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

Hi there, it’s Dave again and I’m back to round up the week. It’s been a great week for STC Foundations podcasts. We’ve had three different people giving their perspective on Isaiah 9:2-7 this week. It’s been really encouraging to hear how God can speak to three people about such different things all from the same few verses. I hope you’ve been blessed as much as I have by the fantastic messages Heather, Paddy and Helen brought to us.

On Tuesday Heather talked about being part of God’s family, bearing the family likeness. On Wednesday Paddy spoke of joy. Helen brought a message yesterday about shouldering the responsibilities that we are given in a healthy way. About lives led in a way that provides stability for others yet are flexible enough to see where God’s Kingdom is breaking through. It’s going to sound simple but the constant theme throughout these messages is Jesus. Jesus makes a difference in our lives and can make a difference in the lives of those we love this Christmas.  Verses two and six read ‘The people walking in darkness, have seen a great light;  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given’. As each of our speakers this week have said, Jesus is the key. He will bring out the family likeness in us; He fills us with joy; He shows us the way to live good lives. Paddy put it so well on Wednesday when he said that we ‘don’t have to train ourselves to be joyful, we simply have to train ourselves to look to God.’  That is what Advent is all about.

Advent is a time of waiting. A time of preparation. A time of anticipation. A time of reflection. But above all, it is an invitation. An invitation to come and see. Come and see and encounter the living God. We have a tradition at STC, at the start of each gathering that happens during Advent we pause. We do this at Crookes Carols, we do this at the nativity, we do it in kids’ Church. Before we sing, before we hear from the Bible, we bring the lights down, everyone goes quiet and a candle is brought in from the back of the room. The Advent candles are lit from it and we reflect on the light coming into the darkness, helped by the words and pictures of a video made by our talented media team. There’s always great anticipation over this video. About a month ago a call went round the building. The world premier was about to happen on the big screens in the worship area! We all dropped what we were doing and went to watch. The lights went down and the video came on. I couldn’t help but be struck by the simplicity and power of the lyrics to the song that they had used. The song is called Noel and the chorus reads like this: ‘Noel, Noel, come and see what God has done. Noel, Noel, the story of amazing love. The light of the world, given for us, Noel. Noel means the birth of the mighty one, the birth of the mighty God. There is so much to reflect on in those words.

My question for us today is the same as Monday: what is God saying to you this Advent? What strikes you from this song, this Bible passage? I’m going to put a link to the song at the bottom of the text version of this. It’s simply called Noel by Chris Tomlin if you want to search for it. I want to encourage you to take time today, this weekend, to pause. Play the song. Light a candle. Reflect on the light of the world, a child born, a Son given. Ask God to speak into your life this Advent and Christmas.

PRAYER

Lord thank you for the truth of this Advent story. Thank you that a prophecy 700 years before your birth spoke of the joy that you would bring into this world. During this season of Advent and Christmas would you speak to us Lord. Let us encounter you through this incredible story. Amen.

Chris Tomlin - Noel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vwu-t7QRaE