Our Advent theme this season is: The Many Names of Christ as revealed to us by God through Isaiah, the prophet. Four names – one for each Sunday in Advent. And they’re all contained in one little verse.

It may seem rather strange to spend our Advent focusing on this one verse in Isaiah. After all, shouldn’t we be talking about the Shepherds, the Wise Men, Mary and Joseph?  Shouldn’t we recount the story of the angels, the brilliant star and a child born in a barn and laid in a manger?

Yea.

But you see, most, if not all of us are already quite familiar with the story of Jesus’ birth. Maybe too familiar.

The re-telling of the Christmas story often is comforting, but not … astonishing.  It is like reading “The Night Before Christmas” or “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”  We love hearing the story because it anchors us to history and tradition.

But it’s not astounding – it’s no longer amazing.  It is nice and warm, but it doesn’t knock your socks off, does it?  I think we should be amazed by this magnificent story of Christmas.

I think we need to get our socks knocked off.  But for that to happen, maybe we’ll have to take a non-traditional approach to the story. 

And one of the ways we can do that is to look at it through the lens of these four precious, God given, names of Christ. 

Last Sunday we talked about God’s gift to us in Jesus Christ, our “Wonderful Counselor” who came down to earth, fully human, born in a manger, experiencing all that we experience – and thereby knowing exactly how we feel … understanding our greatest pains and deepest sorrows.

And then because he was also fully God, we should be confident that he can know and provide what we need.

That’s pretty amazing when you think about it. It gives me warm fuzzies, but that alone doesn’t knock my socks off … not yet!  The Good News is there is more.

This week we turn our attention to the second name of the gift of Christ that’s offered up in Isaiah, this child who will be born unto us and called “Mighty God.”

Now, “Wonderful Counselor,” seems an easy fit with the serene pastoral manger scene we envision at Christmas. But “Mighty God?” 

Admittedly, that’s a little harder – after all, when the people of Israel in Isaiah’s time heard this name, “Mighty God,” being prophesied, they immediately connected it with a Messiah who would come as a great warrior.

One with great strength, skill and power over his enemies, bringing them to their knees in defeat, delivering Israel to military victory and reigning supreme on David’s throne. 

I don’t know about you, but for me, that kind of description of the Messiah seems to run head-long against everything we think of about Jesus and the Christmas story – you know:

Swords beaten into plowshares, the lion dwelling with the lamb, the baby in the manger, peace on earth and goodwill to all.

So in some very real ways, especially in a time when we are confronted daily with the realities and horrors of war, it’s kind of hard to think about needing or wanting such a gift as this – a Mighty God.

But when we take this gift in the context of how and why it was given, we begin to understand.  That’s why I chose for this morning a reading from the first chapter of Isaiah, because if you take a close look at what’s in the text, it pretty much gives us a “divine rationale” for God’s coming into the world in Christ as our “Mighty God.”

You see, what we have here is a description of Israel (and, indeed, this refers to us, too) as a people deeply flawed and in hard bondage to their own sinfulness.

These people had fallen so far away from their identity as God’s people, they barely knew who they were anymore. 

Now, this may be Advent, but the first chapter of Isaiah is not the stuff of Christmas cards: 

“Ah, sinful nation,” the prophet says, “a people loaded with guilt, wicked and corrupt!  You have forsaken the LORD; You have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned your backs on him.” 

And it gets worse:  “Stop bringing meaningless offerings!  Your incense is detestable to me . . . I cannot bear your evil assemblies . . . even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen.”

This is how it goes for six chapters! 

What becomes clear is that God’s people have fallen so far from faith that even Isaiah’s call to “reason together” and “stop doing wrong, learn to do what’s right” seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

The bottom line is that they needed someone to rescue them; to save them from themselves and their sin!

And isn’t that interesting . . . because if you look at the original Hebrew for the name, Mighty (as in Mighty God), you discover that the word is used elsewhere in the Old Testament and is translated literally … as … hero! 

It turns out, you see, that the Lord is coming to this broken, hurting people and his name will be HERO GOD! 

Hero God, the one who has come to rescue his people.  In fact, elsewhere in scripture you will see this name translated as “the Hero God, the one who brings order out of chaos” …

… One who does what is right, one who takes that which is confusing and conflicted and dark, and makes it clear and full of light.  

So right here in the very first chapter of Isaiah, we immediately see this utter contrast between how imperiled and powerless we are as people, but how incredibly powerful and mighty God is!

And here’s the best part – whereas we might think we have a load of judgment coming for having turned so far away from God; that the military might of this Messiah might well and deservedly turn against us for our sin …

…We find out that this “mighty” hero God is going to come to us … as a baby!  A tiny, helpless, crying, living, breathing, hungry infant! 

We read about it in chapter seven of Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” 

God says, yes, you are sinful; no, you haven’t returned to me as I have begged and pleaded with you time and time again; certainly, you have had ample opportunities to rend your hearts and come to me and you haven’t …

You can’t even begin to do what you need to do to live a righteous life on your own.

But my solution is not to destroy you, but to come to you and be with you . . . as a little baby! 

Can you see what an incredible gift that is? 

Even now, even with you and me, there’s this incredible gap between us and God that we can’t begin to cross on our own.

But, here’s God who, in the guise of a child, will help us cross over; will be our hero, our rescuer … This one called “Mighty God!”

Of course, there are many people in the world today who don’t really feel they need rescuing, especially from God. They take great pride in being self-sufficient; they maintain that they can manage life on their own, thank you very much, and have no need of spiritual intervention to see them through. 

Some of them, quite honestly, look to work and career, to the power they achieve or the money they earn to help make this happen.

Others base this on the size of the house or car, or amount of fun and leisure time they’re able to accumulate over the years.

And, yes, there are those who look to their families, friends, and even the church to “rescue” them, because, well, that’s what they’re there for! 

The only trouble with this kind of life, however, is that for all that you’re absolutely sure you want and all that you think you really need, even if you get it all, at the end of the day you’re just as confused and lost as when you started out! 

One of the saddest truths of human life is that there are so many who proceed with life as though they have everything that the world has to offer – and that very well may be true – …

… But what they don’t have, is what matters most, the one gift we’re offered that’s both the easiest thing in the world to receive, and yet the most difficult one to accept, because opening it means living a different kind of life than the one before.  But . . . without it, there’s no real life at all!

Paul Harvey tells the true story about a police officer, David Schaeffer, who receives a very special gift from his wife.

In fact, his wife, Terri, is so excited about this gift that she literally can’t wait until Christmas, and insists that her husband open the gift quite a few days before the holiday, early December in fact.

And, just as she hopes, he loves it! 

A few days later, Patrolman David Schaeffer, working the night shift, pulls over a speeding vehicle, and as he approaches the suspect, the driver pulls out a pistol and shoots Schaeffer at point blank range, at the stomach with a .45 caliber slug.

A few hours later, another officer knocks on the door of the Schaeffer’s home, and this officer calmly explains to Terri Schaeffer what had happened that night.

But all that Terri can think of is how glad she was that she hadn’t waited until Christmas to give David his present; she’s thinking how glad she is that she’d insisted that he open his gift right then. 

Because otherwise, having been shot at point blank range, her husband would surely have died.

But the good news was that David was now in the hospital, not because of a gunshot wound, but with a bruise.

Christmas, you see, literally came early for this family because David has this wonderful gift that his wife had given him – a bullet-proof vest. 

I think it’s safe to say that was the best Christmas gift he ever got!  (I can't resist saying it . . . "and now you know the rest of the story!") 

But here’s kind of a haunting thought, the rest of the "rest of the story," as it were: What if David had not opened the gift until Christmas, or what if he'd opened the gift, really loved the gift, even got excited about it, but insisted that he didn’t really need it, so he didn’t wear it? 

In Christ, God has presented to us a wonderful gift of his might and power. It is the kind of might that will draw us close to him when we are filled with loneliness.

It’s the kind of might that will give us strength when we are engulfed with fear; comfort when our hearts are broken; direction when we don’t know which way to turn;

It will give us courage and joy when we’ve run out of both; justice when all the world seems to have turned against you. 

Whatever our need, the one who is called our “Mighty Hero God” is able to meet that need.

But, just like a gift under the tree is just a brightly wrapped package until it’s opened … this gift of divine love, truly has to be received to be of value!

“Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given … And he shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God.”

I hope and pray that we will let what God has given us be of true value, and not let this Christmas gift go unopened.

Thanks be to God, the giver of this and every good gift!

AMEN!