Advent: December 5 – A Soft, Mysterious Voice

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.
His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:6–7

In the middle of the people’s deepest guilt and suffering, a voice speaks. It is soft and mysterious but full of the certainty of salvation through the birth of a divine child (Isaiah 9:6–7). This prophecy was given 700 years before it was fulfilled, yet the prophet spoke as though he already saw it happen. He described the moment of salvation as if he stood in front of the manger, worshiping Jesus. “For a child has been born for us.”

What will happen in the future is already real and certain in God’s eyes. This salvation is not only for people in the future but also for the prophet, his generation, and all generations to come. “For a child has been born for us.” No human could say this on their own. We do not even know what will happen next year, so how can we understand someone speaking about events centuries ahead? Times then were just as uncertain as they are today.

Only God’s Spirit, who knows the beginning and end of the world, can show a chosen person the secrets of the future. This person must share the message to strengthen believers and warn unbelievers. This voice from long ago becomes part of the shepherds’ night worship (Luke 2:15–20) and the joyful celebration of all Christians: “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us.”

A shaking of heads, perhaps even an evil laugh, must go through our old, smart, experienced, self-assured world, when it hears the call of salvation of believing Christians: “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I Want to Live These Days with You 

^{Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. God Is in the Manger : Reflections on Advent and Christmas. Louisville, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, 2012.}