The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so
loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and
deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I
cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not
think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.
– Tim Keller
Hope
Isaiah 9:6
[6] For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
You’ve heard the “what” – the story of what happened some 2000 years ago, how
Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem
Let’s briefly discuss the “why”
1 Corinthians 15:56-57
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[56] The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be
to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
———————
The Unexpected Prayer
My Dear Shepherds,
The best gifts pastors get don’t come under the Christmas tree or during Pastor
Appreciation Month. This season I’m sharing the stories of some of the great gifts I’ve
received.
Jim and Evy first met Kim when she was giving out food samples at a store. They
struck up a friendship. Kim was most definitely not a Christian. In fact, she called
herself an angry atheist. But Jim and Evy invited Kim to their home and for her to
ride with them to church. She came but she was locked and loaded! She never came
off as angry, but she often dominated their Sunday School class with her questions.
Some were honest. Some were just skeptical. And quietly, people prayed for Kim.
Gradually, she warmed up. She moved from angry atheist to agnostic. Her questions
and objections just kept on coming. Months passed. Gradually she relaxed. Some
questions were answered, and others dissolved. What mattered most for Kim was
being around Christians, seeing our love for one another and for her. She liked the life
of the church family, and we liked her spunk and smile.
Someone asked her to be an usher, and with her big smile and greetings, she was a
natural. Meanwhile, God kept dropping little signs along her way—things that wouldn’t
have meant much to me but to her were divine messages. When she found a penny,
with its motto, “In God we trust,” she took it as a sign straight from God, and she
found lots of pennies.
2
When we formed a choir to sing for Good Friday and Easter, Kim joined. As we
rehearsed each week, she was internalizing the messages of the songs about Jesus’
death and resurrection. On Good Friday evening the choir met early to go over the
music one more time.
At the end of the rehearsal our director pointed at Jim in the back row, “Jim, would
you lead us in prayer?” But when she pointed at Jim, Kim, who was one row in front
of him, thought she’d been invited to pray. “I’d love to,” she said. People in the choir
glanced at one another sideways.
Then Kim prayed. She thanked God for the gift of his Son, and for the sacrifice Jesus
made on the Cross for us as sinners. She said how wonderful that was, and how
much God must love us. After her Amen, I glanced at Ric, a fellow elder, both of us
wondering what in the world we had just heard!
A few minutes later, I caught up with Kim in the hallway. “Your prayer sounded like a
Christian praying,” I said. She looked at me, paused, and said with surprise, “I guess
I am!” Somehow, there on Good Friday, in her prayer with us all listening, Kim trusted
Christ. A few minutes later she was telling others what had happened to her.
Here’s the interesting thing: no one led Kim to Christ. We all led Kim to Christ. Our
whole church preached, as did Christian friends from other churches. A couple of
weeks later, when we put out a white rose on the Communion table celebrating her
new birth, the whole church applauded the good news along with the singing angels.
I was sitting in the back row of the choir that Friday evening. I’d been in the back
row, so to speak, throughout most of Kim’s journey but the steady witness of our
church and finding a lost sheep was a gift I’ll never forget.
So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”(1 Cor.
14:25)
Pastor Lee Eclov
————————
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Colossians 1:13-14
[13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the
kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness
of sins.
_——————-
As we’ve walked through this famous passage in Isaiah 9 the last few weeks we’ve
been reminded of Who the Messiah is and what His coming means for the world
and ourselves.
Let’s think in terms of opposites for a second to help us define in our minds these
titles and descriptions of the Messiah – Emmanuel
● Peace – Opposite of conflict
● Wonderful Counselor – Opposite of worldly foolishness
● Mighty God – Opposite of weak men, a weak world or weak idols
Everlasting Father is our last title
It’s not difficult to understand what the words are telling us. No mystery or
hidden meaning here.
Everlasting – means never ending…eternal
Father – benevolent protector
4
You might see that on our screen I have the title of Hope written above the
scripture. The word hope doesn’t appear here in what we’ve read. No translation
of Isaiah 9 in Hebrew would pull out the word Hope….so how is it our last topic?
I’m glad you asked.
Hebrews 11:1
[1] Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not
seen.
Faith, hope and belief are all tied up together in scripture. Not always the exact
same meaning, but they are wrapped up like a bow or intertwined. You see it’s
not a wish, with no substance behind it. It is trusting and believing in things you
know to be true. “The conviction of things not seen”
Faith consists of persistent hope in the promises of God,
Let me put it this way. Your faith and trust and hope are only as good as the thing
you are putting your trust in.
If I get out here on the building looking at the roof and a shingle gives way
and I start to slide off I’m grabbing everything I can to not fall off the roof,
right? So as I get to the edge I grab the gutter. Now at this point it doesn’t
matter how much faith or trust or hope I have in it….I’m grabbing it….The
only thing that really matters is if the gutter will hold…..the thing that I
have hope in.
5
You see, our life is like that. My hope better be in something strong, something
that’s there. Someone who’s there. Everlasting
Colossians 1:13-14
[13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the
kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness
of sins.
Have you put your hope in things of the world? Have they let you down?
Have you put your hope in people? Have they let you down?
Have you put your hope in health or looks or influence or fame? Have they let you
down?
Those things are all fleeting parts of the wrong domain.
The right domain – the one where our Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father reigns is found here:
And here’s where our Hope resides
John 3:16-18
[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send
his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might
be saved through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but
whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in
the name of the only Son of God.
6
That’s our hope. That’s why God came to earth as a man and was born and lived
a perfect life and died on the cross and rose again on the 3rd day. To do this for
us, for you and me….. to save us.
