READING: ISAIAH 9:2-7

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

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.

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.

Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood

will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

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 Counsellor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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 for ever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

REFLECTION

Good morning! Welcome to Tuesday's STC podcast. My name is Heather Andrews and I'm the Pastoral Coordinator here at Crookes.It's so good to spend a little time with you today.

We are looking again at Isaiah 9v2 to 7, and today I would like to focus on verses 6 and 7. It would be great if you could read the whole passage sometime today. It's beautiful.

So, verses 6 and 7 say:

Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He shall reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing it and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

I've heard these verses read at Christmas every year of my life, but in 1979 they seemed particularly relevant. On Christmas Eve that year I gave birth to my first born, a son. We didn't do swaddling in those days - it was a 70's dark brown and orange babygro and he slept in a Moses basket. But I think there were some things which would have been the same for us as they would have been for Mary and Joseph.

As we looked at our brand new baby, filled with an odd mix of joy and apprehension at the fact that we, WE, really had become parents, we began to recognise the family likeness that assured us that he belonged to us, that made him somehow even more ours. Mum's eyes and Dad's chin. The family nose. Definitely Grandad's ears... Our son carried the likeness of both families.

And Mary's baby Jesus carried the likeness of both his parents too. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4v4 that Jesus is 'the image of God' and in Philippians 2v7 that he is 'made in human likeness'. As I look at Jesus I see the family likeness - I see something of myself. I belong to him and he belongs to me. Isaiah said 'unto US a child is born, unto US a son is given'. In Jesus, God draws US into his family. He is the one who makes it possible for us to belong. In John's gospel, chapter 1v12, we read

'to all who received him [Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.'

As I read these verses again, I thought about who this baby would grow up to be - our Wonderful Counsellor, giving us guidance and wisdom through his spirit in our lives, our Mighty God, fighting for us and protecting us, our Everlasting Father, loving us unconditionally and providing all that we need, and our Prince of Peace, giving us the peace with God that is our salvation.

How marvellous, how wonderful, as the song goes. And it struck me that it's even more wonderful that if we give ourselves to Jesus, submitting our lives to Him, we will have the family likeness too. Glimpses of Him will be seen in worship and prayer, in acts of kindness, in love for others, in standing for justice and righteousness for the oppressed and abused, in doing good in every way we can because that's what our family looks like.

It's a great family to be part of and there are so many people who would love to belong. Over the next two weeks, we have many opportunities to invite people to join us. Who would you love to have in the family?

PRAYER

Father God, thank you that you loved us so much that you gave your son for us. We want to show everyone how good it is to be loved by you and to be part of your family. Help us to show the joy of Christmas and to invite people to join the celebration. Amen.