Isaiah 9:6 

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

One of my favorite musical pieces is Handel’s Messiah and one of my favorites songs in this classic oratorio is the composer’s musical rendition of this verse. (Listen for yourselves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS3vpAWW2Zc)

As a teenager growing up in New York, one of the highlights of the Christmas season was the Messiah “Sing-In” at Lincoln Center. Each year, just before Christmas, Messiah enthusiasts would gather there with their copies of the Oratorio and be afforded the opportunity to sing along with accomplished professionals. No matter how ordinary my voice was (and is!) joining with an auditorium full of amateurs like me to sing this song and, of course, the Hallelujah Chorus always caused my spirit to soar. I still feel like the Christmas season is not complete if I am not blasting Handel’s Messiah in my car during the weeks leading up to Christmas!

Now that I am in the ministry of healing and equipping, the words of this verse have a greater meaning for me. They are a powerful reminder that Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe, came down to earth as a Child, and as a Son especially, to show us the way. He came to show us that we could live supernatural lives. He put off divinity and took on humanity and modeled what it would look like to live not just as children of God but as Sons of the Most High. 

One of the progressions I observed in my own spiritual life was the process of going from being a child to being a “son.” That is, there was a maturing that God wanted me to experience. When I was a child in the Lord, He did everything for me. When I grew older in the Lord, I noticed that He started giving me choices, and trusted me to make the right choices. As I learned to make wise decisions, I gained authority in several areas of my life. I also learned that Jesus wants me to walk on the earth the way He walked in His life: doing God’s work as a human. He demonstrated for all of us what it is to use the authority God has given us so that we would also do the things that Jesus did. I am by no means there but it is comforting to know that Jesus did not use His divinity to heal the sick, to cast out demons and to raise the dead. 

And that is the full meaning of Christmas: A Child was born unto us, a Son was given, and He wants to share with us the government that is upon His shoulder. He comes to us as the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace and calls us to walk in dominion with Him. 

May we look upon Christmas as a sort of jumping off point for each one of us: it is where Jesus set into motion the Father’s grand plan for His people on earth to rediscover who He created each one of us to be. The light that came into the world at Christmas is the light that is to guide us for the rest of our lives, that will lead us into full relationship with God and into our true identities as sons and daughters of the Most High.

Hallelujah!