If you have your Bible with you, you can open it up to Isaiah chapter 9.
And with Christmas only 12 days away,
I had wanted to spend this time this morning reflecting on something that would prepare us to celebrate as Christmas draws near.
But again and again, there was a second thing that kept coming up for me this week,
even in the past couple weeks, and that's this whole issue of government.
This week alone I had four people, actually not from this church but outside of it,
who wanted to talk to me or get in touch with me in some form about when we as Christians should disobey the government.
Maybe some of you were invited to go to the protest that was held yesterday in Regina.
This past week we saw the Alberta government increase restrictions upon their citizens
and make it illegal for anyone who doesn't live alone to gather with another household this Christmas.
And so as much as I've been wanting to focus on Christmas this past week,
what it is that we're about to celebrate,
my attention keeps getting pulled back to government and to COVID.
And I will say I'm saddened by how many in the church,
many Christians are handling themselves in the midst of this situation.
Some are arguing, some are fighting,
others are rallying supporters to protest and calling those who won't join them spineless and cowardly.
Some are saying that we have a Christian duty to defy the government and engage in civil disobedience
and that those of us who aren't are being unfaithful to God.
This past week I was scrolling through Facebook on Scott Moe's own post
and finding people that were saying,
shame on you, Scott Moe,
and then clicking on their profile and they're a Christian.
The pride, the arrogance, the selfishness, the foolishness,
the impatience of Christian people is leaking onto the stage of our nation for all to see.
And we've already seen a few churches capture the attention and scorn of many
for deliberately defying public health orders.
And I can tell you as a pastor watching this,
this is very sad.
A lot of people are pointing their fingers and their words at the government.
Amazingly, almost everyone seems to think that they know better
just how to govern a million people here in Saskatchewan
than the current people that we have in government.
I've been thinking about that old Christmas classic,
It's a Wonderful Life.
Some of you will have seen that.
George Bailey, in a moment of frustration,
expresses his wish that he had never been born.
Things are going so bad for him.
And an angel comes and gives him the chance
to see what his life would be like
if he had never been born,
what the people in his community would be like.
I wish we could give that opportunity
to everyone who thinks that they know better than the government.
The opportunity for all these people
to see what it would be like
to have been the Premier of Saskatchewan
or the Chief Medical Officer for the past year.
It doesn't matter that none of us know a thing
about provincial leadership and administration
or about immunology or about virology.
Somehow, many of us think that we are an expert
because we've been sitting at home
reading things on our devices,
our computer, on the internet, on email,
finding out what's really going on
and how we should really be handling this.
And more than anything today,
I think what the Church of Jesus Christ needs to do
is to simply turn off our phones,
to shut down the Facebook, the email, the YouTube,
and open our Bibles up
and read them
and get on our knees and pray.
If Christians all across Canada
would simply do that for the next month,
I think we'd be amazed at how clearly
God would speak to us
about how we ought to live in these days.
I think we'd be amazed at how much joy
we'd find in the midst of what's going on,
how much strength.
I think we'd be amazed at how much encouragement
and wisdom God has already given us
for such a time as this.
I got thinking, you know,
do you want to have peace in the midst of all this?
Do you want to get that grumblebee out of your bonnet?
Do you want to see your anger and frustration
melt away into peace and joy?
My advice is turn off the internet,
open your Bible,
and feast.
Too many of us are simply letting the news,
our Facebook friends,
preachers we don't even know,
YouTube,
guys sitting in their basements recording videos,
we're letting them tell us what and how to think,
and God himself
is being drowned out
by all these voices
and is not getting through to us.
Everybody wants to blame the government
and criticize the government.
It's the government's fault.
This policy is unfair.
This is unjust.
How come they have applied these rules
to this sector
and not to this one?
This policy takes away my freedoms.
Let me be clear,
I'm not here to defend the government this morning.
But we will open the scriptures
and look at what they have to say
about government
and civil disobedience
after we have celebrated Christmas.
I think that's really important for us.
This morning,
I want to point our hearts
to a passage
that gives us a reason
to celebrate
at Christmas
even as we think of
government.
long ago,
God spoke through the prophet Isaiah
and he said this.
This is Isaiah 8.22.
Then they will look toward the earth
and see only distress
and darkness
and fearful gloom.
Nevertheless,
verse 1 of 9,
Nevertheless,
there will be
no more gloom
for those who are in distress.
The people walking in darkness
have seen
a great light.
On those living in the land
of deep darkness,
a light
has dawned.
Down to verse 6.
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.
Of the greatness
of his government
and peace,
there will be no end.
He will reign
on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing
and upholding it
with justice
and righteousness
from that time on
and forever.
the zeal
of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Many of us
are used to hearing
these words at Christmas,
but I wonder
if this Christmas
these words
don't mean a little bit more.
Isaiah spoke first
about the darkness
of his day.
He lived in dark times
and the people of Israel
were about to go through
even darker times
in the near future.
He spoke of how
this darkness
would persist
until a future day
when a great light
would come
over the horizon.
These words remind me
that even though
we live in dark times today,
they're not as dark
as times in the past.
Why?
Because the great light
has dawned.
Jesus,
this child
that was promised
long ago,
this son
who was to be given
has come
and has been given.
2,000 years ago
in Bethlehem,
he was born.
And this is what
we celebrate at Christmas.
But what's so wonderful
about this prophecy
is that it's about
so much more
than just a birth.
you might wonder,
how can we celebrate
Christmas this year
without a large gathering
with family?
How can we do it
without a whole bunch
of people together
exchanging gifts,
without big turkey dinners,
amidst all these restrictions?
How can we have joy
in the midst of all this?
we can celebrate
and have joy
because Christmas
is not just about a birth.
It's about the birth
of a king
who will someday
put Scott Moe
and Justin Trudeau
and Joe Biden
or their successors
out of a job.
Do you hear that
in these words?
For to us
a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government
will be
on his shoulders.
I love this sentence
which God spoke
long ago
through Isaiah.
It starts with a birth
and it ends
with a statement
about government.
It makes no mention
of the several thousand
years in between
because they do not
alter the reality
of who this child is
and what he will
someday do.
The government
will be
on his shoulders.
Are you dissatisfied
with your current government?
I've got news for you
this Christmas.
You're going to get
a new one.
This child
who was born
in Bethlehem
2,000 years ago,
the man who
sojourned
through the land
of Israel,
was crucified
by a coalition
of governments.
That same man
rose up from death
and ascended
to the throne
of heaven
and in God's
wise planning
and perfect timing,
that same man
will return
with great power
and glory
and take up
the responsibility
of governing
the great kingdom
of God
here on this earth.
You're getting
a new government.
Jesus will
someday return
and he will
come to shoulder
all of the
responsibility
of oversight,
decision making,
policy creation,
law enforcement
and leadership
for all of
God's people.
The governments
of that day
when he returns
will be
displaced
and superseded
by the king
of kings.
What will this
government be like?
Isaiah tells us,
of the greatness
of his government
and peace.
There will be
no end.
Greatness.
Let's think about
that for a minute.
All of the
great governments
of the past
have at least
one thing in common.
No matter how
great they became,
their greatness
came to an end.
Think of the
Egyptian empire.
The pyramids
came to an end.
Think of
Alexander the Great
and what he
managed to
accomplish
in his brief
window in history.
It came to
an end.
Think of the
greatness of
the Roman empire
at its heights.
Military strength
unrivaled.
It came to
an end.
We might even
think of
present day
governments
who can rival
the greatest
nations of
our world
today.
Yet for all
their greatness
there will
come a day
when their
greatness
will fade
and will
recede
before this
one great
government.
The kingdom
of Christ.
The kingdom
of God.
His kingdom
when he returns
will be great.
His government,
his governing
will be great.
And it will go
from great
to the greatest
of all time.
and from there
it will continue
to become
greater
and increase
in greatness
forever.
Of the greatness
of his government
there will be
no end.
It will never
be taken over.
It will never
fall.
It will never
be superseded
by another kingdom,
people,
nation,
leader.
not ever.
Not only
greatness
but peace.
Of peace
that comes
about
from his
government.
There will be
no end.
If you ever
take the time
as my wife
has
to read
through a brief
summary of the
world's history
one thing
will stand out
to you
for sure.
There has been
a lot
of wars
again
and again
and again.
There are
these seasons
in which
people live
in peace
and wars
and hostility
has ceased
and then it
happens again.
War comes.
Hostilities
happen.
But when
the child
that was born
in the manger
in Bethlehem
returns
there will be
peace
forever.
Not just
the cessation
of wars
but the
cessation
of all
conflicts
fights
arguments
disputes
no more
COVID
squabbles
no more
feeling
unsettled
about people
in the world
somewhere
whose freedoms
are being
stripped away
for this
reason or that
no more
enemies
or threats
of any
kind
of the
peace
that comes
with his
governance
there will
be no
end.
what else?
Isaiah
says he
will reign
on David's
throne
and over
his kingdom
establishing
and upholding
it with
justice
that's
something that
we long
for in our
world today
isn't it?
No more
corruption
no more
lies
no more
using
positions
of power
to achieve
personal
benefits
or to
do
favors
for
friends
no more
of the
guilty
getting off
easy
or free
and never
again
the innocent
being
wrongly
convicted
justice
from the
time that
he comes
and establishes
that kingdom
from that
time on
and forever
righteousness
there's been a
lot of talk
in our day
about governments
trying
or failing
to do the
right thing
but when
Christ
the one
who was
born
2000 years
ago
returns
he will
not only
know
what's
right
he will
establish
what is
right
and he
will
uphold
what is
right
from that
time on
it says
and forever
and so
we have
reasons
big reasons
to celebrate
this Christmas
to celebrate
with all
of our
hearts
because no
matter what
restrictions
are on us
from the
government
this will
pass
and a day
is coming
when we
will have
a new
government
a perfect
government
and we
will have
that
forever
the zeal
of the
Lord
Almighty
will accomplish
this
we might
read this
and think
well that
just
sounds
impossible
how could
we ever
have an
existence
like that
maybe that's
the reason
why God
chose to
paint us
this picture
here with
broad brush
strokes
about the
kind of
government
and kingdom
it will be
rather than
getting into
all the
details
maybe it'll
look so
new and
unfamiliar
to us
that it
would just
blow our
minds to
even try
to describe
it
we wouldn't
even be able
to comprehend
it perhaps
but lest we
think for a
moment that
this is
impossible
this final
statement
reminds us
that it
is possible
it's possible
because of
the one
who will
bring it
about
the zeal
of the
Lord
Almighty
will accomplish
this
he is
the Lord
Yahweh
the creator
the one
who spoke
our universe
into existence
he is
almighty
there's
nothing
that's
impossible
for him
that he
cannot do
and by
his
zeal
by his
desire
he will
bring about
this
good
kingdom
with his
chosen
king
and it
will last
forever
and so
we celebrate
not just a
birth at
Christmas
but a
birth that
changes
everything
a light
that when
it finally
comes to
reach the
full light
of day
will totally
dispel all
of the
darkness
in our
world
we celebrate
the birth
of our
king
the Lord
Jesus
when he
comes
he will
solve all
the problems
of our
world
the problems
that earthly
governments
have made
and the
problems
that earthly
governments
have
try as
they may
just been
unable to
fix
and so
I want to
encourage us
to put our
hope in
that this
Christmas
and to
truly rejoice
one day
this king
who came
long ago
and was
born in
Bethlehem
will come
again
in his
words
soon
he will
return
and the
government
will be
upon his
shoulders
and we
will come
to that
moment
where we
will take
up these
words
from
revelation
the kingdom
of the
world
has become
the kingdom
of our
Lord
and of
his
Christ
and he
will reign
forever
and ever
what a
wonderful
and glorious
day
that will
be
let's
pray
father in
heaven
we thank
you that
you have
given us
hope
and reason
to celebrate
centuries
ago
and we
trust that
you will
do all
that you
have
promised
please help
us in
these days
God not
to be
dragged down
with
discouragement
not to be
dragged into
arguments and
complaining
help us to be
filled with joy
and full of
hope
make us a bright
and shining light
in the darkness
all around us
this Christmas
we ask in
Jesus name
amen
rumor
you