It is the third advent worship this morning. Before we have our Christmas rememberance, it is important for us to prepare our minds within the periods of Advent.

This morning, as I was on my way to Grace Chapel, a car passed by me at a very high speed. The surprising thing was that the driver, an elderly man, had such thick black eyebrows. And the look on his face was not one of peace. He rather looked angry. By the clothes he was wearing, I could tell that he was on his way to playing gate-ball, which has recently been a very popular game among the elderly. I, on the other hand, was on my way to worship down-town. I remembered that St. Paul had encouraged us, in the Bible, to discipline not only our physical selves but also ourselves within.

Now this morning I was given this scripture reading: Isaiah 9:1-7. As you know, Jesus' birth had been prophesied long before He was actually born. The people who first worshipped the Baby King were shepherds and wise men. The wise men had been zealously waiting for His birth, and had studied many strange things to find out the exact time of His birth. But, the ruler of that region at that time was so totally opposite them. Though King Herod had asked the wise men to show him the place where the great king was to be born, he was not planning to worship Him. He wanted to eliminate the Baby King. However, with a vision of angels, the wise men were alerted to the plot and managed to return to their own homes safely. Soon afterwards, King Herod had all of the babies in the vicinity of Jesus' birth, who were under two years of age, put to death. [Although, as you know, the Baby King was rescued by His parents and taken to Egypt, again on the advice of angels].

Now, Jesus was born in a manger. The inn couldn't give them a place to stay overnight. It had been Jesus who had been worshipped by the shepherds and the wise men, and also Jesus of whom the earthly king had been so afraid of. Nevertheless, He was born in a very humble, the humblest in fact, place in the world.

As Christmas is just around the corner now, people in the world are becoming very excited about it. Going down-town to Oita City, you will easily find the many christmas decorations that are out on display, and also christmas sales and lots of christmas goods. Yes, people are waiting for Christmas, and for many reasons. Maybe they are planning family gatherings, or delicious christmas dinners, or fun parties, but they have yet to learn the real meaning of Christmas as we know it; we who are to grasp the true meaning and prepare ourselves.

The true meaning of Christmas is this: A child is born to us. A son is given to us. He will be our ruler. He will be called 'Wonderful Counselor', 'Mighty God', 'Eternal Father', and 'Prince of Peace' -- this is the meaning of the christmas message. While living in this present darkness, Jesus is our counselor; to whom we can depend upon fully. He knows everything about you; your sorrow, hardships, despair, and worries. Knowing all about us, He's still trying to help us and guide us.

Read Psalm 139:1-16, and also He.4:15-16. Jesus came down to earth, or was incarnated, so He experienced all that we experience in our lives, except sin. Jesus has also been called 'Mighty God', as we have read. He is the one who created this world, guides us, and keeps our world in harmony. In calling Him 'Mighty God', the name has strong power in battles. In the old days, when the Israelites were about to leave for fights against other nations, they would shout out this name. We also have battles in our lives. But Jesus says, "Be alert! I have already won the battle." With Him, we can also have victory over the battles in our lives.

Another important name of Christ's is 'Eternal Father'. This name always reminds me of the story of the Prodigal Son, who left his father and finally came back to him. The father in this story was always a father to him: no matter how unfaithful he was, and no matter how far away he was. Yes, like that, our Father is a Father for us all of the time.

Even another name is 'Prince of Peace'. Only with Jesus can we conquer the battles of life with the peace of God inside of us.

This morning let us remember these wonderful names of His. We are already in the end of 1999. When we look back on the steps we took this year, we may note that we have quite a few things to repent of. Have we really welcomed Him inside our lives as our King? If not, let us welcome Him again so that He can reign in us eternally.

Sermon translated by Junko Okamoto - Edited for the Net by Shido
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