Pastor's Corner: It's almost Christmas . . .

“It’s almost Christmas…” When we were children, that phrase filled us with hope and excitement as we counted down the days. For most adults today, those same words tend to fill us with stress and anxiety as available time and money grow short and our to-do and to-buy lists become ever longer. Part of the problem might be focusing on the many things that we, and everyone else, wants, instead of recognizing that what we truly need has already been given to us.

At our Christmas services, we often read the beautiful prophecy from Isaiah 9:6, which is just one of hundreds of biblical prophecies that confirm the importance of Jesus’ birth.

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.

Unto us a son is given.

What Christmas celebrates is God’s deep desire for us to live in intimate and blessed relationship with Him and His willingness to lower Himself to become one of us to make that possible. He suffered all the painful things of life – poverty, rejection, betrayal, great physical suffering and even death, just to remove the barrier that our selfishness and rebellion put between us. In doing so, He became the greatest gift any of us can ever receive, not focused on our momentary wants but meeting the deepest needs of our hearts.

The prophecy in Isaiah 9:6 details who Jesus wants to be in our lives:

Wonderful Counselor. Much of life’s worry comes from trying to make good decisions with so many unknown factors. We need sound advice on how to navigate this very confusing world and even more wisdom to know how to be there for the generations that follow us. Jesus is the best counselor because He knows what the future holds.

Mighty God. Jesus is the source of limitless power. There is nothing impossible for Him. He not only cares about our circumstances, He can do something about them. While He rarely does exactly what we want, He always does what is best and blessed for us.

Everlasting Father. There are two key words here. So many have never known the security of a loving, protective, providing father. And everlasting means that He will never leave us or abandon us (Joshua 1:5; Psalm 94:14, Hebrews 13:5). It is worth remembering that in Isaiah 7:14, Jesus was referred to as Emmanuel, which means God with us, the One who will always be there for us.

Prince of Peace. Whenever we asked my dad what he wanted for Christmas, he always said, “Just give me peace and quiet.” He was teasing, but what we most need is true peace. The “peace that passes understanding” (Philippians 4:7) that lets our hearts rest and our minds stop racing, even when our problems are unresolved and we still don’t understand what has happened or what is coming next.

There is one other important phrase that determines if we will receive all these things we so desperately need. When it says, ]“the government will be on his shoulders,” it means that He was sent to rule and reign, not by force in an earthly government, but by the willing submission of our hearts to Him. Where Jesus rules, there is wisdom to choose well, there is power to do what is right, there is security, and there is peace. Let Emmanuel reign; let Him have control of your life. Let Him forgive your sin, give you the power to do what is right and be “God with you” always filling you with hope, joy, and peace!