- Chapters: [[Isaiah 9]] # Joy in the Darkness - According to the [[NHS]], we should all be taking daily vitamin D due to lack of light - Our hearts and souls, not just our bodies, also crave the light - Today is the shortest day of the year - Through Church history, traditionally services began with "Come, our rising sun, you splendour of eternal light, you son of justice, come! Shine, on those in the darkness in the shadow of death" - [[Jesus]] is not just vitamin D for the soul, he's the full blaze of the sun # [[Isaiah 9]] - v. 6: >  For to us a child is born,([P](app://obsidian.md/index.html#cen-NIV-17836P "See cross-reference P")) > to us a son is given,([Q](app://obsidian.md/index.html#cen-NIV-17836Q "See cross-reference Q")) > and the government([R](app://obsidian.md/index.html#cen-NIV-17836R "See cross-reference R")) will be on his shoulders.([S](app://obsidian.md/index.html#cen-NIV-17836S "See cross-reference S")) > And he will be called > Wonderful Counselor,([T](app://obsidian.md/index.html#cen-NIV-17836T "See cross-reference T")) Mighty God,([U](app://obsidian.md/index.html#cen-NIV-17836U "See cross-reference U")) > Everlasting([V](app://obsidian.md/index.html#cen-NIV-17836V "See cross-reference V")) Father,([W](app://obsidian.md/index.html#cen-NIV-17836W "See cross-reference W")) Prince of Peace.([X](app://obsidian.md/index.html#cen-NIV-17836X "See cross-reference X")) ## The Light - v. 1-2: Notice that [[Isaiah]] is using prophetic past tense - v. 1 starts with "Nevertheless" -- the light will shine despite what the people living in the darkness deserve - Context: king of [[Judah]] asks [[Assyria]] for help against northern kingdoms rather than relying on [[God]] - Pattern of human life -- we refuse to trust the [[God]] who made us, and we act in fear - Hence, the "nevertheless" here -- despite all that, the [[Lord]] promises the great light for all of us ## The Joy - v. 3: "You have increased their joy" - v. 5: equipment burned means peace is settled - An unshakeable joy is lit ## The Child - The source of the light, and the source of the joy - Description of v. 6-7 is too grand to fit any of the human kings of [[Judah]] - [[Isaiah]] promises that [[David]]'s descendant, this child, will rule the universe forever - That last point is a fairly strong criteria -- this person will need to beat death in order to do so - You would also have to be entirely good on the inside, as [[God]] wouldn't enthrone anyone who isn't - So what child is this? This human baby can't be just a human baby, and has to be more than that -- beating death and entirely good $\implies$ sharing the very nature of [[God]] - (hence the titles given in 6b) # Conclusion - We started this with a metaphor of vitamin D being good for immune system - In this case, fear is the "infection" - Come to [[Jesus]] as the cure - [[Isaiah]] is calling out a world characterized by fear, and telling them to trust in the light - The contagion of fear doesn't stop at the doors of any churches, since we all live in a world under the shadow of death - We don't know what will happen to us, but we do know that the gracious light has dawned and nothing can stop it - Let that light renew us