Advent Reflections 2020: Isaiah's Titles for Jesus - 2: Mighty God

For our Advent reflections this year we're going to look at the titles Jesus is given in Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 9:6 “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 Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

“Unto us is born a son, unto us a child is given” Isaiah proclaims, and the question is who is this child?  Isaiah has already prophesied the birth of a son in 7:14 - “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” and the word translated 'virgin' could simply mean a young woman.  In 8:3 Isaiah marries a prophetess who gives birth to a son who might be the immediate fulfilment of this prophecy.  However, the deeper meaning of the prophecy is brought out in 9:6.

We saw last week how the son is to be a 'Wonderful Counsellor' which could be applied to a great human.  If you think about some of the famous figures in history, there is often something about them or their lives which inspires wonder, and thousands of memes spread wise words that have been spoken through the ages.  However the next description of the son leaves us in no doubt about who he is: he is the 'Mighty God'.

There is no distinction to be made here between Jesus as the 'Mighty God' and YHWH / Jehovah as the 'Almighty God' as if Jesus were some sort of demi-god or a lesser deity.  This is because YHWH (the personal name for God in the Old Testament identified as the one Creator God and the God who made a covenant with Abraham and his family) is also called 'Mighty God' in Isaiah 10:21 and Jeremiah 32:18.  So the 'son' is clearly identified as equal to the one Creator and covenantal God YHWH, and here we have another reference to a plurality within the Godhead, which eventually comes into focus in the doctrine of the Trinity.  Therefore, 'virgin' is an appropriate translation, not only because the word refers to a young, unmarried woman who in those times would have been a virgin, but also because a virgin giving birth points to the unique nature of the 'son' as both human and divine.

The name 'Mighty God' has overtones of powerfulness and strength particularly in battle, and this reminds us that Jesus didn't just come to do miraculous deeds, or give amazing teachings, but that he came to fight the spiritual enemies of sin and death.  The contrast between a weak, helpless baby and a conquering warrior is one that is so great that many people will separate the baby Jesus from the adult 'Jesus Christ' – they are happy to celebrate his birth as being a joyous occasion, but they don't want to 'buy in' to what he did as an adult.  However, in the good news of Jesus the two are inseparable: Paul tells us “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15) and Jesus himself said that he came to give his life as a ransom (Mark 10:45).  The way he saved sinners is by defeating sin and death through his death on the cross (Colossians 2:13-15).

To acclaim Jesus as the Mighty God is to remind ourselves that there is no greater power in heaven or on earth than him.  So we need not be afraid of our own failings, or death, or even COVID-19.  Turn to Jesus, the Mighty God, this Christmas and feel the power of his protection.

Advent Reflections 2020: Isaiah's Titles for Jesus - 1: Wonderful Counsellor

 

For our Advent reflections this year we're going to look at the titles Jesus is given in Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 9:6 “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 Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

The first title that Isaiah foretells for Jesus is 'Wonderful Counsellor'. Jesus is wonderful in the sense that he arouses in us a sense of wonder and awe and marvel. Unfortunately, we are so familiar with the events of Jesus' life that they lose something of that sense of wonder, but as we read the gospels we are constantly told how the reaction of the crowds to Jesus was one of amazement, not just at his miracles, but also at his teaching (e.g. Mark 1:27). It is the same as we approach Christmas; familiarity blind us to the amazing events surrounding Jesus' birth, like the angels, the star and the virgin birth itself. Similarly, we need to recover our wonder at the very coming of Jesus, how “...within a manger lies / he who built the starry skies” “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8). The most wonderful thing about Jesus is that he came to earth from his glory in heaven so that he could die to redeem us from our sins.

The title 'Counsellor' helps us to see in greater detail what Jesus does. It firstly reminds us of Jesus' place in the Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are a communion of Persons in perfect unity. The idea of them taking counsel together is a really difficult one to comprehend because we humans take counsel in order to fill in gaps in our knowledge, but God has no such lack of knowledge. The Divine 'consultation' (which we see for example in Genesis 1:26) is more a reminder that each Person of the Trinity acts freely to fulfil the Divine will. So in the Philippians quote we saw that Jesus was obedient to the Father, and in John 16:13 Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit “will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears [from the Father and the Son]” - in both cases there is the inference that the Son and the Spirit choose to act in that way. This contradicts the argument of atheists like Richard Dawkins who say that the Father commits child-abuse by sending Jesus to die for our sins. The crucifixion was the eternal plan of the Trinity for the atonement of human sin – Jesus went to his death willingly because it was his plan from before Creation! This is reflected in another way the phrase 'Wonderful Counsellor' can be translated: “Wonder-working Planner”.

Jesus' rôle as Counsellor also tells us about his relationship to us – he imparts wisdom and truth to us. But he is not just one more voice among many, he is not someone whose teachings have the same value as any other speaker – only he has the words of eternal life (John 6:68), because only he is Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:24) and Truth (John 14:6). Despite this, Jesus' words do not come to us as a divine diktat, but as an invitation to life in all its fullness and a sign that he is concerned with our welfare – whoever obeys his words will never see death (John 8:51). In these uncertain and frightening times, who better to turn to than our Wonderful Counsellor?

Grieving in lockdown

Here's my article for November:

In the church November is traditionally a month to remember loved ones that have died, and some churches hold memorial services where the deceased are remembered (though others like us hold them around Christmas time). This year, however, a lot of these services will not be able to take place, at least not in the usual way. And for a lot of people this will be very difficult.

As the lockdown started and attendance at funerals was limited, the feeling was that everything would be getting back to normal by September and we could hold individual memorial services for those who'd had limited funerals. The annual memorial service would also become an even more important part of the grieving process. Those feelings seem to be a long time ago!

Grief can be a terrible state, but the effect of the pandemic on the bereaved is immense. Not only were funerals not able to be as planned or desired, but contact with the dying loved one was often difficult or impossible and the normal human reactions of hugs of consolation etc. were discouraged. It is also difficult for those who have been bereaved in previous years: birthdays and anniversaries may have usually involved family get-togethers or visits to significant places, but this year had to marked in very different ways. The virus has claimed lots of lives, and continues to make it difficult for those who mourn.

What can we say in these circumstances? As the cold November rain falls, the threats of lockdowns continue, and the light at the end of the tunnel turns out to be a train heading towards us, is there any comfort?

When Jesus started his ministry Luke records that he gives his 'mission statement' quoting from Isaiah 61, which includes these words “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me...He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted...to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Although this first and foremost applies to those who grieve because of their sins, it also applies to grief in the usual sense. And Jesus fulfils this mission in two ways: firstly he walks with us 'through the valley of the shadow of death' (Psalm 23). Even when governments stop us gathering together and comforting each other in the usual ways, they cannot stop Jesus being present with us; and he can touch our innermost parts, our deepest hurts and longings, and he can heal them.

The second way he fulfils his mission is even more wonderful: he defeats death itself by dying and rising back to life. It is no longer a threat. It is no longer the end. Jesus lives! Death (and COVID-19) is defeated! And in the words of a hymn: “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone; because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living, just because He lives!”

Have we angered Mother Earth?

Here's my magazine article for October:

October is often a month when we think about Harvest Festivals and the natural world.  The year started (though it seems a lifetime ago!) with rallies and protests about climate change, and the rise of Extinction Rebellion, and the reminder again of humanity's rôle in looking after the world in which we live.

This has deep biblical roots which go back to the first book of the Bible in the creation story in Genesis 1 and 2.  There we learn that God is the Creator “of all that is, seen and unseen” (as we say in the Creed), and that it was good.  We also learn that after the creation of humanity, in the image and likeness of God, it became very good.  However humanity's position as the pinnacle of creation comes with responsibilities: to rule over the natural world (Genesis 1:26) and to work the ground (Genesis 2:5).  The responsibility to work the ground helps define what is meant by 'ruling over' the natural world: we're to work in harmony with it; to look after it; for the good of us and it. Thus we sometimes talk of being 'stewards' rather than 'rulers' of the world.  Unfortunately, due to the sinfulness of humanity, described in Genesis 3, we have taken that responsibility to rule over the natural world and turned it into an excuse to exploit the world's resources for our own selfish needs.  

The environmental situation was then displaced in the news by the COVID-19 pandemic, but some made a link between the two.  The need to reduce carbon emissions which was said to be impossible at the beginning of the year, suddenly became a reality as airports were shut and only essential travel in cars was allowed.  Some claimed that the world was fighting back, and that Mother Nature had created the virus in order to heal herself.  Whilst a lot of this talk was metaphorical, it shows that you only need to scratch the surface to find pagan ideas latent in our folk memory.  In many ancient belief systems the natural world was controlled by (often capricious) gods who needed to be placated otherwise they would send punishments of plague or disasters such as droughts or floods.  Supreme amongst these nature gods was the Earth goddess, and 'Mother Earth' often played the key rôle in creating the universe through intercourse with the 'Father Sky' god.

Amidst these ideas the biblical creation narrative stands out as unique.  God alone creates all that is and amongst the things it specifies that he creates are sky, water, earth, sun, moon and stars.  In ancient beliefs these were often said to be the most powerful of the 'nature gods', but the Bible tells us they are not divine at all, indeed humanity is greater than all of them.  Therefore there is no Mother Earth that we have angered and need to placate by our environmentally friendly actions.  However there is a Father God, whose love we have rejected by disobeying his commands, including to be stewards of the world.  The problem of environmental damage is ultimately a problem of human sin, not just because of our exploitation of it but because our rebellion also cursed creation (Genesis 3:17-18).  Therefore the remedy for environmental damage is a Saviour: not in the form of a Mother goddess nor an environmental activist, but in Jesus who invites us to repent of our sins and promises us his Spirit to help us to change; and at whose return all creation will be renewed.

A solid Rock amidst shifting sands

Here's my article for September:

In a world where news is instant and even daily newspapers are out of date by the time you read them, writing a monthly article a few weeks in advance is quite challenging as it's impossible to know what the situation will be when you read it. One thing COVID-19 has taught us is that things can change very quickly. And especially (at the time of writing!) when lockdown is being eased and therefore there is an increased chance that infections will rise.  The guidelines coming from the government can change almost daily.  This particularly affects those who run businesses or organisations but it also affects employees and indeed everyone.  Ever-changing guidelines and regulations can confuse and disorientate us.

In such a world, the way God reveals himself to us in the Bible comes as a great comfort. In Malachi 3:6, God says “I the Lord do not change” and throughout the Old Testament (e.g. Psalm 18; Isaiah 26:4) he is referred to as a rock – an image of security, stability and strength.  When all around us is uncertain and like shifting sands, we can rest peacefully if we are anchored on his unchanging nature.  God is often contrasted with the fickleness or deceitfulness of humanity (1 Samuel 15:29) or the fleetingness of creation (Psalm 102:25-27), which reminds us that everything (including COVID-19) will pass away.  Because he is eternal and unchanging, Peter wrote “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7) and Paul wrote “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).  So by trusting in God we have nothing to fear; neither disease, nor unemployment, nor even death.  As the hymn 'Great is thy Faithfulness' says: “There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not, as Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be...All I have needed Thy hand hath provided - Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!”

Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, confirming that Jesus is God and so his character does not change either.  Instead, Jesus is the demonstration of (as Brennan Manning says in 'The Ragamuffin Gospel') God's 'magnificent monotony', his constant attitude of relentless love towards us.  So not only is God eternal and unchanging, he is also unceasingly loving towards us.  He is not waiting for us to slip up so he can punish us, he is wanting us to realise that our sins separate us from him and repent so our relationship with him can be restored.  That is why the great truth of Hebrews 13:8 comes in the context of moral teachings – Jesus' character doesn't change, and neither do his teachings.

Sometimes we wish his teachings would change, like government guidelines on COVID do, because many of them are so out of step with the values of society.  But if God's character towards us is constant then we can be sure that his guidelines and instructions are for our benefit, no matter how much they conflict with society or our personal preferences.  His instructions are never out-of-date, primitive or not relevant today because they come from his eternal wisdom and love.  And although they may sometimes be challenging and difficult, they are given to us by him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) and who promises us life in all its fullness (John 10:10).

We're all staying for the summer holidays!

Here's my article for the August magazine:

Even though I lived in Liverpool for almost eight years, and I really like their music, and I even lived for a year on Penny Lane; I never once visited the Beatles museum.  When I lived in Durham, most of the times I went into the Cathedral I was headed for the cafe.  And although I've been here for almost nine years, I still haven't visited Gainsthorpe Mediaeval village.  And I'm sure I'm not the only person who overlooks some of the wonderful things that are closest to us.

There has been a growing trend over the past few years for 'staycations' – holidays where you stay at home but do day trips to local attractions, going to the kind of places on your doorstep that we often overlook.  This year of course staycations may be done more out of necessity rather than choice! One positive aspect of  the COVID-19 situation is that we have come to appreciate some things in a new way, whether that's because we can't live without them (e.g. the keyworkers) or because it pains us not to have them (e.g. contact with family, friends and loved ones).

For many people not being able to go to church has been similarly painful.  Doing church online has great benefits and we have learned the reality of the truth that the church is the people not the building.  We may not be able to gather in the building, but the church-as-people can still gather to worship, pray and learn together, albeit virtually.  However, as Amy Grant sang (or Joni Mitchell for those of an older generation!) “You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone” - we have come to appreciate our church buildings by being deprived of them.

We have learnt that the church-as-building is not just a venue where the church-as-people can gather. Of course we can and should pray at all times and in all places, but there is something special about praying in a place where people have prayed for hundreds of years – our prayers aren't heard more if they're said in church, but perhaps it is easier to feel that we are in God's presence there.  The church-as-building is also a sign that God is always ready to listen to our prayers.  Unfortunately, the closure of churches during this crisis has obscured this message.  But just as the church-as-building being closed hasn't meant that the church-as-people can't gather, so neither does it mean that God is no longer listening.

Now we are allowed back into our church buildings, I hope we do it with a renewed sense of gratitude for them, as well as for the people who continue to maintain them.  And if you are having a staycation this summer, perhaps you could make your parish church one of the places you visit!

God's Own Garden

This is a Guest Post by Ruth Illman (Authorised Local Minister for Broughton; Scawby & Redbourne; and Hibaldstow parishes)

Isn’t God’s created world just wonderful and glorious? This week I have watched two new kestrels calling to their parent whilst they follow and learn to hunt, last week I timed it right to watch the barn owl glide across the field and today I have spotted a stray pansy which has flowered in our lawn – a bright splash of yellow on a bed of green. A little bit of hope - how did that get there!

As I drive to church I have noticed the wonderful geraniums, the neat borders and the abundance of colour from well-kept gardens in Scawby. It all looks so colourful and tended with love and care.

My joy is however in our Church Yard at Scawby which is indeed God's own garden. It is far from pristine but it is abundant. Here for me is the cycle of rogation and harvest, planting and reaping, life cycles and natural development. I like the idea that there will always be flowers on the graves through natural growth.

To appreciate the churchyard you have to be prepared to look carefully. A pristine lawn is a work of art, a meadow or woodland is a creation.

Last year Lindsay, Carol and I counted and identified 49 different species of wild flowers between cuts, this year with longer cuts and allowing growth that number has started to increased. We plan to chart where everything is, identify the different grasses, lichens and trees and work on the insect, bird and animal life.

The plan is that the borders between the yews, the triangle of grass in front of church, under the bench and in front of the flower beds be kept short. The remainder be allowed to ‘meadow’ and kept under review. The objective is to encourage growth of wild flowers native to Scawby. Growth in the wooded area is less prolific apart from spring when we have a splendid display of aconites and snowdrops. These are usually followed by bluebells. The aim here is to increase the woodland plants by taking advantage of seeding from violets, and red and white campion growing locally.

I have noticed the graves which are visited and will make sure these are available.

A few people have mentioned the ivy and nettles to me. The ivy needs to be managed but at the moment provides ground cover and wildlife habitats, it protects seeds and it too flowers. The aim is to keep the graves stones free from it although it does protect some from further weathering. We are keeping a check on the nettles – the nettle flowers are pale green and the plant is much loved by butterflies but we don’t need it in abundance. Likewise the ground elder has its place but we need to introduce robust plants which can compete. We do not plan to introduce anything which will ‘take over’ e.g. balsam.

It would be wonderful if more people became involved. You might do a bug search, twilight bird watch, plant count, make some bug hotel’s or just realise how much of God’s creation you are missing in this wildlife haven.

Finally – our God's own Garden is a tranquil and prayerful place to sit to be at one with our maker. Enjoy.

Ruth.

[For more on this topic visit https://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/}