December 4-8

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. - Isaiah 9:6 ESV

A Child is Born
Many of us are familiar with Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol or have seen
some version of it on TV. In the story, three ghosts of Christmas visit Scrooge on
Christmas Eve giving him much-needed insight into his miserable life. The
scariest one for me growing up, and apparently for Scrooge as well, was always
the Spirit of Christmas Future. He is a mysterious, foreboding creature, draped
and hooded, quiet and dark, never even speaking to Scrooge but only pointing
with his outstretched arm.
The prophet Isaiah tells us about “The Spirit of Christmas Future” in Isaiah 9. But
unlike Dickens, this is not a scary message. Rather it is a message of hope and
the renewal of all things in the future. Jesus coming in the form of a child was
God’s greatest gift to us.
Mary Ellen Ashcroft writes, “To get ready for Christmas, God undressed. God
stripped off his finery and appeared – how embarrassing – naked on the day he
was born. . . God could not be God-with-us if he wasn’t flesh... As evangelicals,
we have focused on the saving death of Christ but thrown out the Incarnation in
our Christmas wrappings. As we cover God with Christmas, we hide what is most
distinctive about Christianity. And this is the tragedy: What many don’t know
about Christianity is that God has chosen to identify with their pain, their
humanness, their flesh. (“Gift Wrapping God,” Christianity Today)

Reflection
The kids choir helped us kick off our Christmas season at Second Baptist. What
about their childlike faith stood out to you the most?

Praise/prayer
Praise God for the future hope that is represented by the birth of Christ. Ask God
to help you remain hopeful amid the business of Christmas.

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. - Isaiah 9:6 ESV

He Shall Be Called
An aptronym is when someone’s name and occupation line up perfectly. It’s
when what they’re called describes what they do. Here are some examples: Dr.
Bowser - Veterinarian, Roy Grout - Bricklayer, Dr. Whack - Chiropractor, Dan
Druff - Barber, Dr. Pullen - Dentist, Otto Nogo - Mechanic, Dr. Smiley -
Orthodontist, Sonia Shears - Hairdresser, Dr. Whitehead - Dermatologist, and Dr.
Smellsey - Podiatrist.
As the prophet Isaiah describes the first Christmas, He tells us about the Names
of Jesus. There are 256 names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and
this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express.
Missionary E.A. Ruskin wrote, “The beauty and the fullness and the magnificence
of His matchless person cannot be expressed by just one name.” Each name
unlocks an aspect of His attributes and a portion of His personality.

Reflection
Sunday, Pastor Jim kicked off our Christmas series, “He Shall Be Called.” How
did your parents choose your name? What is your favorite name for God and
why?

Praise/prayer
Praise God for the attribute of His Name that means the most to you. Ask God to
show you how you can live out a good reflection of your favorite name for Jesus
today.

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. - Isaiah 9:6 ESV

Wonderful
Anne Lamott has a nice book on prayer called Help, Thanks, Wow. "Wow," she
says, "is often offered with a gasp, a sharp intake of breath, when we can't think
of another way to capture the sight of shocking beauty or destruction, of a
sudden unbidden insight, or an unexpected flash of grace. 'Wow' means we are
not dulled to wonder. We click into being fully present when we're stunned into
that gasp … 'Wow' is about having one's mind blown by the mesmerizing or the
miraculous."
That's what it means to say that this child to be born—this son to be given,
named Jesus—is a wonderful counselor. He reveals God's wonder-filled wisdom
for the world, and it causes us to say, "Wow!" His plans blow our minds;
mesmerize us with the miraculous; show us shocking beauty, and unexpected
flashes of grace; cause us to gasp, with a sharp intake of breath, and say,
"Wow!"

Reflection
Wonderful means something is far beyond the ordinary and that it is altogether
unlike anything else. We say that Yellowstone Park, Niagara Falls, and the
Grand Canyon are wonderful because there is nothing else like them. What
makes Jesus wonderful to you? What makes Jesus unique to you?

Praise/Prayer
Praise Jesus for His uniqueness. Ask God to allow you to experience His “wow”
today.

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. - Isaiah 9:6 ESV

Counselor
The story is told of two bums sitting together on a park bench. One of them said
to the other, "I'm a man who never took advice from anybody." The other said,
"Shake my hand, old buddy, for I'm the man who followed everybody's advice."
The problem for many people is they will not listen to words of wisdom. For
others, they are listening to the wrong voices or they heed too many voices.
(Pastor Life)
The title “Wonderful Counselor” literally means “a wonder of a counselor.” The
word “counselor” means “to advise, counsel, purpose, devise, and plan.” It refers
to Jesus’ role as the leader and guiding force in our lives. He is wonderfully
qualified for this job. Jesus’ teaching was wonderful. It was wonderful for the way
in which He taught; for its simplicity and clearness, and adaptation to the
individual. It is said that the common people heard Him gladly, and this shows
that they understood what He said.

Reflection
Jesus knows all the needs of your heart, He knows how to answer those needs,
He knows what's best for you, He knows how to solve your problems, and He
gives you wise counsel. Where do you most need to experience Jesus as the
“Wonderful Counselor” in your life right now?

Praise/Prayer
Praise God for His perfect wisdom. Ask God to give you the wonderful counsel
you need today.

This also comes from the Lord of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent
in wisdom. - Isaiah 28:29 ESV

The Gift of Wisdom
One year, a man decided to buy his wife a different gift for Christmas. He
decided to purchase a cemetery plot as a Christmas gift for her. The wife thought
it was quite strange but she figured: “At least we won’t have to buy one when the
time comes.” So the next year came around and the husband did not buy her a
gift at all this time. When she asked him why, he replied, "Why should I? You
didn’t use the one I gave you last year?”
One of the gifts of Christmas, from God, was the gift of wisdom. The question is,
“Are you taking advantage of that gift or have you left it under the tree?” James
1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God who gives to all men
generously and does not withhold and it will be given to him.”
Men today search for wisdom, they search for answers, they search for the
meaning of life, they search for solutions to their problems, they go to
psychologists, psychiatrists, analysts, and counselors. they read books, they try
everything, they seek demons, they never get any help, and the Word of God
says, are you looking for a Wonderful Counselor? I offer you Jesus Christ, the
Son of God. And yet it's a strange thing men continue to reject and ignore Him.

Reflection
Have you applied anything God challenged you with from this past Sunday’s
service? What have you done in the last year that was led by God-given
wisdom?

Praise/Prayer
Praise God for His Christmas gift of wisdom to you. Ask God to help you use the
gift He has given you.