Recap – Focusing on the names for the Messiah in Isaiah 9. We have been reminded each week that (1) Jesus is a great disruptor. (2) Jesus is able to hold the personal and the political (3) Jesus’ message – Love God, Love Neighbor, Love Self. Last week we reflected on Wonderful Counselor as a reminder that Jesus is (1) Present, (2) Prescient (wise and all-knowing) and then (3) Patiently Prescriptive. But that his counsel comes only if you ask! Today we are considering two of the names together – Mighty God and Everlasting Father

Exegesis

I’m inclined to focus on the systems side of Jesus, so I gravitate towards these names. You can evaluate separately, but get better balance when you hold them together.

The way Isaiah phrases things is probably reflective of what he hoped for in a Messiah – a powerful and righteous head of state who would get everyone in line with God’s plan

He thinks that having someone at the top who is in control is the way to get the kind of just world that Isaiah and Israel long for – but that isn’t what God does

Key Points

The Messiah is Powerful – Everything you think of in Mighty God

Master of the Universe - Over all things

Everlasting – beyond time

And the Messiah is the Ultimate Parent – Shaping and molding us in our imperfection

God chose to be in a parental relationship with us that means God doesn’t always intervene and protect us from our consequences of our decisions

Jesus comes to live out the role of Child of God so that we can see how it is done

One of the hardest things for us to accept is the tension between an all-powerful God and a God that allows things to happen that we can’t imagine God is happy about

Jesus shows us the impact of the sinful systems we create, embodies God’s willingness to show love through vulnerability, and he is not crushed by those systems.

We want him to fight the innkeeper, Herod or Pontius Pilot. We want him to show power in the ways we recognize but he comes up against the system and is not broken!

Personal Illustration - Dec 2nd – My dad’s birthday and Joel’s birthday

Reflection Questions

Spend some time reflecting on how you want God to deal with injustice and evil in the world. What is your definition of a truly “Mighty God?” How does your concept align with today’s sermon where is it in tension?

When you hear “Everlasting Father” what do you picture? How does your earthly father or images of fatherhood affect your vision of God with this name?

This season can be a time of grief where we really wrestle with the question – God why did/do you allow this to happen? Spend some time in prayer and reflection on a place where you really wanted God to come in a fix a deeply personal or political situation.