SETTING THE CONTEXT
The people who first heard Isaiah’s prophecy were living in a state of fear. A neighboring powerful country, Assyria, was systematically conquering the entire region. Judah was the southern kingdom of the people of God. The king of their sister kingdom to the north, Israel, and another king declared war on Judah because they would not join with them to fight Assyria. This powder keg of fear and war erupted within a few years. Those northern kingdoms were conquered and destroyed and Judah became a captive to the Assyrians. This was in 722 BCE about 150 years before the Babylonian exile that we spoke about earlier this month.

There is a reference in this Scripture to “the day of Midian.” This is a story out of their Scripture referring to a battle during the time of the Judges. Gideon started to face the enemy with over 22,000 soldiers. God wanted the people to know that it was God who delivered them. Their victory was not by their own power, so God had Gideon whittle his troops down to 300 men. They faced armies of thousands by blowing trumpets and waving torches. The enemy through God’s help, scattered and ran. The entire story is told in the Book of Judges chapters 6-8. This victory through God’s help is what is referred to in those four words “the day of Midian.”

Read Isaiah 9:2-7

THE SERMON
“The people who walked in darkness” sounds very poetic, doesn’t it? It represents though a country gripped in fear and political turmoil. As we heard from the introduction of the Scripture, Isaiah spoke to people in great danger with a foreboding sense of the future. We know a little bit about that today, don’t we? It sure seems like we are a nation looking for a beacon of hope.

As Christian people, we believe that Isaiah’s prophecy came into fulfillment many generations later in the birth of Jesus the Christ. The people of that day were again under oppression by a foreign power, the Roman empire. This sign from God, Jesus whose name means “God saves”, came into being not through some mighty show of force or grand entrance, but he was born to a couple who placed their faith, their trust in God. Jesus was not born in a palace or in the Temple, but in an animal pen in a feed box. The contrast is obvious our typical understanding of “might makes right” power or being “too tough to tackle” and another way, God’s way. As George mentioned in his sermon last week and in his class, Jesus’ coming had a political meaning. The question laid before the people was “whose kingdom do you choose – Rome’s or God’s kingdom through Jesus? The emperor of Rome was also called the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, so the question was very obvious to those first followers; who are you going to place your trust in, who are you going to give ultimate authority to? Fortunately we are not occupied by a foreign empire, yet there are forces in our society and in our lives that counter God’s way and God’s purposes- greed and misuse of power (we are certainly seeing the consequences of these sinful ways), domination and exploitation of others, self-serving and selfish attitudes. The choice still lies before us, which authority are you going to serve? Our choice will demand a response from us. Will we be children of the light choosing Christ’s way of self-sacrifice and concern for the common good, in fact a greater concern for the downtrodden? Or will we remain in the darkness placing our trust in self-centered power and a “get ahead at any cost” mentality? It makes a difference in the character we embrace and the life we lead. For the last four weeks, we have been talking about the fruits of Christmas. When you choose to follow the way of Jesus, when you develop the character of Jesus, it produces fruit or tangible changes in your life. We have reflected on four of those fruits- hope, peace, joy and love. I want to define peace because the biblical understanding goes beyond our normal definition. Peace or the Hebrew word shalom means more than the absence of conflict, it means well-being, wholeness, safety, justice, fruitfulness, and prosperity.^[i] Love also has a broader meaning; it comes from the Greek word, agape, and means the kind of love that is a decision to care for and be compassionate toward another. It is more about a decision than an emotion. In a later letter from the apostle Paul, he calls these four things, as well as several others, the fruits of the Spirit, fruits of the Spirit of God.^[ii]

I swim for exercise and for time to meditate and pray. One day as I was swimming, a friend asked if I wanted help with my stroke. This friend has been a swimmer and coach for a long time and so I was eager for the advice. He told me to make one small change and I was amazed at the impact. Not only did I move farther in the water, but my breathing rhythm changed. I also started using muscles that were weak. Some of my arm muscles started screaming within a few laps. And here I thought my arms were in pretty good shape! Swimming the laps had become routine and easy, but this small change left me breathing hard and starting again with a rest stroke more often. It was amazing how one small change could impact so much. It was hard at first but I kept at it. After a few days, I asked my friend if I had it right and he offered another small adjustment that made things much easier and less painful. I am happy to say that after working at it for several weeks it has become more routine and I am back up to a normal work-out even though my arm muscles are still whimpering. It struck me that this same process is true for our lives in the spirit. We get used to being a certain way, it’s comfortable, routine. We don’t have to think about it very deeply, but if we want our lives to be better, growing and changing is essential. If we make one small change trusting Christ to help us be more like him other things will change in our lives and we will see the spirit begin to bear fruit in and through us.  Changing our character, our attitudes, or actions to be more Christ-like will not be easy, we’ll work weak “character muscles”, perhaps long held assumptions will be challenged, or we’ll be called to do something we never saw ourselves doing, but this is how God prunes us so that we grow and bear fruit.

Isaiah’s prophecy shows us that God’s action through the son is to affect this world in tangible ways: the darkness will be pierced by a great light, the nation will experience joy as in times of prosperity, God will defeat the enemy against all odds giving hope to those in despair, the horror of war will end and the people will live in shalom, peace. This baby, Immanuel (God with us) is Divine Love in tangible human form. He who comes to us as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace gives us a choice.  Who will have authority over our lives?

I invite you to receive the very first gift of Christmas, Jesus, and let him have authority over your lives. Follow him, his will and his ways, so that you might bear fruit. In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells his followers “This is how my Father shows who he is-when you produce fruit, when you mature as my disciples. I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love.”^[iii] (John 15:8-10)  This is what choosing life in Jesus means to grow from that Divine Love freely given to you.

It is helpful to have an experienced friend, like my swimming buddy, who can help you tune or even begin your journey as a Christ-follower. This is what a community of faith is about, this is part of our purpose as a church to help people grow in their faith and in their practice of being Christ-followers. We are learners and teachers on the road together seeking to grow and bear the fruits of Christmas. As I said we reflected on four of them this month: hope, peace, joy and love; there are many more as we grow and mature. This Christmas I challenge you to make one change even a small change in your habits, in your attitudes, or in your behavior to honor the vision we will hear proclaimed in the Christmas story peace or shalom on earth and good will towards all. I invite you to bear the fruits of Christmas. Amen.

Christmas Eve Sermon delived by Rev. Nancy Cushman on December 24, 2008.