December 1, 2024, Advent 1, Wonderful Counselor, Isaiah 9:6 – Mtr. Kathryn Boswell
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Who is this, so weak and helpless,
child of lowly Hebrew maid,
rudely in a stable sheltered,
coldly in a manger laid?
‘Tis the Lord of all creation,
who this wondrous path has trod;
he is God from everlasting,
and to everlasting God
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the first day of the new Church year, and the beginning of a season of expectation and hope and preparation – preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ, but even more, much more, preparation for his second coming. There are a lot of questions we could explore in Advent.
We could begin with the What – the promise that Jesus, the Christ, who was born into the world in Bethlehem more than 2000 years ago, will surely come again. “Behold,” John wrote in his Revelation, “he is coming with the clouds, and every eye shall see him…”
We could focus on the When of his return, as Luke does in the gospel reading today: “when you see these things taking place,” Luke tells us, “you know that the kingdom of God is near. Be on guard; be alert at all times; don’t be caught unprepared.”
We could focus on the How: How shall we live, now, in this time of waiting? How are we supposed to live, surrounded as we are every day by things that are passing away, as we wait for the birth of God’s kingdom?
But what I want to focus our eyes and our hearts on this year, is the question of Who. Who is this One we are waiting for? Mary’s child, weak and helpless – Lord of Creation – eternal God? Yes and yes and yes. Who is he? We can never come to the end of that question. But I want us to travel a little ways in, to go at least a little deeper, And to do help us do that, I want to focus during these four weeks of Advent on the name that Isaiah gave to the Christ, when he foretold his coming:
A child will be born to us!
A son will be given to us!
And the government shall rest upon his shoulder,
And his name shall be called, “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,” “Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah gives the Christ one name in four parts. Kind of like the four points of the compass that designate the whole world when you put them altogether, north, south, east and west, this name of Christ is one image in four parts: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace – not a complete picture, not the whole of what can possibly be said or known about the One who is infinite and eternal, of course, but four parts that come together to give us a fuller vision of who he is.
And first, today, I want to look at the first part of the picture. What does it mean to say that the name of Christ is Wonderful Counselor? What do you think of, when you think of a counselor? Generally, we think of a counselor as someone we go to for advice or help. There are people who are counselors in particular areas: career counselors or school counselors. Sometimes we use the words counselor and therapist interchangeably. But that’s not the kind of counselor Isaiah was talking about.
A counselor in the days of Isaiah was someone who stood by the side of the king, someone the king relied on absolutely for great wisdom, someone with a mind and a heart for what was just and right. Proverbs says, “by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” Daniel and his friends were counselors to the king of Babylon, because “in every matter of wisdom and understanding they were ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom.” Joseph was counselor to Pharaoh, because Pharaoh could see that Joseph had the spirit of God, and that meant that there was no one as wise and discerning as he was. And so he entrusted everything into Joseph’s hands. A wise counselor was one in whom the king could entrust everything, absolutely: his kingdom, his household, his armies, his possessions, even his very life.
And the Christ’s name is Wonderful Counselor. Wonderful. We abuse and over-use the word “wonderful” – I certainly do. I might tell you that we had a wonderful family gathering on Thanksgiving Day; I saw a wonderful Christmas movie; I read a wonderful poem; and so on and so forth. But, properly used, the word “wonderful” actually means what it says: “full of wonder.” Something truly wonder-full strikes us with awe; it leaves us breathless; it astonishes us. People that heard Jesus teach, we are told, were astonished – not just surprised or impressed, but astonished – because Jesus spoke with a kind of real authority they had never heard before. His words were “wonder-full,” full of wonder: awe-inspiring, astonishing, in their wisdom and in their rightness, in their beauty and in their truth. Jesus, the Christ, John tells us, is the One full of grace and truth. He is the Wonderful Counselor.
And maybe the most wonderful, astonishing thing is that the Christ is not counselor for the high and mighty of this world, giving victory to the king in battle, advising the great and powerful in their high places. He is our Wonderful Counselor. He teaches sinners in his way. He guides the humble in doing right. He teaches his way to the lowly. He remembers us according to his love, and for the sake of his goodness. We can entrust everything we are, and everything we have, to his wisdom and goodness. “Lead me in your truth and teach me,” prays the psalmist, “for you are the God of my salvation; in you have I put my trust all the day long.”
This is the invitation of the Wonderful Counselor: “Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart. And you will find rest for your souls.”
“Behold my servant, whom I uphold,” God says of his Christ, “my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.”
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high
And order all things, far and nigh
To us the path of knowledge show
And cause us in her ways to go
Amen. Come Lord Jesus! +
St. Philip's Episcopal Church 