“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.” (Isaiah 9:6, NIV)
During this season leading up to Christmas we enter into a season of searching. We head to the malls moving from store to store in search of the perfect present to get for that special someone. We search our basements and attics for where we stored the Christmas decorations and wrapping paper the previous year. We search the cupboards and pantry for the ingredients needed for that favorite family recipe. Children are secretly searching high and low for the hidden presents to get a sneak peak before Christmas morning. This is truly a season of searching.
During this season, we at Wheatland Salem Church, embark on a search of our own. It’s a search for something more than presents or sweets; it’s a search for meaning and purpose, a search for hope and joy, a search for peace and goodness. It’s a search for the Savior.
This coming Sunday is the first day of Advent. Advent is the season that counts down the days leading up to Christmas. Advent is marked by anticipation and expectation, waiting and hoping, searching and seeking as we eagerly prepare for the coming of the Lord, the birth of the Messiah.
People for generations and generations, stretching back hundreds of thousands of years have embarked on this search. The prophet Isaiah, who wrote during the 8th century BC, gave us words to describe what it is that we’re seeking. The one you’re searching for will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Over the coming four weeks of Advent, we’ll be looking at each of these names of the Savior in turn. Each of these titles gives us a slightly different glimpse or perspective into who Jesus is for us.
First up this week, is the designation that He will be for us a Wonderful Counselor. A counselor is someone who we go to in the midst of problems or difficulties. A counselor is someone who is quick to listen and who gives advice and counsel. A counselor is someone who wants the best for us and who stands up on our behalf when the going gets tough. This week, we’ll explore the many ways that Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor as we collectively seek him during this season.
We all are in need of a Wonderful Counselor. We all are in need of a Savior. Join us this week, as we embark on our journey of searching.
“A shoot will come up form the stump of Jesse; from his roots a branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1-3a, NIV).
-Pastor Derek