presents and He gives us His presence. What are we going to give Him as a present this Christmas time?