Advent Reflection: the gift

In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, God warned the prophet, “If you don’t stand firm in your faith you will not stand at all”. In a context of great uncertainty, with enemies at the door and unfaithfulness within the house God urged Isaiah to keep his perspective. Regardless of what is happening in the world around you, God is still in control of events. So don’t worry Isaiah, don’t worry about what life might throw at you, trust God. Though powerful forces are lined up on every side, and hope is fading fast, trust God.

We live in the kind of world that despises mystery and which seeks to remove all uncertainty. Even the makers of a particular Swedish car tell us they work on the principle that there should be no forces outside our control.

But life doesn’t always play along with our aspirations. Sometimes life is impossible. It must have seemed like that for Isaiah as his people faced ruin. How would he know God was still in control.

A Reading from Isaiah 9:6,7

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

In a context of deepest gloom and utter darkness, promising complete political, social and moral collapse Isaiah promises that where darkness has fallen, a glorious light would shine. The nation’s gloom would be replaced by joy. The social collapse transformed to a divine kingship.

Seeing clearly with the prophet’s eye, Isaiah discerned that the darkness was not the ultimate reality, not the ultimate truth. He looked beyond them to the works of a faithful God and sees light and joy and victorious liberation. And all because of the birth of a child.

The prophet emphasises that the joy and celebration and freedom from darkness comes in the mere fact of the birth of this child. In the sheer simple truth of this birth all that results from it is at once achieved. Divine rule is restored, everlasting peace is secured in the birth of this boy.

And we who live this side of the incarnation can rejoice that into the chaos and darkness of this world a light shone and shines. A light that speaks of a world beyond this one. Of a reality greater than this one. A light that comes from heaven to show the way to heaven. In the bright shining birth of God’s son a kingdom of justice and righteousness is established and it will never fail.

As proof of his presence God gave Isaiah the sign of Immanuel. A child would be born who would change everything forever. In the face of great upheavals on a world stage, as kings and nations squared up to one another God’s plan for a new world order involved the birth of a child to a young, unmarried Jewish girl.

How surprising! How completely like God to do something astonishing and unexpected. God didn’t prove his presence to Isaiah by bringing a bigger army or superior technology. He did it with a helpless, dependent, squirming, crying infant. And that sign proved to Isaiah that God was on his side.

The sign of the virgin proves that God is with us and for us. It proves that he is the over-turner of impossible situations. The surprising, unexpected gift of his presence in the most remarkable of unremarkable ways, in the birth of a child.

That child is his gift to us this Christmas.

So look now. Look deeper. Beyond. Through. Behold the sign of God, the child born of a virgin. God’s mysterious gift of hope.