"An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people" Luke 2:9-10.
I wrote this in my journal on Christmas Eve 2013 down in Florida. That evening I was thinking about the meaning of Christmas. I know what it means to me and I have seen what it means to others. For some, they bemoan the over commercialization that has come with the holiday and how it has strayed from the purpose. Others are cool with it. Some get nostalgic, remembering past Christmases with fondness and sharing warm memories.
I was looking at Isaiah 9:6 tonight and came upon an interesting insight. It reads "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 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace". I have heard and read this passage many times over the years. All of them wonderful descriptions of who Jesus is. All of these roles, each one, has been a factor in each of our lives. He has been a wonderful counselor, a mighty God, and a Prince of Peace in my life. He was given to us by God as a precious gift. Not because we were worthy or deserved it, but because God loved us so much.
It's why I like Christmas. We give gifts to each other, not because of what the other person has done for us, but because we love them. The gifts we give, however, are perishable - God's isn't. Though death tried, Jesus overcame that as well - and we no longer need to fear death.
But, back to Isaiah 9:6. While reading it, I noticed the translation put a comma between wonderful and counselor. It changes the dynamic of that sentence, that one comma. I am not a theologian or a biblical scholar - so I don't know which translation would be correct. My belief is that in the grand scheme, that it doesn't change my understanding (flawed and limited) of who Jesus is. But, today, I marvel at something I never noticed before - that one comma.
Jesus is Wonderful - with a capital W. Think about that and what that means? It's not just an adjective for something else. Not a wonderful athlete, a wonderful speaker, or wonderful writer. He just is Wonderful.
Wonderful in the dictionary states "Tending to excite wonder; surprising, extraordinary" Also the definition includes "surprisingly excellent; very good or admirable, extremely impressive". Those are all great definitions for Jesus - saying everything and still at the same time coming up short in describing Him, due to our limited understanding.
The first part that gets to me is the term surprising. The entire earthly ministry of Jesus was full of surprises. Definitely surprising the expectations of those around Him that had a different interpretation of Messiah. Jesus' arrival didn't come to the church elite. His arrival was proclaimed to the shepherds who would be the first witnesses, not the leaders of the temple, but outsiders that mainstream society looked down on.
Even the magi, who may have been astrologers or sorcerers saw fit to bow in the presence of Jesus. Jesus was definitely full of surprises. Look who his disciples were, not exactly the learned or elite of society. His message was not what was expected and still is not. Who wants to be the least? Who wants to be a servant? Who wants to love their enemies? But, this is what Jesus preached. People were expecting a Messiah to overthrow the Romans, and not the Jesus they got. Jesus surprised all.
He still does today. How many of us have stories of how the Lord has answered us surprisingly and extravagantly? I know of so many that I could fill my journal up with them. I also enjoy the definition "Surprisingly excellent" for wonderful. Think of how perfect that phrase fits Jesus in our limited understanding. Meditate on that thought today. Surprisingly excellent. Think about what that means not just at Christmas - but for each day of your life. How has Jesus surprised you? In what ways has He been excellent?
It's a hopeful message during this season. Advent is a message of hope as we await the Savior's birth. And now, we are still in an advent season as we await His return to Earth. Yet, He is still here with us as we wait - a wonderful paradox that we live in. During this holiday season, let's remember that Christmas is the beginning of something special. Another day in our walk with the Lord. Something beautiful and something wonderful. And His name is Jesus.
I wrote this in my journal on Christmas Eve 2013 down in Florida. That evening I was thinking about the meaning of Christmas. I know what it means to me and I have seen what it means to others. For some, they bemoan the over commercialization that has come with the holiday and how it has strayed from the purpose. Others are cool with it. Some get nostalgic, remembering past Christmases with fondness and sharing warm memories.
I was looking at Isaiah 9:6 tonight and came upon an interesting insight. It reads "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 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace". I have heard and read this passage many times over the years. All of them wonderful descriptions of who Jesus is. All of these roles, each one, has been a factor in each of our lives. He has been a wonderful counselor, a mighty God, and a Prince of Peace in my life. He was given to us by God as a precious gift. Not because we were worthy or deserved it, but because God loved us so much.
It's why I like Christmas. We give gifts to each other, not because of what the other person has done for us, but because we love them. The gifts we give, however, are perishable - God's isn't. Though death tried, Jesus overcame that as well - and we no longer need to fear death.
But, back to Isaiah 9:6. While reading it, I noticed the translation put a comma between wonderful and counselor. It changes the dynamic of that sentence, that one comma. I am not a theologian or a biblical scholar - so I don't know which translation would be correct. My belief is that in the grand scheme, that it doesn't change my understanding (flawed and limited) of who Jesus is. But, today, I marvel at something I never noticed before - that one comma.
Jesus is Wonderful - with a capital W. Think about that and what that means? It's not just an adjective for something else. Not a wonderful athlete, a wonderful speaker, or wonderful writer. He just is Wonderful.
Wonderful in the dictionary states "Tending to excite wonder; surprising, extraordinary" Also the definition includes "surprisingly excellent; very good or admirable, extremely impressive". Those are all great definitions for Jesus - saying everything and still at the same time coming up short in describing Him, due to our limited understanding.
The first part that gets to me is the term surprising. The entire earthly ministry of Jesus was full of surprises. Definitely surprising the expectations of those around Him that had a different interpretation of Messiah. Jesus' arrival didn't come to the church elite. His arrival was proclaimed to the shepherds who would be the first witnesses, not the leaders of the temple, but outsiders that mainstream society looked down on.
Even the magi, who may have been astrologers or sorcerers saw fit to bow in the presence of Jesus. Jesus was definitely full of surprises. Look who his disciples were, not exactly the learned or elite of society. His message was not what was expected and still is not. Who wants to be the least? Who wants to be a servant? Who wants to love their enemies? But, this is what Jesus preached. People were expecting a Messiah to overthrow the Romans, and not the Jesus they got. Jesus surprised all.
He still does today. How many of us have stories of how the Lord has answered us surprisingly and extravagantly? I know of so many that I could fill my journal up with them. I also enjoy the definition "Surprisingly excellent" for wonderful. Think of how perfect that phrase fits Jesus in our limited understanding. Meditate on that thought today. Surprisingly excellent. Think about what that means not just at Christmas - but for each day of your life. How has Jesus surprised you? In what ways has He been excellent?
It's a hopeful message during this season. Advent is a message of hope as we await the Savior's birth. And now, we are still in an advent season as we await His return to Earth. Yet, He is still here with us as we wait - a wonderful paradox that we live in. During this holiday season, let's remember that Christmas is the beginning of something special. Another day in our walk with the Lord. Something beautiful and something wonderful. And His name is Jesus.
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