Sheer grace
Commentary
All three lessons appointed for celebrating The Nativity of Our Lord have at their heart a resounding acclamation of grace. In Isaiah's poem we hear that, through a child, God will bring about the fulfillment of promises so glorious that their accomplishment in our lives will seem like the difference between night and day. In the epistle to Titus, we hear that God's grace has appeared in Jesus Christ and that the blessed hope we have in him will be augmented by still further manifestations of grace in the future. And in Luke's beautiful Christmas story, we are allowed to participate with the first recipients of grace in the grand announcement of God's favor for all. What all these lessons have in common is a concentration on what God has done, is doing, and will do on our behalf. Grace, sheer grace, is the theme of Christmas. It is no surprise, then, to find in these texts an abundance of words like "light" (Isaiah 9:2), "joy" (Isaiah 9:3; Luke 2:10), "peace" (Isaiah 9:6, 7; Luke 2:14); "hope" (Titus 3:13), and "glory" (Titus 3:13; Luke 2:9, 14).
In many churches, Christmas services are occasions for seats to be filled by persons who have only a marginal commitment to the church. Visiting relatives and reluctant spouses of regular members are apt to show up for this one service, as are members who remain inactive the rest of the year. If this is so, then the sermon ought to be evangelistic, in the best sense of the term: a vivid proclamation of the good news revealed to us in Jesus Christ. The preacher's job is to help re-create the experience of that first Christmas night, when the glory of the Lord became evident even to people outside the established institutions for religion.
If ever there was a time for preaching the gospel, this is that time, and if ever there were lessons well-suited for such preaching, these are those lessons.
Isaiah 9:2-7
This passage is appointed for Christmas Day because the child mentioned in verse 6 is often identified with the Christ Child (e.g., in the beautiful "For Unto Us A Child Is Born" from Handel's Messiah). Originally the poem was probably written in celebration of either the birth or coronation of the new heir to the Davidic throne. Before long, however, the prophet's words came to be viewed as messianic, and those who treasured them looked to the future rather than to the past for their fulfillment.
The poem begins with a reference to people who live in darkness seeing a great light (v. 2). Philip Wheelwright, the pre-eminent authority on literary and cultural symbolism, says that "of all archetypal symbols there is probably none more widespread and more immediately recognizable than light." But whereas light is typically a symbol for psychological insight, in the Bible it is more often a metaphor of God's presence (2 Samuel 22:29; Job 29:3; Psalm 27:1; Isaiah 42:16, 49:6, 60:1-2, 20) or of God's word (Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 6:23). In the New Testament, of course, Jesus is said to be the light (Luke 2:32; John 1:4-5, 8:12, 12:35, 46; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Revelation 21:23), as are those who believe in him (Matthew 5:14; Ephesians 5:8; Philippians 2:15). Here, in Isaiah 9:2, the specific image is one of grace. The people who have been thrust into deep darkness (8:22) are not responsible for producing this light. The God who controls both light and darkness (Genesis 1:3-5) is solely responsible for bringing about the salvation about to be described.
The content of this salvation is described in verses 4-5, and its effect, in verse 3. To accentuate the connection with our Gospel Lesson for today, we may say that the content is "peace on earth" (cf. Luke 2:14) and the effect is "great joy for all the people" (cf. Luke 2:10). Specifically, Isaiah describes the peace that God will bring as a release from oppression, as a peace grounded in the establishment of justice rather than in the mere cessation of hostilities.
All of these hopes are pinned on an individual, a child through whom God will act. Isaiah often relates the concept of deliverance to images involving children, perhaps because he likes the idea of God's power showing itself in the weak and vulnerable (cf. 7:3, 14; 8:1-4, 18; 11:6-8). This child is given four throne names: "Wonderful Counselor," to indicate his wisdom to plan what is right; "Mighty God," to emphasize his power to accomplish those plans; "Everlasting Father," to clarify that his plans and actions will be for the welfare of those he regards as his children; and "Prince of Peace," to specify, as above, the content of those plans as being to bring about the establishment of a reign of peace. The final verse of the poem announces that this reign will be endless, and affirms once again that all will be brought about, not through human effort, but through the gracious initiative of God (v. 7).
In the Old Testament, the king is often viewed as God's agent but is only called "God" here and, possibly, in Psalm 45:6-
7. Similarly, the king is only rarely called "father" (cf. 1 Samuel 24:11), and the adjectives "wonderful" and "everlasting" are usually ascribed to God alone. Christian interpreters apply all of these labels to the Lord Jesus Christ, even though "Wonderful Counselor" is perhaps better suited to the third person of the Trinity (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), and "Everlasting Father" only makes sense in light of John 10:30; 14:8-11. We may do this without shame, for the salvation anticipated in this passage becomes reality through God's action in Christ. We recognize, if course, that the messianic age of peace still lies in the future, but we celebrate at Christmas the coming of the child through whom all that Isaiah expected will one day be accomplished.
Titus 2:11-14
This little passage from Titus is a miniature catechism, touching on several aspects of Christian doctrine and life. Originally, it provided a theological basis for the advice to households contained in 2:1-10. The grace of God revealed in Christ has implications for people of every age, sex, and class.
This grace is revealed in two epiphanies, as indicated by the words "appeared" in verse 11 and "manifestation" in verse 13. The Greek terms used in these verses connote a sudden breaking forth of light (as at the dawn), and, so, recall the image with which our First Lesson for today began (Isaiah 9:2). The references here, though, are to the first and second comings of Jesus Christ.
Our lesson is directed to people who live between these two great manifestations of grace, in "the present age" (v. 12). Elsewhere in the New Testament, this present age is described as a time of trouble or as an interim under the dominion of evil powers (Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 2:6; Galatians 1:4; 2 Timothy 4:10). Yet during this time, Christians are expected "to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly." This triad of expressions points to relationships with self, others, and God, indicating the extent to which grace permeates every aspect of our lives. C.S. Lewis used to say that when people become Christians even their "dogs and cats should be better off for it."
The concern here is for what is sometimes called "sanctification" as part of the total salvation brought about through God's grace (v. 11). Jesus gave himself for us (cf. Galatians 1:4; 1 Timothy 2:6) not only to redeem us but also to purify us (v. 14). The notion of purification is linked here to baptism (cf. Titus 3:4-5). The words "renounce" in verse 12 and "purify" (or, literally, "cleanse") in verse 14 probably derive from a baptismal liturgy.
The primary mark of the baptized, however, is not their outward moral character or otherworldliness but their hope (v. 13). Hope, as we have noted throughout the Advent season, means trust in a certain future that has present implications (Romans 5:2-5; Colossians 1:4-5). Hope is grounded in the grace of God that has been revealed and will be revealed, and hope is what provides the basis for Christian sanctification today. In our First Lesson for today, Isaiah is confident that "the zeal of the Lord" will take care of the future (Isaiah 9:7). Aware of this, Christians may devote their own zeal to good works in the present age (v. 14).
A word should be said about the description of Jesus as "our great God and Savior" in verse 13 of this pericope. This is one of the only passages in the Bible in which Jesus is actually called "God" (cf. John 1:1; 20:28; Hebrews 1:8). A number of unsuccessful attempts have been made to soften the obvious attribution of divinity to a human being. The text should be read as it stands: Jesus is God. He is the Mighty God of Isaiah and he is the great God and Savior of Titus. But he is also, we discover, a very human little baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.
Luke 2:1-20
Rabbinical commentaries on the Old Testament that were produced shortly after the time of Jesus sometimes offer insights into the religious and cultural values of that time. In one such writing, a Rabbi bChanina (c. 270) finds a text to be so devoid of meaning and beauty that he must question whether it belongs in Holy Scripture at all. Which text? Psalm 23. The rabbi does not care much for this psalm because it compares God to a shepherd, and "no position in the world is so despised as that of the shepherd."
Palestinian shepherds had a difficult and demanding job. They lived out-of-doors most of the time, often pursued a nomadic lifestyle, and were paid extremely low wages. Even though Abraham, Moses, and David are all described as keeping sheep, by the time of Jesus, shepherding had become a profession most likely to be filled from the lowest ranks of society, by persons who could not find what was regarded as "decent work." Society stereotyped shepherds as liars, degenerates, and thieves. The testimony of shepherds was not admissible in court, and many towns had ordinances barring shepherds from their city limits. The religious establishment took a particularly dim view of shepherds, since the regular exercise of the latter's duties prevented them from observing the sabbath and rendered them ritually unclean. The Pharisees classed shepherds with tax-
collectors and prostitutes, as persons who were "sinners" by virtue of their vocation.
Such was the status of the people to whom the announcement of Jesus' birth is made in the Gospel Lesson for today. The text says that, when these people saw an angel of the Lord standing before them and the glory of the Lord shining all around them, they were terrified (v. 9). And well they might be, for they had no doubt been told all their lives that God would eventually come to slaughter the unrighteous. But, instead: "good news ... a Savior!" (vv. 10-11).
Luke's account of the nativity is different from that of Matthew, where Jesus' birth attracts the attention of powerful people, some of whom travel from faraway places to offer him expensive presents (Matthew 2:1-12). In Luke's story, the revelation is to peasants, and to outcast peasants at that. In Luke's gospel, Jesus is associated with shepherds at his birth, with tax-collectors and sinners during his lifetime (5:29-32; 7:34, 36-39; 15:1; 19:1-10), and with criminals in his death (23:32-43). The good news of Christmas is truly for all people (2:10).
Luke uses the various characters of his nativity story to demonstrate different responses to the gospel. The shepherds evince what might be regarded as an ideal response: they become witnesses (v. 17; cf. Acts 1:8) and give glory and praise to God (v. 20; cf. 5:25-26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15, 18; 18:43; 23:47). The people who hear their report are simply "amazed," an ambiguous response that is better than apathy but does not necessarily connote faith (cf. 1:21, 63; 24:41; Acts 3:12). Mary treasures all that she hears and ponders it in her heart (v. 19). Though Mary's response is less exuberant than that of the shepherds, it is probably meant to evidence a deep and abiding faith. Mary is elsewhere portrayed in Luke as an ideal disciple, as one who hears God's word and keeps it (8:21; cf. 1:38, 45; 11:28-29). Mary's treasuring and pondering of the word reveals her to be one who holds "it fast in an honest and good heart" and, so, as one who will "bear fruit with patient endurance" (Luke 8:13).
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Isaiah 9:2-7
Darkness and light. The Bible constantly speaks of those two conditions. Genesis tells us that before God created the world, it was nothing but a stormy chaos engulfed in darkness. Exodus says that one of the plagues that God visited on the Egyptians was a plague of darkness, while all the Israelite slaves had light where they dwelt. Amos talks about the final day of judgment that will be a time of darkness and not light. At the crucifixion of Jesus, darkness covered the whole land from noon until the middle of the afternoon. And the author of Ephesians writes that those of faith are waging a war against sin that is a battle against the world rulers of this present darkness. Darkness is connected with evil and chaos and death in the Bible's metaphors, and say the Scriptures, the only one who can dispel it is God.
So it is that our text from Isaiah is a promise that the people who walk in darkness will be given a great light by God. When the prophet Isaiah first pronounced that promise, it was directed to the Israelite regions of Zebulon and Naphtali, on the western side of the sea of Galilee in northern Israel (see v. 1). In 735 B.C., those tribes and in fact all of the region of northern Israel had been conquered by the Assyrian Empire. But, proclaimed Isaiah, God will raise up a new davidic king -- an anointed one, a masiah in the Hebrew, which we translate as Messiah. And that king, that Messiah, would free northern Israel and restore the far-flung boundaries of the davidic empire.
That's why our text talks about the rod of the oppressor being broken and the battle equipment of warriors being burned. The new davidic Messiah will bring in a realm of everlasting peace and justice and righteousness. No longer will the people be subjected to a foreign conqueror, because the Messiah's reign will be established forever. That was just a future promise given to Israel.
The writer of the Gospel according to Matthew said that promise had been fulfilled, however. After the death of John the Baptist, when Jesus withdrew into Galilee and began his ministry there -- there in the regions of Zebulon and Naphtali -- Matthew said Jesus was the one from God who was bringing light to a people who were walking in darkness (Matthew 4:15-16), and not just to that people, but to all people. On this Christmas Eve, with its candles and lights illumining the darkness, Jesus Christ brings us light.
Can that be said of you, that Christ brings you light? Certainly we all have our dark times, don't we? When the dailiness of life has got us down, and we just slog along in the same routine, and when we stop to think about it, there seems to be no point to it all. Then the future seems very dark, a tunnel with no light at the end.
Or darkness surrounds us when the anguish of a broken relationship crowds in on us, when hurts and fears and wounded pride all get bound up in a bundle of misery. Darkness comes when our own wrongdoing gnaws away at our innards, and regret hangs heavy in our thoughts. Darkness dims every dawn when illness wastes us, and it hurts to get out of bed. Darkness can be our daily companion when a loved one has died, and there seems to be no one to fill the void. Indeed, darkness far too often is the condition of our humanity. As one woman put it, "Life is tough. You're born, you suffer, and then you die." And that's all there is -- the life, the pain and the suffering, and then the everlasting dark. But, says our text, to all of us who walk in darkness a great light is given. And affirms the whole New Testament, his name is Jesus Christ -- the babe born in the city of David, our long-awaited anointed king, our Messiah.
How is it that he brings light into our lives? Our text from Isaiah furnishes us the answer. He is the Wonderful Counselor, the one who listens to all of our fears and trouble, poured out in our prayers from the midst of darkness. Christ listens to us and knows our hearts and sees our afflictions. He is not one who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but rather one who has been tempted and troubled and has suffered in all the ways we have. And so he can guide us with his merciful directions in his teachings and point the way we are to walk. He told us once that he has given us all his commandments, that his joy may be in us, and that our joy may be full (John 15:11). Following his counsel is the way out of darkness into light.
Isaiah says our Messiah is also Mighty God -- God incarnate come to earth to save and deliver us from evil. Not that everything will come up roses if we trust his working in our lives. But Christ acts with the power of God -- that God who conquered creation's chaos, that God who could command the darkness and light at the time of the exodus, that God who defeated the darkness of death with the glories of Easter morn. It takes a God of might to overcome the dark evil in our world. But Jesus Christ is that Mighty God, who shines in the dark, and whose light the darkness can never extinguish.
Then, too, our Messiah, Isaiah foretold, is an Everlasting Father, exercising the mercy, the tenderness, the love of his Father on this earth. No matter how insignificant we may be, no matter what our station and status in life, no matter whether we be rich or poor, this Messiah gathers us all into his loving arms and lavishes on us a love that excels all other loves. Tenderness, mercy, understanding, forgiveness -- our Messiah brings it all.
He also brings to us peace on earth, because he is the Prince of Peace; by such a title Isaiah characterized our Messiah. And do you remember his words? "Peace I leave with you," he said, "my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you," (John 14:17), but it is a peace passing all understanding. Indeed, friends, Christ brings a peace that will finally engulf this war-torn world, for his will be that universal reign, promised our text. There will come a day, say the Scriptures, when every implement of war will be destroyed from the earth, God will be all in all, and we will know that blessed realm of which the Psalmist sings.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground.
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
-- Psalm 85:10-11
The light has come, good Christian friends, to all of us who walk in darkness.
In many churches, Christmas services are occasions for seats to be filled by persons who have only a marginal commitment to the church. Visiting relatives and reluctant spouses of regular members are apt to show up for this one service, as are members who remain inactive the rest of the year. If this is so, then the sermon ought to be evangelistic, in the best sense of the term: a vivid proclamation of the good news revealed to us in Jesus Christ. The preacher's job is to help re-create the experience of that first Christmas night, when the glory of the Lord became evident even to people outside the established institutions for religion.
If ever there was a time for preaching the gospel, this is that time, and if ever there were lessons well-suited for such preaching, these are those lessons.
Isaiah 9:2-7
This passage is appointed for Christmas Day because the child mentioned in verse 6 is often identified with the Christ Child (e.g., in the beautiful "For Unto Us A Child Is Born" from Handel's Messiah). Originally the poem was probably written in celebration of either the birth or coronation of the new heir to the Davidic throne. Before long, however, the prophet's words came to be viewed as messianic, and those who treasured them looked to the future rather than to the past for their fulfillment.
The poem begins with a reference to people who live in darkness seeing a great light (v. 2). Philip Wheelwright, the pre-eminent authority on literary and cultural symbolism, says that "of all archetypal symbols there is probably none more widespread and more immediately recognizable than light." But whereas light is typically a symbol for psychological insight, in the Bible it is more often a metaphor of God's presence (2 Samuel 22:29; Job 29:3; Psalm 27:1; Isaiah 42:16, 49:6, 60:1-2, 20) or of God's word (Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 6:23). In the New Testament, of course, Jesus is said to be the light (Luke 2:32; John 1:4-5, 8:12, 12:35, 46; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Revelation 21:23), as are those who believe in him (Matthew 5:14; Ephesians 5:8; Philippians 2:15). Here, in Isaiah 9:2, the specific image is one of grace. The people who have been thrust into deep darkness (8:22) are not responsible for producing this light. The God who controls both light and darkness (Genesis 1:3-5) is solely responsible for bringing about the salvation about to be described.
The content of this salvation is described in verses 4-5, and its effect, in verse 3. To accentuate the connection with our Gospel Lesson for today, we may say that the content is "peace on earth" (cf. Luke 2:14) and the effect is "great joy for all the people" (cf. Luke 2:10). Specifically, Isaiah describes the peace that God will bring as a release from oppression, as a peace grounded in the establishment of justice rather than in the mere cessation of hostilities.
All of these hopes are pinned on an individual, a child through whom God will act. Isaiah often relates the concept of deliverance to images involving children, perhaps because he likes the idea of God's power showing itself in the weak and vulnerable (cf. 7:3, 14; 8:1-4, 18; 11:6-8). This child is given four throne names: "Wonderful Counselor," to indicate his wisdom to plan what is right; "Mighty God," to emphasize his power to accomplish those plans; "Everlasting Father," to clarify that his plans and actions will be for the welfare of those he regards as his children; and "Prince of Peace," to specify, as above, the content of those plans as being to bring about the establishment of a reign of peace. The final verse of the poem announces that this reign will be endless, and affirms once again that all will be brought about, not through human effort, but through the gracious initiative of God (v. 7).
In the Old Testament, the king is often viewed as God's agent but is only called "God" here and, possibly, in Psalm 45:6-
7. Similarly, the king is only rarely called "father" (cf. 1 Samuel 24:11), and the adjectives "wonderful" and "everlasting" are usually ascribed to God alone. Christian interpreters apply all of these labels to the Lord Jesus Christ, even though "Wonderful Counselor" is perhaps better suited to the third person of the Trinity (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), and "Everlasting Father" only makes sense in light of John 10:30; 14:8-11. We may do this without shame, for the salvation anticipated in this passage becomes reality through God's action in Christ. We recognize, if course, that the messianic age of peace still lies in the future, but we celebrate at Christmas the coming of the child through whom all that Isaiah expected will one day be accomplished.
Titus 2:11-14
This little passage from Titus is a miniature catechism, touching on several aspects of Christian doctrine and life. Originally, it provided a theological basis for the advice to households contained in 2:1-10. The grace of God revealed in Christ has implications for people of every age, sex, and class.
This grace is revealed in two epiphanies, as indicated by the words "appeared" in verse 11 and "manifestation" in verse 13. The Greek terms used in these verses connote a sudden breaking forth of light (as at the dawn), and, so, recall the image with which our First Lesson for today began (Isaiah 9:2). The references here, though, are to the first and second comings of Jesus Christ.
Our lesson is directed to people who live between these two great manifestations of grace, in "the present age" (v. 12). Elsewhere in the New Testament, this present age is described as a time of trouble or as an interim under the dominion of evil powers (Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 2:6; Galatians 1:4; 2 Timothy 4:10). Yet during this time, Christians are expected "to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly." This triad of expressions points to relationships with self, others, and God, indicating the extent to which grace permeates every aspect of our lives. C.S. Lewis used to say that when people become Christians even their "dogs and cats should be better off for it."
The concern here is for what is sometimes called "sanctification" as part of the total salvation brought about through God's grace (v. 11). Jesus gave himself for us (cf. Galatians 1:4; 1 Timothy 2:6) not only to redeem us but also to purify us (v. 14). The notion of purification is linked here to baptism (cf. Titus 3:4-5). The words "renounce" in verse 12 and "purify" (or, literally, "cleanse") in verse 14 probably derive from a baptismal liturgy.
The primary mark of the baptized, however, is not their outward moral character or otherworldliness but their hope (v. 13). Hope, as we have noted throughout the Advent season, means trust in a certain future that has present implications (Romans 5:2-5; Colossians 1:4-5). Hope is grounded in the grace of God that has been revealed and will be revealed, and hope is what provides the basis for Christian sanctification today. In our First Lesson for today, Isaiah is confident that "the zeal of the Lord" will take care of the future (Isaiah 9:7). Aware of this, Christians may devote their own zeal to good works in the present age (v. 14).
A word should be said about the description of Jesus as "our great God and Savior" in verse 13 of this pericope. This is one of the only passages in the Bible in which Jesus is actually called "God" (cf. John 1:1; 20:28; Hebrews 1:8). A number of unsuccessful attempts have been made to soften the obvious attribution of divinity to a human being. The text should be read as it stands: Jesus is God. He is the Mighty God of Isaiah and he is the great God and Savior of Titus. But he is also, we discover, a very human little baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.
Luke 2:1-20
Rabbinical commentaries on the Old Testament that were produced shortly after the time of Jesus sometimes offer insights into the religious and cultural values of that time. In one such writing, a Rabbi bChanina (c. 270) finds a text to be so devoid of meaning and beauty that he must question whether it belongs in Holy Scripture at all. Which text? Psalm 23. The rabbi does not care much for this psalm because it compares God to a shepherd, and "no position in the world is so despised as that of the shepherd."
Palestinian shepherds had a difficult and demanding job. They lived out-of-doors most of the time, often pursued a nomadic lifestyle, and were paid extremely low wages. Even though Abraham, Moses, and David are all described as keeping sheep, by the time of Jesus, shepherding had become a profession most likely to be filled from the lowest ranks of society, by persons who could not find what was regarded as "decent work." Society stereotyped shepherds as liars, degenerates, and thieves. The testimony of shepherds was not admissible in court, and many towns had ordinances barring shepherds from their city limits. The religious establishment took a particularly dim view of shepherds, since the regular exercise of the latter's duties prevented them from observing the sabbath and rendered them ritually unclean. The Pharisees classed shepherds with tax-
collectors and prostitutes, as persons who were "sinners" by virtue of their vocation.
Such was the status of the people to whom the announcement of Jesus' birth is made in the Gospel Lesson for today. The text says that, when these people saw an angel of the Lord standing before them and the glory of the Lord shining all around them, they were terrified (v. 9). And well they might be, for they had no doubt been told all their lives that God would eventually come to slaughter the unrighteous. But, instead: "good news ... a Savior!" (vv. 10-11).
Luke's account of the nativity is different from that of Matthew, where Jesus' birth attracts the attention of powerful people, some of whom travel from faraway places to offer him expensive presents (Matthew 2:1-12). In Luke's story, the revelation is to peasants, and to outcast peasants at that. In Luke's gospel, Jesus is associated with shepherds at his birth, with tax-collectors and sinners during his lifetime (5:29-32; 7:34, 36-39; 15:1; 19:1-10), and with criminals in his death (23:32-43). The good news of Christmas is truly for all people (2:10).
Luke uses the various characters of his nativity story to demonstrate different responses to the gospel. The shepherds evince what might be regarded as an ideal response: they become witnesses (v. 17; cf. Acts 1:8) and give glory and praise to God (v. 20; cf. 5:25-26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15, 18; 18:43; 23:47). The people who hear their report are simply "amazed," an ambiguous response that is better than apathy but does not necessarily connote faith (cf. 1:21, 63; 24:41; Acts 3:12). Mary treasures all that she hears and ponders it in her heart (v. 19). Though Mary's response is less exuberant than that of the shepherds, it is probably meant to evidence a deep and abiding faith. Mary is elsewhere portrayed in Luke as an ideal disciple, as one who hears God's word and keeps it (8:21; cf. 1:38, 45; 11:28-29). Mary's treasuring and pondering of the word reveals her to be one who holds "it fast in an honest and good heart" and, so, as one who will "bear fruit with patient endurance" (Luke 8:13).
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Isaiah 9:2-7
Darkness and light. The Bible constantly speaks of those two conditions. Genesis tells us that before God created the world, it was nothing but a stormy chaos engulfed in darkness. Exodus says that one of the plagues that God visited on the Egyptians was a plague of darkness, while all the Israelite slaves had light where they dwelt. Amos talks about the final day of judgment that will be a time of darkness and not light. At the crucifixion of Jesus, darkness covered the whole land from noon until the middle of the afternoon. And the author of Ephesians writes that those of faith are waging a war against sin that is a battle against the world rulers of this present darkness. Darkness is connected with evil and chaos and death in the Bible's metaphors, and say the Scriptures, the only one who can dispel it is God.
So it is that our text from Isaiah is a promise that the people who walk in darkness will be given a great light by God. When the prophet Isaiah first pronounced that promise, it was directed to the Israelite regions of Zebulon and Naphtali, on the western side of the sea of Galilee in northern Israel (see v. 1). In 735 B.C., those tribes and in fact all of the region of northern Israel had been conquered by the Assyrian Empire. But, proclaimed Isaiah, God will raise up a new davidic king -- an anointed one, a masiah in the Hebrew, which we translate as Messiah. And that king, that Messiah, would free northern Israel and restore the far-flung boundaries of the davidic empire.
That's why our text talks about the rod of the oppressor being broken and the battle equipment of warriors being burned. The new davidic Messiah will bring in a realm of everlasting peace and justice and righteousness. No longer will the people be subjected to a foreign conqueror, because the Messiah's reign will be established forever. That was just a future promise given to Israel.
The writer of the Gospel according to Matthew said that promise had been fulfilled, however. After the death of John the Baptist, when Jesus withdrew into Galilee and began his ministry there -- there in the regions of Zebulon and Naphtali -- Matthew said Jesus was the one from God who was bringing light to a people who were walking in darkness (Matthew 4:15-16), and not just to that people, but to all people. On this Christmas Eve, with its candles and lights illumining the darkness, Jesus Christ brings us light.
Can that be said of you, that Christ brings you light? Certainly we all have our dark times, don't we? When the dailiness of life has got us down, and we just slog along in the same routine, and when we stop to think about it, there seems to be no point to it all. Then the future seems very dark, a tunnel with no light at the end.
Or darkness surrounds us when the anguish of a broken relationship crowds in on us, when hurts and fears and wounded pride all get bound up in a bundle of misery. Darkness comes when our own wrongdoing gnaws away at our innards, and regret hangs heavy in our thoughts. Darkness dims every dawn when illness wastes us, and it hurts to get out of bed. Darkness can be our daily companion when a loved one has died, and there seems to be no one to fill the void. Indeed, darkness far too often is the condition of our humanity. As one woman put it, "Life is tough. You're born, you suffer, and then you die." And that's all there is -- the life, the pain and the suffering, and then the everlasting dark. But, says our text, to all of us who walk in darkness a great light is given. And affirms the whole New Testament, his name is Jesus Christ -- the babe born in the city of David, our long-awaited anointed king, our Messiah.
How is it that he brings light into our lives? Our text from Isaiah furnishes us the answer. He is the Wonderful Counselor, the one who listens to all of our fears and trouble, poured out in our prayers from the midst of darkness. Christ listens to us and knows our hearts and sees our afflictions. He is not one who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but rather one who has been tempted and troubled and has suffered in all the ways we have. And so he can guide us with his merciful directions in his teachings and point the way we are to walk. He told us once that he has given us all his commandments, that his joy may be in us, and that our joy may be full (John 15:11). Following his counsel is the way out of darkness into light.
Isaiah says our Messiah is also Mighty God -- God incarnate come to earth to save and deliver us from evil. Not that everything will come up roses if we trust his working in our lives. But Christ acts with the power of God -- that God who conquered creation's chaos, that God who could command the darkness and light at the time of the exodus, that God who defeated the darkness of death with the glories of Easter morn. It takes a God of might to overcome the dark evil in our world. But Jesus Christ is that Mighty God, who shines in the dark, and whose light the darkness can never extinguish.
Then, too, our Messiah, Isaiah foretold, is an Everlasting Father, exercising the mercy, the tenderness, the love of his Father on this earth. No matter how insignificant we may be, no matter what our station and status in life, no matter whether we be rich or poor, this Messiah gathers us all into his loving arms and lavishes on us a love that excels all other loves. Tenderness, mercy, understanding, forgiveness -- our Messiah brings it all.
He also brings to us peace on earth, because he is the Prince of Peace; by such a title Isaiah characterized our Messiah. And do you remember his words? "Peace I leave with you," he said, "my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you," (John 14:17), but it is a peace passing all understanding. Indeed, friends, Christ brings a peace that will finally engulf this war-torn world, for his will be that universal reign, promised our text. There will come a day, say the Scriptures, when every implement of war will be destroyed from the earth, God will be all in all, and we will know that blessed realm of which the Psalmist sings.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground.
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
-- Psalm 85:10-11
The light has come, good Christian friends, to all of us who walk in darkness.
