Isaiah 9, 1-6

Theme: New Hope

Dear congregation,

Are you already in a peaceful mood?

I wonder how the people from the nativity play would have answered that question:

• The citizens: ‘There’s so many people from out of town, it's incredibly crowded and someone is constantly stepping on my feet.’
• Joseph's cousin's wife: ‘All the people we have to accommodate here – we have no room left at all. And then there's Simon's family... and they all want to eat too!’
• The shepherds: ‘It's cold, no one cares how exhausted I am. Hopefully I won't have to protect the sheep from wild animals tonight.’
• And Mary? ‘We've been travelling for several days. I'm very pregnant, and there's so little space at Joseph's relatives' house that we had to stay in the stable. And yet – God means well with us. I can feel it very clearly.’

And yet, says Mary: God means well with us. 

A small glimmer of hope in the darkness.

This is exactly how Gerrit van Honthorst painted his ‘Adoration of the Shepherds’:
Jesus, the little baby from whom all the light emanates. 

A small child who does not cause fear, but fills many with wonder or awe and the hope that one experiences when such a small person comes into the world. 

It is not a great leader, not a magnificent king – God comes into this world as a small child in an occupied territory, in the middle of a stable.

And the first to see him are the shepherds, the outsiders, the night workers.

Was it really so peaceful? Probably not, but this is precisely where the miracle begins.

This little child, shining in the darkness, shows us that hope often comes inconspicuously, unexpectedly and precisely where everything is chaotic, dark or imperfect. God wants to be close to us, right where we are, in the midst of our darkness – and that changes us.

This hope gives us courage, makes us strong, and allows us to see the world differently. 

It opens our hearts, makes us attentive to others, and gives us the strength to act – even when circumstances are difficult.

And this hope has a name: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

A child who brings peace – a peace that is stronger than fear, stronger than war, stronger than anything that makes us small.

He strengthens justice and righteousness – and gives hope exactly where we need it most.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in union with Jesus Christ.