Echoes of Christmas

Can you believe that Christmas was just over three weeks ago - three weeks which seem to me like three geological periods let alone units of seven days?  But there is an echo of Christmas if I stop long enough to listen:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. (Isaiah 9:6-7a)

This is a curious passage from a popular prophecy. You probably heard Isaiah 9:2-7 read out publicly at least once over the Christmas period.

I have a question: does it seem like the government of your country rests on the shoulders of Christ? It does not seem that way in my country...far from it.

And where is “the increase of his government and peace”? I don’t see it in Mali. I’m sure that if you read these verses to a Syrian, he would laugh derisively. Who knows what a grieving parent from Sandy Hook Elementary School would say.

It seems to me that the government mentioned in the prophecy refers to Christ’s government over the Kingdom of God (KoG). The KoG is not demarcated geographically. It is not bounded by rivers, mountain ranges, razor wire or mine fields. The KoG transcends borders, for its earthly territory is located in the heart of every person that follows Christ. Wherever a person prays “thy will be done”, Christ is enthroned as Lord, He is governing, and His Kingdom has come.

Having defined the government Isaiah is referring to, we must test our definition against the claim that “of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end”. Let us begin by applying this claim at the individual level. Is it true to say that Christ’s government over your life is increasing with time? Are you allowing Jesus to take greater and greater charge over your life from one year to the next? Are you slowly becoming a more peaceful person? I hope we can all join with Joyce Meyer in saying, “I’m not where I’m meant to be. But thank God I’m not where I used to be. I’m ok and I’m on my way”.

But peace and Jesus’ government must increase at a communal level. Jesus taught us to pray, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. This prayer is so important that Jesus put it near the start of His pattern for prayer, the Lord’s Prayer. God’s heavenly kingdom is manifest on earth in the hearts of those that pray this prayer, by those that want Jesus’ rule to 1) increase in their own lives and 2) be established in the lives of others.

God’s Kingdom must grow one heart at a time until the tipping point that triggers the return of Christ. Then – at last – the entire earth will ruled by Christ.

Sometimes, when I am feeling discouraged I turn to the book of Daniel where I read about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation of it (Dan. 2). Nebuchadnezzar saw a rock which was not formed by human hands. The rock smashed into a statue representing earthly kingdoms, crushing them to dust that was swept away without a trace by the wind. Then the rock became a huge mountain that filled the whole earth. What did the rock represent? It represented the Kingdom of God on earth. Daniel said,

 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands-a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. "The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy." (Dan. 2:44-45)

We belong to this amazing Kingdom. We are called to extend the boundaries of this Kingdom. And in the words of a song by Tree 63: “There is a kingdom that cannot be shaken, a rock of ages, my firm foundation”.

I don’t know about you, but I want to play my part in extending God’s Kingdom in 2013. I want to see God’s governance over my own life increasing. I want to magnify the echo of Christmas, declaring the Good News by both word and action. Lord, please be my Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace today. I need you to help me extend your Kingdom. Without you I can do nothing. And may the government of my life be on your shoulders.

Cheers for now - Ian