A friend of mine is waking up to God. Actually, it’s more like this: God woke him up. It became impossible for my friend to sleep through some personal challenges. He thought that a little adjustment would fix his life. Instead, he discovered that he needed a new life. The kind of life that only God can give. And it’s been fun to watch.
One interesting development is his new thirst for reading the Bible. He’s like a little kid who has just discovered cookies. Oh, he had sometimes read the Bible, but it was like me reading a physics book. I know it makes sense to someone, but not to me.
The Bible says that the word of God is living and active, able to penetrate the deepest part of our heart. (Hebrews 4:12) My friend had had a Bible, but now he has the word of God, living and active in him. He can’t believe what he is learning about God and about himself. It’s like he is beginning to see the matrix.
This Sunday, we get to experience how alive and active the word of God is as we look at Isaiah 9:1-7. It’s a familiar passage. One of Handel’s highlight songs in The Messiah is based on it.
What is powerful about the passage is that as it describes the Son who will be given to us, it identifies exactly what we need.
I wish that you had had my experience of studying it and thinking about it this week. Then you, too, couldn’t wait to get there on Sunday to talk about it with others.
So, check it out. Make this a special Sunday to prepare for your Christmas week.