Wonder Upon Wonder | Advent 2022: The Wonder of Peace

Well, good morning. If you haven't met, my name is

Austin and I'm going to be continuing our Advent Series

today with the theme of peace. And you may have noticed if

you've been here for the last few weeks that are our sermon

themes of parallel, the difference candle lighting, and

that's been on purpose and this week's going to be no different

as we set, aside, this time, these four weeks of the Advent

season leading up to Christmas day, to add these kind of unique

elements to our gathering. Like the candles and That's kind

of like Christmas songs. We've been singing after the

candles to draw the attention to the the themes of joy and peace

and hope and love. And it's not that these these

things are less important, right?

The other 11 months of the year, but we kind of take this special

time to to let them immerse ourselves in them and to be

formed by them, especially as we remember the birth of Christ and

look forward to his coming again.

And so as we get into the idea of peace and Isaiah 9 as Nicole

just read this. Morning.

We see this image of a prince of peace and I was kind of

wondering like, wonder what is it?

That maybe comes to your mind when you imagine a moment of

Peace. Like what for you is a peaceful

moment or what does a peaceful day look and feel like when you

think about it in your mind what does a world at peace?

Look like that could be something that's so impossible

to even imagine what a world at peace would look like or what

would a person who embodies peace if you like, we over all

have our own images of what peace could or should be like

whether in our lives and our world and our relationships.

And these, you know, they can be so complex and multifaceted and

there's it's really hard to even agree over where to start.

If you're trying to like, do a work of Peace, like where do you

even begin by pursuing peace. The song.

We just sang O. Come O come Emmanuel.

It says in that last verse we sung.

Oh Come desire of Nations bind in won the hearts of all

mankind. B are sad division cease and be

our king of peace. And so this song, it kind of

portrays this idea of unity. Kind of the piece as unity in

the end of Divisions. The end of conflict, replaced by

a shared love for this king of peace and while piece, right?

It does in fact in count this, what would kind of be the idea

of the absence of War or conflict?

The Bible also points to the presence of something different

something. Far better in its Ace, it's not

just the absence of conflict. We're going to get into what

that the presence of that other thing is today, um, before we

get into that kind of what the big picture of peace is in the

scriptures, I want to spend a few moments look, make some

observations from our our text and Isaiah 9:2 kind of set the

Isaiah 9:2

foundation for that. So I'm going to read it again.

Force verses 6 and 7 from Isaiah 9, they say for to us a child.

Is born to us. A son is given and the

government will be on his shoulders.

He will be called, wonderful, counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting father, Prince of Peace, and of the greatness of

his government and peace. There will be no end.

He will reign on David's Throne over his kingdom establishing

and upholding it with Justice and righteousness from that time

on and forever. The Zeal of the Lord Almighty

will accomplish this Let's just take a moment to pray, so we get

started here. We're grateful that you have

revealed yourself to us or that you've made these promises to

come on, our behalf to give yourself as our peace and learn

to pray this morning as we explore that more, Lord, that

you and your peace would reign in our hearts more and more will

be formed of more into people of Peace.

People who resemble you to the world.

Praise in Jesus name. Amen.

Verse 6, it opens with a this image of a child or a son.

That is born and given to us. And I feel like the emphasis

with this is kind of the to us. It's the way that the the text

is constructed a kind of double emphasizes that this child is

born for us on our behalf that this isn't just going to be a

child that's born for the benefit of one person or one

family, or even just forgot himself.

But that this child is given for all of the people and in this in

Isaiah's audience, raise the people of God.

And then it says that the government will be his burden to

bear. And I think normally the word

government kind of maybe draws up a different image, but the

normal kind of way that this is often stated is the kingdom.

I think of the kingdom of God and it's kind of his government.

We see references to that in verse 7, as well that the rule

of the kingdom is going to be placed upon this child.

And the greatness and the increase.

The abundance of his kingdom and his peace will have no end.

And as have no end phrase, it indicates both like time as like

a temporal, no end and the spatial know.

And so there's no time or space limits or end to the rain and

the abundance of this Kingdom of Peace.

Eugene Peterson says it like this.

He says, his ruling Authority will grow, and there will be no

limits to the wholeness that he brings.

And over seven continues. It says that this this child

will reign on David's throne and this alludes to God's promise

that the Redeemer of Israel would come through the line of

King David and he'll establish it and uphold it.

He'll sustain it in Justice and righteousness, both with just

laws and systems and regulations.

But then also the administration of that Justice in the kingdom

and those judgments. And so from this time forth,

it's literally from now until forever, it's much more Or

direct and like this time forth and forevermore sounds kind of

like, what is he saying? It's like now and forever

beginning now and Lasting always.

And then it's the Zeal or the jealous love of God, himself

that will, cause this great work to happen.

The giving of the child to his people.

The establishment of a kingdom of peace and Justice.

And righteousness, that is eternal and immovable.

It's a pretty like epic statement, right?

Like a pretty ambitious plan that there's going to be a

child. Born to establish a kingdom of

peace, and Justice, and righteousness, that's Eternal

and immovable. As with all that in mind, that

it's not too hard to make the connection and the jump to the

birth of Jesus and the Christmas story.

There's a literal child born now, just for Mary and Joseph,

not just for God. But for all the people, the

angels, and the Shepherds that you maybe think of in the, in

the manger nativity scene, the Angels, say to the shepherd's,

they say, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for

all the people today in the town of David.

A savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Christ,

the lord And and so this child whose birth, we celebrate some

2,000 years later at Christmas time.

Here is the same child that Isaiah is talking about seven to

eight hundred years before his birth.

It's this gift from God freely given to us.

For each of us that we would know true, peace and True

Justice and true righteousness that we might live under the

rule and the Dominion of his government, his kingdom above

all other powers and kingdoms and governments that are loyal

to He would be to him first and then we will become with him

Heirs of this eternal Kingdom. That can't be moved or shaken.

As opposed to this child who we now know about even Twenty Eight

centuries later after Isaiah's words that we know to be Jesus,

that this kind of collection of titles is given to the wonderful

counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting, father, and Prince

of Peace as with any good, you know, robust meaningful name.

I feel like nowadays, like most of our names, maybe have some

meaning in them, maybe like, your parents had some sort of,

like, thought around I named you Kayla.

Because I was a big fan of Caleb from the Old Testament.

Mentor or maybe not though maybe I mean it's sometimes like my

name is Austin and my mom will definitely listen to this.

And I'm not I don't know that there's any I'm not sure there's

any particular connection. She's not she's not a big fan of

Texas or something but you know sometimes you just have a name

and it doesn't actually mean anything but you know some.

But anyway these names these names have a lot of meaning and

we don't always like think about what they are, right.

We just kind of like gloss over. It's a list.

It can be easy to just be like oh yeah.

Wonderful counselor. Mighty God got it, got it.

Even the name Isaiah, write the name.

Isaiah means Yahweh has saved. We just like breeze, right over

that and that's like a huge theme of the book.

That's a lot of what he's talking about.

Yeah. So we're going to kind of take a

deeper dive onto these four names here because if you've

been around Adventure Christmas for a while, you just kind of

like oh yeah I like these. I'm used to these.

So we're going to look at each of them.

In first is is wonderful counselor?

And I thought this one was most notable for us because The theme

of our series is is wonder wonder upon, wonder is kind of

the thing we've been looking at and this one literally includes

the word wonder. And another way to put wonderful

counselor is to say Wonder planner like one who literally

like plans and advises and councils works of Wonder,

Isaiah, he reiterates the steam multiple times throughout the

book and ideas that God is is one who effectively designs and

implements plans with a purpose. He does marvelous wondrous works

in the earth and not the least of which Right is coming up with

an X executing. This idea of humanities

Redemption through a manual through God With Us through the

Incarnation of God as Flesh and Blood like us.

So this aspect of who God is the wonderful counselor, the Wonder

planner is one that the child of Isaiah 9 is going to reveal to

us about who God is. And we'll look at A little bit

later, the idea of this, this Wonder plan that God in Acts

through the lens of peace. And the next its Mighty God and

this one in Italy is a little bit more straightforward.

Like Mighty God means Mighty God, right strong God.

God who is full of Mighty? He's mighty warrior and it's

notable here though. That the the child is going to

be called Mighty God. It's this kind of seed of an

idea of the Incarnation here that there's going to be a

child. A literal person who will be

God, that God is perhaps going to become a person.

It's the seed of, of this, this wonderful plan that he has.

Then it moves on to Everlasting father and I think we're really

familiar with with the idea of God as father because Jesus

talks about God, is the father. And so it's like pretty familiar

to us now. But at the time like kind of in

Old Testament, Jewish spirituality father was not like

a way that like the people connected with God, they're

definitely something that's been the latched onto since Jesus,

and for good reason, but the concept writes that it's not

foreign to the Old Testament, but it's not this real Central

image of who God is we see here again this seed form of what the

child is going to reveal about God that he is a father to his

people and not just the father, but an eternal father forever.

Father, a father, who will never abandon or leave his children.

And then finally get to the prince of peace and that first

word prints, right? It could be Chief Captain

Commander leader and it connects to that idea of a mighty mighty

God that and idea of the Lord of hosts that unlike the princes

and the commanders and the rulers of the world.

There is this Commander who will bring peace and wholeness and

Isaiah. And his time in like the eighth

Century, BC is writing during the time of the Assyrian

conquest of Israel there. Man, trying to conquer the

Northern Kingdom of Israel. And in that context, there's

this sharp contrast right between the princes of the

Assyrians, who are making War across the entire region.

And in this Prince of Peace, who's going to come and bring

wholeness, And so this brings us to the place where we can go

into like a deeper dive into the theme of peace.

And I feel like this is something that I get more

excited about then like most things.

I'm like peace is one of like the things I feel really excited

about Watson. My two-year-old his middle name

is Shalom, which is the Hebrew word for peace that will be

talking about. So this I'm into this that might

not come through. I'm not always like the most,

you might not feel that but true, it is true.

So keep that in your head if you can Feel it anyway.

So throughout the word Old Testament, the word for peace is

Shalom and the most basic meaning of Shalom is wholeness

or completeness. So when we hear the word peace,

any time it pops up in the Old Testament and in the new as

well. This idea of completion and

wholeness and it can refer to something kind of this image of

a stone or a brick that has a perfect shape without any cracks

or fissures in it or on a bigger scale, right?

A wall of bricks that has no Cracks, there's no missing

Stones. It's a perfectly full wall, no

gaps. I started to get something more

relevant to today than a brick wall, which none of us have

probably ever built. The pumpkin pie, you made a

Thanksgiving when it's complete. You've made it.

You've baked that you've put in all the ingredients and nobody's

cut into it yet. It's in a state of wholeness in

a state of shalom. Sweet potato pie, if that's the

yeah, if that's if that's your, if that's your jam.

So Shalom is something that is complex, right?

It can see, it contains a multiplicity of Parts like a

pumpkin pie, right? You've got a lot of ingredients

or simplify and, but at the same time it's in a state of

completeness and and finished wholeness And so that's why

defining piece just as simply the absence of conflict is

insufficient because it also insinuates this presence of

wholeness this presence of fullness.

So in the beginning, when God created the first human beings

and he puts them in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and care

for his creation, we know then that the entire creation was in

this state of Shalom. The it was whole, it was

complete things were the way that they were intended and

meant to be. it was indescribably complex, right,

full of moving parts and atoms and molecules and relationships

and situations and creatures to be named work to be done and at

the same time, it was flourishing and whole the way it

was meant to be But then when Adam and Eve sinned there was a

like a catastrophic rupturing of the Shalom.

That was present. It was no the creation is no

longer whole or completes the way it was meant to be the

Shalom breaks down and these deep cracks and fissures run

rampant throughout the totality of creation.

And we experienced today, still the effects of the Wasps of that

shalom, in the garden. And every moment of our lives,

in every area of our world were surrounded by the loss of that

piece. And so that original piece that

creation was made for has been broken.

And as an absence of it, it shapes our experience in the

world but graciously guy didn't abandon his creation.

He didn't leave us to the unmitigated effects of the loss

of this Shalom. He promised from the very

beginning that he would launch this plan.

This Wonder plan perhaps to restore Shalom to his creation

as his character as this wonderful counselor, the Wonder

planner it kicks into gear and Although life is we experience

that no longer is whole or complete we learned from the

scriptures that God is and has constantly been working to

restore this wholeness to his creation, into our world into

our lives. And so their scripture, after

scripture starting in Genesis 3, when that Shalom has broken and

all the way to Revelation, 20 to that speaks to God's desire to

see, Holmes returned and renewed in his creation and in his

people and in the world. And so from Isaiah's image of

this coming Prince of Peace. There's the prophet, Micah is

image of a Shepherd who's going to stand and Shepherd the people

of his flock in peace. As they has another vision of

all, the peoples of the earth beating their swords in their

weapons of war into plowshares into tools of cultivation and

gardening. And then there's the Psalms

talking about the longing for the coming of righteousness and

Justice and peace to meet together like a kiss.

The story of the Old Testament arcs towards and Longs for the

coming of peace and shalom. Umm, from God himself, the

things might, once again be whole and complete as they're

supposed to be, we can all probably agree, right?

That if it would be quite a wondrous work to see the world

at true. Peace and wholeness.

As we come to the Christmas story again and we come to the

birth of Jesus. We see from the gospels at the

birth of this promised. Child is a continuation in a

fulfillment of the promise of God to restore peace.

The song of Mary in Luke 1 is this testimony to the

restoration of Shalom that guy's going to bring through her

promise, child the song of Zechariah.

Also in Luke 1, it's a declaration that the salvation

that God brings will restore peace to the Earth and guide our

feet. feet into passive peace and then when the Angels

appeared to the Shepherds like we already said they announced

that there's this good news of great joy for all the people and

then they say glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace

to those on whom his favor rests The birth of this promised child

is directly and like inextricably linked with the

arrival of Peace. The restoration of Shalom, the

Revival of wholeness, and flourishing in his creation.

And so then in our records of Jesus life and his ministry,

right? He talks about the giving of his

piece to his followers as a gift.

He greets his disciples after the resurrection.

He says, peace be with you on multiple occasions.

And in a surprisingly, right? The authors of the New

Testament, pick up on this thread.

And their writings acts 10 talks about the good news of peace

through. Jesus Christ, Romans 5.

It declares emphatically that we have peace with God through our

Lord Jesus Christ. And I we can like gloss over

that. Like oh peace with God.

Like that sounds good. But like it's this, it's a

wondrous thing to have peace with God because it means a

restoration of that, Shalom, the Adam and Eve lost, and he's a

restoration, has occurred between God and man.

And the Apostle Paul says that Jesus actually is that PC is

that Shalom between God and Humanity.

He's the restoration of that. So there's this renewed

wholeness that we can have relationship with God because of

the death and resurrection of Christ.

And then not only is Shalom restore between like Jesus and

Humanity between us and God. But God is also restored, it

within Humanity itself, both like the horizontal plane and

the vertical plane in Ephesians 2.

Paul says that Jesus himself is our peace and he has destroyed

the dividing wall of hostility his creative one, Humanity in

place of to making peace and reconciling us, both to God

through the cross. So Jesus restores, the peace

between God and Humanity. But he also restores the peace

between humanity and Self and the effects of this Wonder plan

of God, right of this promised child of Peace there.

They're incredibly more vast than we often think, and then it

turned Jesus calls his followers to go out and spread that peace

to spread the Shalom into the world were commissioned to

create peace in the world. The church is to be United in

the bond of Peace. Jesus says, that blessed are the

peacemakers. We sung that in the song this

morning blessed are those who make and create, shh, Shalom,

for they will be called children of God.

So becoming people of peace. That means participating in the

life of Jesus and living with humility and patience bearing

with one another's in love, it's much more than just seeking the

absence of conflict in our relationships and in our world

but it's working towards the presence of true flourishing and

wholeness in our world. And so finally the lasting image

of Shalom that the New Testament leaves us with is in the Book of

Revelation. And there's this beautiful

glimpse of the picture of the fullness of this plan.

Worked out, right? Like we see it in part now, in

Christ, we're still waiting for the fullness of that to come in

a second Advent. And so, there's this picture in

Revelation of what it will look like when it's fully restored.

It's this great multitude. That no one can count from every

nation and tribe and people and language standing before the

Throne and before the lamb and saying and worship salvation

Belongs To Our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb.

And there's this Vision at the end of revelation of the coming

kingdom of God, it coming down out of heaven, and God dwelling

amongst his people. And it says that his they will

be his people and God himself will be with them as their God.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there will

be no more death or Mourning or crying or pain for the old Order

of Things has passed away. There's this final vision of the

full and Total Restoration of Shalom.

That was lost in Eden restored, in Jesus and will be completed

in his second Advent. So, the story of God, the story

of his Wonder Works in the world, is a story of Peace, the

word of created and piece, created and wholeness that piece

being lost catastrophically. But in wrecked by sin, and this

wondrous plan, initiated to restore that piece and

ultimately, that kind of plan being accomplished by this

promised child, who would be called The Prince of Peace, who

we now know to be Jesus, this piece breaking into the world.

Now, through his people living out of his kingdom, and then

this coming, Out of a true and total peace and wholeness, and

flourishing to the fullest extent in the kingdom of God.

I suppose this amazing story that God has written now, and

not only has he written it and is he working it out?

But he invites us to have a part in it.

It's not just like, this is a story of God and he's doing his

thing and we're just, like, roaming around like, oh, that's

nice. One day that will be cool, but

he invites us to join our lives and join our stories into his.

He desires for each of Our Lives.

To play a fundamental and essential part in his eternal

story of peace. And for our lives to be

permeated by his peace and to live out and spread that piece.

Now, we're not asked to be the prince or the princess of Peace,

but we are called to be peacemakers beacons of Shalom,

people who spread his wholeness and flourishing in our spheres

of influence, our front lines of work and family, and our

neighborhoods. So my question is, like, what

would it look like for you to be a peacemaker?

This Christmas to be a beacon of the Shalom of God.

This Advent to bring a little bit of wholeness and flourishing

into the world around you this week.

But the same time, right? We can't spread something that

we don't have and where is it? That you need to experience

God's peace for yourself. Where do you need his wholeness

to speak into your life? Is there somewhere that you want

to ask God to bring you peace and wholeness?

Is there a work of wonder that you would ask God to do in your

life? I want to say like I've got can

plan Wonders on the scale of like the cosmic level here.

He's more than capable of planning the mill, working them

out in our lives. So maybe there's a situation

that you've lost. Hope on maybe there's some fear

anxiety, that just dominates your thoughts, your actions, and

I would encourage you just dare to ask God, to do something,

wonderful there to ask him to do something with it.

He's the Wonder planner, he's the Mighty God, he's the

forever, father, the Prince of Peace, ask for his great and

restorative piece to invade, and permeate your life and your

relationships and your thoughts, We also trust that God has

wonderful plans for how he wants to use this community that we

call reality Boston, to bring his peace and Shalom into our

city. We're praying and seeking ways

to be. I mean, if you've been here,

you've been hearing about, it tangible ways, to be tangible

blessings to the people and communities that we overlap

with, like, the school. Praying for ways, that God will

open up doors to spread the wonders of his peace, and his

hope, and his love, and his Joy. I want to close just with the

final promise from Isaiah that can anchor us, anchor Us in the

hope and peace of Jesus as we contemplate the gift of his son

Isaiah 54 10 says for though the mountains May depart and the

hills be removed, my steadfast love shall not depart from you.

My Covenant of Peace shall not be removed says the Lord who has

compassion on you So I fly what this is saying to us is that

though the circumstances of Life, they're going to rise and

fall seasons are going to come. And go storms are going to blow

and be still for the steadfast loyal.

Love of God will not depart, he's not going to abandon you.

He's the forever father and his Covenant of Peace ratified by

the death and resurrection of his son.

Jesus is not going to change, just not going to be removed.

Revoked or rescinded, for anything, it will remain.

N /, you pronouncing, you clean, and holy and whole God's Own his

beloved. This guy whose heart beats with

compassion, for all of us. These for you, if he's for all

that he has made and God has compassion on all that he has

made a men, ran, let's pray.