12/8/10 - Midweek Advent - Isaiah 9:6b

POWERFUL IN WEAKNESS

It was nearing the end of May in 2006, and I had just graduated from the seminary after 21 years of schooling. The very next day after I had received my assignment to Living Word here in Montrose, Eric Schaller, who was the chairman of the congregation at the time, gave me a call: “Is this Pastor Frey?” he said when I answered the phone. And, I kid you not, I almost said, “No it’s not; let me get my dad for you.” Now, I of course choked out a “Yeah, this is he,” without too much of a pause, but it was a little bit strange to be called “Pastor Frey” for the first time in my life. Because that wasn’t me! That had always been my dad! “Pastor” didn’t accurately describe who I was. I wasn’t the kind of person who could hold that kind of title. I had been a student the day before, after all, and so to now be given a name that identified me as a spiritual leader of a group of Christians I had never met was a little bit intimidating. It just didn’t seem right.
In the middle of Isaiah 9:6, sandwiched in between the names “Wonderful Counselor” and “Prince of Peace” are two titles given to Christ that just don’t seem quite right. And they don’t seem right because they aren’t usually names we use for Jesus - especially during this time of year. Here Isaiah calls him “Mighty God and Everlasting Father.” Don’t those names strike you as a little out of place? We are used to names like “Immanuel” or “baby” or “infant” or “Son of Mary” or “Christ-child” when referring to our Savior during the Christmas season, but “Mighty God” and “Everlasting Father”? He’s the son of a young girl and a stepdad from Nazareth; he sure doesn’t seem like a Heavenly Father here! He’s a small fragile vulnerable helpless defenseless newborn baby lying in a pile of straw; he sure doesn’t seem like a Mighty God at this point either!
Oh, but on the contrary. This child in a manger has never been a mightier God than he is right here. Because God has just become human. The Immortal has made himself mortal. The almighty invincible Creator has taken on the form of something created, a living breathing being susceptible to sickness and pain and temptations and the natural laws of this world. How could that be? How could that possibly happen unless this boy was the Mighty God himself? In an amazing act of his incredible power the Mighty God transforms himself from a spirit without any body whatsoever into a human being with real skin and bones and muscles and blood. This is not normal! This is nowhere near natural! This is nothing other than an amazing accomplishment of the Mighty God!
But why did he have to accomplish such an amazing feat in the first place? Why did the Mighty God have to use his incomparable power to become a human being like us? Because we failed as human beings. We have not and are not and will never be good enough people. We don’t measure up to the standard that the Mighty God himself set for us to satisfy. He asks us to be loving; we are selfish. He asks us to be faithful; we are indifferent. He asks us to be kind and caring and compassionate; we are cruel. In fact, we have not done one thing right, have we? Is there anything in your life that you have actually done well in every respect? Is there any command that you have kept that would pass the Lord’s meticulous inspection? And so the festival of Christmas has a lot to do with our sin, doesn’t it? The Mighty God was conceived in the womb of a virgin girl because we were sinful in our mothers’ wombs. The Mighty God was born in an unsanitized stable because we were filthy dirty at birth. The Mighty God came into this world of sin, surrounded by sin, and attacked by sin because our sin was the problem. Our sinfulness put him in that position. Our awfulness left no other option. But his love moved him to carry it out.
And that’s why our Mighty God is not only our Mighty God. He is also our Everlasting Father. And although that phrase - Everlasting Father - is not usually used as a description of Jesus, it is very fitting for what he does for us. As our Everlasting Father he cares for his children, even when we are disobedient. He wants us to repent; he wants us to be safe; he wants us to enjoy life with him forever in his house. And he’s going to do everything it takes to make sure that happens! He’s going to spend the time and the effort our well-being demands. He’s going to sacrifice everything if necessary because he loves us that much! There is nothing that he cares about more in this world than his own child. And that is who you are. You are the Everlasting Father’s own chosen, cherished, treasured child. He loves you. He loves you. And Christmas proves it. Your Everlasting Father would not be a kid in a barn, born miles away from his earthly home, under a government that wanted to kill him and eventually di, if he did not love you.
“Mighty God, Everlasting Father.” Unique names of Christ in this prophecy of Isaiah. Unexpected names. But names that are more than fitting. He had to be the Mighty God to do what he did and he had to be the Everlasting Father to want to do it. And so this celebration of our Savior’s birth isn’t just about the cute and cuddly. It’s not about a quiet night and a picturesque manger scene and flickering candles and soft Christmas carols playing in the background. Our Savior’s birth is about the power and strength of our Mighty God and the unquestionable love of our Everlasting Father. What a great time of year this is. What a great Savior we have.