Isaiah 9:6
December 24, 2009
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
I’m not on Facebook; at least, not yet. But I heard that if you have an unusual name like, “Christmas,” you’ll probably receive an automated rejection. The anonymous gatekeepers of this social networking site have decided that “Christmas” cannot possibly be a real last name. Other less common names have been rejected by Facebook, adding insult to a lifetime of injuries caused by having an unusual last name.
One of the benefits of living in San Francisco with a last name like, “Ng,” is that it’s not unusual! You can’t imagine how challenging it has been throughout my life to tell people how to pronounce “Ng.” It still happens especially on the phone with people in another part of the country. I would say, “It’s spelled “Ng” but pronounced “Ing” like there was an invisible “I” in front of it,” I’ve gotten used to it! One time at a restaurant someplace in Kansas, I told the waitress that my last name is “Washington” when my table is ready; at least “ng” is still in the name and no one can get the first President’s name wrong!
Since my whole family is now on Facebook except me, I suspect that “Ng” is accepted by Facebook. But for those with unusual names that people sometimes have, Facebook needs to take more seriously that people will feel hurt when they are rejected for simply being themselves.
Isaiah
In Isaiah 9:6, the prophet tells us that a child has been born for us, a son given to us, “and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” These are certainly unusual names. You have to wonder, “Would Facebook accept them?”
More importantly, are we accepting them? Isaiah tells us that the child’s authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom” (v. 7). Jesus is our newborn king, the Son of David, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace.
Are we friending him?
The great challenge of Christmas is to establish a strong connection with the baby born at Bethlehem. Isaiah is inviting us to accept the child as a powerful and loving king. We don’t want to make the Facebook mistake of deciding that his name cannot possibly be real, thus rejecting him.
So do you want to be friends with Jesus? Before you decide, let’s look at his profile.
Wonderful Counselor
Jesus’ first name is “Wonderful Counselor.” At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus passes through Samaria and meets a woman at a well. He speaks with her—despite the fact that she’s a woman and a Samaritan—and tells her everything she has ever done. He reveals to her that he is the Messiah, and that the day is coming when the barriers between people will fall and “the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23). The woman is filled with such joy that she goes to her city and spreads the word about Jesus. Many people come to see that he is the Savior of the world.
Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor—the one who knows us most fully and loves us most deeply. He tells us the truth about ourselves and invites us to follow him in a life of worshiping God in spirit and in truth.
One of the main roles that pastors have is being a counselor. We are invited into the lives of people so that we may tell them the truth about themselves and keep them on the right path. As a pastor, I need good counsel too. When pastors meet together in collegial support groups, we offer counseling to each other that reveals the truth about ourselves that we may be afraid to look at. My colleagues help me to get back on the right path.
Mighty God
Jesus is the “Mighty God.” When Jesus’ friend Lazarus becomes ill and dies, Jesus travels to the man’s home in Bethany. One of Lazarus’ sisters meets Jesus on the road and says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21).
Jesus answers her: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live” (v. 25). Only the “Mighty God” can make a statement like that.
Jesus goes to the tomb and cries, “Lazarus, come out.” Then the dead man emerges with his hands and feet still bound with the grave cloths (v. 44). Lazarus is given new life, and so are we—if we believe in Jesus, our Mighty God.
It’s no coincidence that many of our favorite Christmas stories contain a message of new life, even if they fail to give credit to Jesus. Think of A Christmas Carol, which includes the transformation of the miser named Ebenezer Scrooge; It’s a Wonderful Life, with its’ dramatic discovery of how one’s life makes a difference to so many others’; How the Grinch Stole Christmas, with the growth of the Grinch’s heart, which has once been “two sizes too small.”
Christmas is all about moving from death to life, through the power of our Mighty God.
Everlasting Father
Jesus is the “Everlasting Father.” When Jesus is having dinner with his disciples, his follower Philip says to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus says to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:8-9).
The Word of God comes to us most clearly through Jesus, the one who is the flesh-and-blood appearance of God in human life. “In the beginning was the Word,” says the first chapter of John, “and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and lived among us” (1:1, 14). This appearance of the Word of God in human form shows us that Jesus and our Everlasting Father are one and the same.
Prince of Peace
Jesus is the “Prince of Peace.” When Jesus is born in Bethlehem, most people are looking for a military messiah to drive the Romans out of Jerusalem and return the land to Jewish control. The prophet Isaiah captures this desire when he writes, “For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian” (9:4).
But Jesus comes not to be a military messiah but a Prince of Peace. His endless peace is based on truth, justice and righteousness, not on the defeat of an oppressive empire. “My kingdom is not from this world,” says Jesus when he stands in front of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:36-37).
For this I was born, says Jesus: to testify to the truth. And those of us who belong to the truth will listen to his voice and follow him in the way of peace. As we gather on this holiest of nights, we are challenged to be involved in active peacemaking. Our morning newspapers tomorrow will speak less of wars and conflicts and violence as the world remains silent and quiet. We will be too busy opening gifts, watching football and making merry. But we know better that on the next day, the world awaits again for our active peacemaking.
The work of peace and reconciliation should be an every day effort for all who follow Christ. As ambassadors for Christ, our mission is to make peace with others, following the example of the one who came to earth to reconcile us to God. We are to “friend” others, just as Jesus came to make us friends with God.
Friending Jesus
Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. On Christmas Eve, let’s not be put off by these unusual names and reject him. Instead, let’s receive him, accept him and strengthen our connection with him. Jesus wants to be your friend.
Let us pray.
Gracious and loving God, thank you for connecting with us by sending us our Savior and the Christ to be our friend. Lead us to accept Jesus as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace in our lives so that we may bear witness of this truth and worship you in spirit and in truth in this world. Amen.