Part of a Series:
Preparing the Way
by Steve Dunn
Israel had long lived in darkness—far too long. They lived under an oppressive, occupying
power. Their own leadership—both political
and religious—had been installed by Rome and were willing participants in its
tyranny. Some out of fear, some out of
economic advantage, some out of their own desire for power, some out of a
limited and even secularized view of God.
Although they were chosen people, the pattern of
sinfulness had created a self-fulfilling prophecy of disfavor with the very God
upon whose love they needed. But help
was on the way. Help in the person of a
child, born in insignificant circumstances and unexpected surroundings. A child whose arrival had been proclaimed
long before in the words of a prophet named Isaiah.
“The people
walking in darkness have seen a great light … For unto us a child is born, unto
us a son is given.” – Isaiah 9:2, 6
The Voice
translation expresses this in words we can all understand.
The people who had been living in darkness
have seen a great light.
The light of life has shined on those who
dwelt
in
the shadowy darkness of death.
And You, God, will
make it happen. You bolstered the nation,
making it great again. You have saturated
it with joy.
Everyone in it is
full of delight in Your presence,
like the joy they experience at the
harvest,
like the thrill of dividing up the spoils
of war.
There will be a new time, a fresh start.
Hope of all hopes, dream of our dreams,
a
child is born, sweet-breathed; a son is given to us: a living gift.
And even now, with
tiny features and dewy hair, He is great.
The power of leadership, and the weight of
authority, will rest on His shoulders.
His name? His name
we’ll know in many ways—
He will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Dear Father
everlasting, ever-present never-failing,
Master of Wholeness, Prince of Peace.
His leadership will
bring such prosperity as you’ve never seen before—
sustainable peace for all time.
This child: God’s
promise to David—a throne forever, among us,
to restore sound leadership that cannot be
perverted or shaken.
He will ensure
justice without fail and absolute equity. Always.
The intense passion of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,
will carry this to completion.
Isaiah 9.2, 6-7
When God arrives on the scene, in a clear and unmistakable
way—in the person of a child whose name is called Jesus. “There will be a new time, a fresh start. Hope of all hopes, dream of
our dreams,
a child is born, sweet-breathed; a son is
given to us: a living gift.”
In Advent we focus on Preparing the Way—preparing ourselves
for his coming so we can prepare others.
Darkness has a way of creeping back into our lives, even those
of us who follow Jesus.
But the way of
stepping out of the darkness is to fix our eyes on Jesus. To realize that Jesus has come. To realize he
dwells among us shining his great light of hope. To step into the light who is Jesus.
© 2018 by Stephen L. Dunn. You have permission to reprint this provided
it is unchanged, proper authorship is cited, it is in a publication not for
sale, and a link is provided to this site or to www.drstevedunn.com. For all other uses, contact Steve at sdunnpastor@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment