Christmas Carol Service - Wonderful Counsellor
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2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Read Isaiah 9 v 2-7
It’s hard to believe the reading from Isaiah 9 was written 750 years before the birth of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 9v6 “He shall be called, Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting father, Prince of peace.”
This is a birth announcement… 750 years before the birth.
Imagine in the year 1210 (the signing of the Magna Carta) a word goes out a baby will be born in Newport – he shall be called ….. Mark Pugh (CEO of St Mary’s Hospital). Why would we need to know that in 1210!
Why did they need to know 750BC A baby would be born?
Called ‘wonderful counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting father, Prince of peace.’
I wondered what type of counsellors they were consulting and I find in Isaiah 8v20 they had been turning to mediums and spiritualists and consulting the dead on behalf of the living
Could it be that they needed to know 750 years before Christ’s birth because it was a dark time in their history (Israel split nation, Babylon etc) Enter… ‘the light of the world.’
Isaiah 9 begins with a vision of a new day dawning…. ‘The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. They lived in the land of the darkness but now light is shining on them.’ Even tho the world is a very dark place, the people needed to know darkness will not have the last word! Isaiah 9 ‘unto us a child is born’ who will push out the darkness. The dark places where Jesus entered the world are still dark places today, poverty and financial darkness, dark places like Newtown Connecticut, dark places where there is illness and MAJAX; dark places of broken relationships…. Yes in our Island and the world beyond.
And tonight I want to introduce you to this baby Jesus born at Christmas who shall be known as ‘Wonderful Counsellor.’
(A member of our staff is struggling with recent deaths on the ward he needs the wonderful counsellor)
(A patient Robert, struggling following discharge from rehab, phones me yesterday, or Angela was discharged from 7 Acres and so lonely and afraid she needs the wonderful counsellor)
God counsels God guides equips us thro life - we can know him in pray/ask/seek Him … ‘Wonderful counsellor.’
>This baby boy is also to be known as Mighty God, not mighty person, not mighty prophet, not a special good person; mighty God…this baby…boy… this baby Jesus….mighty God.
This would have sounded like blasphemy to Isaiah’s listeners. A baby who is Mighty God. But Hark the herald angels sang that he would be called Emmanuel ‘God with us’ – Mighty God
>This baby Jesus is also to be known as ‘everlasting father.’ That’s weird, a baby called father… A Baby who is everlasting father? How many of us have lost a father? ….(Jack wept in chapel Monday ,there’s something about loosing a dad.) This Jesus can be an everlasting father to you, (Ps 68v5 –‘father to the fatherless) a father you will never loose, with you always, loving you…. Everlasting father.’
>Prince of peace.. interesting to see in Connecticut how the people are holding onto faith when their world is falling apart…
Do you watch the news these days and wish there could be peace, Ulster Syria, Israel, peace in Jerusalem. We need a peace prince.
Maybe there’s turmoil in your life, financial, a relationship, illness and you feel wound up like a coiled spring, lost your peace –you need the peace prince, Jesus Christ who can breathe peace into your life and transform your turmoil.
Some of us will reflect on 2012 as the best ever. For others, it has been a dark year and you need to hear tonight darkness will not have the last word.
That’s why the world was told 750 years a before 1st Christmas that a baby would be born described as the ‘Light of the world’ Darkness did not have the last word then or now.
The one who we sing about this Christmas, Once in Royal David’s city, on a Silent night, a baby was born in Bethlehem and his mum named him Jesus and he is a wonderful counsellor, mighty God, everlasting father, peace prince; he is Lord Jesus Christ you.
“He shall be called, Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting father, Prince of peace.”
Isaiah 9v6
Footnote: Sermon preached at St Mary’s Hospital Carol Service I.o.Wight 2012
