Look!: Isaiah’s Prophetic Words for Advent

Have you ever noticed that some of the most well-known Christmas scriptures are not in the Gospels?  “For to us a child is born, to us a child is given.”  “Look! The young woman is with child!”  “And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” “And you shall call him Immanuel”  “And the wolf will lay down with the lamb.”  If these scriptures are not from the Gospels, have you ever wondered where they did come from?  What did they mean in their original context?  What did the people think of when they first heard them?  How do we know that they are talking about Jesus?

Here are some quick answers:

• The verses above are all from the book of Isaiah.
• Isaiah was written in three phases that spans the periods before, during, and after the Babylonian Exile (over 200 years).
• It was to and for a people who were desperate and scared because the world as they knew it was ending.
• After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, early Christian leaders combed through Hebrew texts looking for clues that spoke of a spiritual messiah rather than the expected earthly king that would re-instate the Davidic monarchy and created an earthly kingdom. These texts were then taken out of their original context and were said to predict the coming of Jesus as the Son of God.
• While we know that early Christian leaders changed the meaning of these prophetic texts, we are able to consider both their original meaning and context alongside their Christian/Christmas significance.

This Advent season, I thought we would take some time to explore the details of these prophetic Christmas scriptures. Rather than focus on the joy and wonder of shepherds and angels, it seemed fitting to give space to scripture that addresses the pain, fear, and hardship experienced in the world and what it means to work towards a brighter future, even when it feels far away.

So - join me this Advent season in our worship series Look!: Isaiah’s Prophetic Words for Advent.
 
Blessings,
Pastor Chris