“Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining…” Just as the wise men looked to the stars many Christmases ago, we too seek a bright star to guide us in our celebration of Jesus’ birth. Throughout the season of Advent, we are sharing daily reflections from the people of Saint Luke to help brighten our paths. Our daily writers offer to us their reflections on the various names used for Jesus in the Bible. Together their stars form a constellation of wonder that can fill us with hope, love, peace and joy as we journey towards Christmas.
Today’s reflection is from Bob Mitchell. He has been a member of Saint Luke for the past 26 years. He’s an assisting minister, usher co-captain, a communion assistant, lector, a member of Mutual Ministry, and helped with Pastor Sue’s retirement celebration.
EVERLASTING FATHER
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” -Isaiah 9:6
When Pastor Karl emailed me to ask if I would kindly write an Advent Reflection, I thought to myself, this is going to be easy. I read the text from Isaiah 9:6, and I thought, I’ve got this. It’ll be a breeze.
Funny how at the last dwindling hours before deadline to submit my reflection to Pastor Karl (I’m an editor, and write professionally, so I live for a good deadline!), I was still struggling with this Bible verse. After “sitting with” the Bible text for a few days, I still struggled with what this, “Everlasting Father” reference in Isaiah meant.
I thought: What is an Everlasting Father? A father who keeps going-and-going? I immediately thought of that funny bunny with the bass drum running around. What is a father? I turned to my trusty Webster’s Dictionary. The definition of “father” is: a male parent; a man who has begotten a child; a male animal who has sired an offspring; the first person of the Trinity [more on that later]; the founding fathers; on related to another in a way suggesting that of father to child, etc., etc., etc.
How can something seemingly simple ─ father ─ have so many definitions?
Then I thought: I’m a father of two daughters, so I got this. I went straight to the mirror. There’s a father, I thought, scary looking as he is. Then my thoughts trailed off to my own father and the many fathers I know and have known.
What is this Everlasting Father that Isaiah speaks of? Is it a person who’ll be around forever? To understand Isaiah’s reference to Everlasting Father, we need to understand the time in which Jesus was born.
Father was often a title bestowed on royalty. Kings claimed to be “fathers” to their people. Kings even said they were “fathers” to those they imprisoned. But Kings “fatherhood” was only temporary and often they were oppressive. You may have personally witnessed or experienced distortions of fatherhood in your life. Some of you may have experienced the pain of being betrayed, lied to, or hurt by your father.
The Everlasting Father Isaiah is speaking of is not God, the Three Persons, the way we speak of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Apostles’ Creed. In the Creed the term “Father” is reserved for the First Person of the Trinity. The Son is not the father. Neither is the Holy Spirit the father.
In Isaiah 9 “Everlasting Father” refers to the relationship that Jesus will have with the people; the relationship Jesus has with You and Me! In other words, Jesus is not God the Father but is the Savior, the Everlasting Father to all of God’s people.
Jesus is the Everlasting Father to us? How can that be, he’s only a baby lying in a manger in a stable, surrounded by farm animals? Isaiah points to Jesus in the manger as our Everlasting Father. Jesus upholds everything and orders all things in the world. Jesus is the Word through whom light and life entered into the darkness and the chaos of the world. Jesus is the God who gathers us as a Shepherd gathers up the little lambs, or as a father embraces a child in his arms.
Thank you Jesus, the Everlasting Father. Thank you for loving me so much! Thank you for giving your life on the Cross for me! I am a child of God. Amen.