Today’s Readings: Psalm 96; Isaiah 9:2-7; Luke 2:1-20; Titus 2:11-14
One of my favorite verses in all of the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament is included in today’s reading from the book of Isaiah. That verse is Isaiah 9:6 which reads: “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (NRSV). Why do I like that verse so much? I like it because it invites us to think of the expression of the Divine that we Christians know as Jesus in a variety of ways. One of my favorite ways of thinking about the Christ-child comes from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrasing of that same verse. Peterson paraphrases the word “peace” as “wholeness”. His interpretation of the verse from The Message reads: “His names will be: Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness. His ruling authority will grow, and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings” (emphasis added). I love that language because it suggests that one of the Christ-child’s purposes is to point us toward wholeness. I can think of no better descriptor of Jesus than that. This Christmas Eve I would invite you to think of your own descriptor(s) for this baby whose birth we have so eagerly awaited. Those descriptors will go a long way in determining the ways in which you relate to the Divine. Til next time…
One of my favorite verses in all of the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament is included in today’s reading from the book of Isaiah. That verse is Isaiah 9:6 which reads: “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (NRSV). Why do I like that verse so much? I like it because it invites us to think of the expression of the Divine that we Christians know as Jesus in a variety of ways. One of my favorite ways of thinking about the Christ-child comes from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrasing of that same verse. Peterson paraphrases the word “peace” as “wholeness”. His interpretation of the verse from The Message reads: “His names will be: Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness. His ruling authority will grow, and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings” (emphasis added). I love that language because it suggests that one of the Christ-child’s purposes is to point us toward wholeness. I can think of no better descriptor of Jesus than that. This Christmas Eve I would invite you to think of your own descriptor(s) for this baby whose birth we have so eagerly awaited. Those descriptors will go a long way in determining the ways in which you relate to the Divine. Til next time…
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