Isa 9:6 KJV For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
His Grace's Christmas homily: For unto us a child is born
Christmas
has become an annual sabbath; almost the only time of the year now when
families come together, friends are remembered, and the ghosts of Christmases
past are recalled, some with joy, some with sorrow. It is the one time of the
year when the church pews are full and thoughts of God enter into many homes.
Christmas infuses hope into lives of despair, and light into a world of
darkness.
But
it doesn't end conflict or cease turmoil.
Politicians
win elections by promising heaven on earth – that they will feed the starving,
house the homeless, dispel the fear, and restore hope. When, a decade later,
the electorate realises that they are still in purgatory, another swathe of
disaffected voters scorns the democratic process and declares a plague on all
their houses. The government of man is in crisis, and the heart of man is
bereft.
But this child, this Jesus, this god-man mystery – some day, the government shall be upon His shoulder.
The
deliverer is human; one of us; flesh of our flesh. He is born to rule, born to
be King, conceived of the house and lineage of David. His name is Wonderful – a
mystery of divinity in humanity; Counsellor – the oracle of wisdom; the mighty
God – the Word was not just with God, but was God; the Everlasting Father – not
the same person as the Father, but of one substance with the Father; the Prince
of Peace – bringing a peace that passes understanding.
His
Grace wishes all of his readers, communicants and intermittent guests a joyful,
peaceful and blessed Christmas.
Link to His Grace's homily plus video of verse sung by London Symphony with music from Handel's Messiah. http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/2013/12/for-unto-us-child-is-born.html
I2C 131225b Isa 9v6 pp Cranmer Handel / I2C / 1312 / Isaiah 9:6 ++Cranmer Handel
