A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us

 This week's verses are Isaiah 9:2-7:

The people walking in darkness
see a bright light;
light shines
on those who live in a land of deep darkness.
You have enlarged the nation;
you give them great joy.
They rejoice in your presence
as harvesters rejoice;
as warriors celebrate when they divide up the plunder.
For their oppressive yoke
and the club that strikes their shoulders,
the cudgel the oppressor uses on them,
you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat.
Indeed every boot that marches and shakes the earth
and every garment dragged through blood
is used as fuel for the fire.

 
For a child has been born to us,
a son has been given to us.
He shoulders responsibility
and is called
Wonderful Adviser,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
His dominion will be vast,
and he will bring immeasurable prosperity.
He will rule on David’s throne
and over David’s kingdom,
establishing it and strengthening it
by promoting justice and fairness,
from this time forward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will accomplish this.

If you read these verses slowly and let your mind chew on them for a bit, I can guarantee it will forever change the way you look at a nativity scene. I've divided them into two chunks based on the end of the old way of things and the beginning of the new. The second bit is better known as lyrics in Handel's Messiah, so we've probably trained our brains to ignore their meaning.

When I bought my house, I hung a giant print of Van Gogh's "The Sower with Setting Sun" to decorate my living room. 

The painting is mesmerizing. I wasted huge chunks of time staring at it. But after awhile, it became part of the background. I realized one day that I had gone months without seeing it, even though it had been there the whole time. We get used to things, and I think it's the same way with the story of Jesus' birth.

We've been around this picture our whole life: Pageant plays in childhood where kids dress up as shepherds and sheep. Little nativity scenes that get taken out and put on the table around Christmas. Greeting cards on the same theme. It becomes the spiritual version of elevator music. We're aware of it, but it no longer captivates us. We forget what a really big deal it is.

The child in the nativity scene isn't just some cute baby. He's the most amazing  thing that has ever happened in human history. He's a bright light to conquer darkness. An end to oppression. Someone who shoulders responsibility.

"Wonderful Adviser" is meant in the military sense, as in someone who can guide us to victory. "Everlasting Father" is also a kind of military term, kind of like George Washington being the father of the US. Kings would refer to themselves as the father of their people. It represents someone who takes responsibility for caring and providing for them. 

And "Prince of Peace" is not meant in the sense of appeasement. It's not a sign of weakness. The context is as someone who ensures peace through overwhelming victory, kind of like how the Romans achieved Pax Romana. People didn't make peace with the Romans because they were pushovers; they made peace because the alternative was to be utterly destroyed. Look at Carthage, or what's left of it.

In that context, the nativity scene is almost sinister and frightening! No wonder people were trying desperately to kill Jesus before he fulfilled his destiny. They sensed who he was. He was going to change everything.

Because of Jesus, we no longer have to suffer the eternal consequences of our actions. We're no longer oppressed by sin. Even death has no permanent consequences for us, because of Jesus' victory on the cross. The amount of power he has is nearly beyond what we are capable of imagining. To have the kind of access to him that we do is unprecedented.

This child is no ordinary child. He is God himself, given to us as a gift. His birth and what it means is as overwhelming as being caught in floodlights on a dark night. You can't ignore it. It changes everything. Don't let the nativity scene just be background music to your gift-giving celebration. Be in awe. It should hold our full attention.