Isaiah 9:6<\/p>\n\n\n\n
December 24, 2009<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not on Facebook; at least, not yet. But I heard that if you have an unusual name like, \u201cChristmas,\u201d you\u2019ll probably receive an automated rejection. The anonymous gatekeepers of this social networking site have decided that \u201cChristmas\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the benefits of living in San Francisco with a last name like, \u201cNg,\u201d is that it\u2019s not unusual! You can\u2019t imagine how challenging it has been throughout my life to tell people how to pronounce \u201cNg.\u201d It still happens especially on the phone with people in another part of the country. I would say, \u201cIt\u2019s spelled \u201cNg\u201d but pronounced \u201cIng\u201d like there was an invisible \u201cI\u201d in front of it,\u201d I\u2019ve gotten used to it! One time at a restaurant someplace in Kansas, I told the waitress that my last name is \u201cWashington\u201d when my table is ready; at least \u201cng\u201d is still in the name and no one can get the first President\u2019s name wrong!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since my whole family is now on Facebook except me, I suspect that \u201cNg\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isaiah<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In Isaiah 9:6, the prophet tells us that a child has been born for us, a son given to us, \u201cand he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.\u201d These are certainly unusual names. You have to wonder, \u201cWould Facebook accept them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n More importantly, are we accepting them? Isaiah tells us that the child\u2019s authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom\u201d (v. 7). Jesus is our newborn king, the Son of David, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are we friending him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019t want to make the Facebook mistake of deciding that his name cannot possibly be real, thus rejecting him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So do you want to be friends with Jesus? Before you decide, let\u2019s look at his profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wonderful Counselor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus\u2019 first name is \u201cWonderful Counselor.\u201d At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus passes through Samaria and meets a woman at a well. He speaks with her\u2014despite the fact that she\u2019s a woman and a Samaritan\u2014and 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 \u201cthe true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth\u201d (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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor\u2014the 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mighty God<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus is the \u201cMighty God.\u201d When Jesus\u2019 friend Lazarus becomes ill and dies, Jesus travels to the man\u2019s home in Bethany. One of Lazarus\u2019 sisters meets Jesus on the road and says, \u201cLord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died\u201d (John 11:21).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus answers her: \u201cI am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live\u201d (v. 25). Only the \u201cMighty God\u201d can make a statement like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus goes to the tomb and cries, \u201cLazarus, come out.\u201d 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\u2014if we believe in Jesus, our Mighty God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s 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<\/em>, which includes the transformation of the miser named Ebenezer Scrooge; It\u2019s a Wonderful Life<\/em>, with its\u2019 dramatic discovery of how one\u2019s life makes a difference to so many others\u2019; How the Grinch Stole Christmas<\/em>, with the growth of the Grinch\u2019s heart, which has once been \u201ctwo sizes too small.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christmas is all about moving from death to life, through the power of our Mighty God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everlasting Father<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus is the \u201cEverlasting Father.\u201d When Jesus is having dinner with his disciples, his follower Philip says to him, \u201cLord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.\u201d Jesus says to him, \u201cHave I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father\u201d (John 14:8-9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. \u201cIn the beginning was the Word,\u201d says the first chapter of John, \u201cand the Word was with God, and the Word was God\u2026And the Word became flesh and lived among us\u201d (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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prince of Peace<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus is the \u201cPrince of Peace.\u201d 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, \u201cFor 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\u201d (9:4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. \u201cMy kingdom is not from this world,\u201d says Jesus when he stands in front of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. \u201cFor 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\u201d (John 18:36-37).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 \u201cfriend\u201d others, just as Jesus came to make us friends with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friending Jesus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. On Christmas Eve, let\u2019s not be put off by these unusual names and reject him. Instead, let\u2019s receive him, accept him and strengthen our connection with him. Jesus wants to be your friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let us pray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Isaiah 9:6 December 24, 2009 Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco. I\u2019m not on Facebook; at least, not yet. But I