11/27/2011  Wonderful Counselor:  Isaiah 9:6

Advent - Week One: A heartfelt word of thanks to Pastor George Kohl for guiding our community of faith in this first week of Advent. There are MANY COUNSELORS out there in our world - Television counselors, radio counselors, newspaper columns of advice. To be able to say that someone is truly a ‘wonderful counselor’ there must be something special about his or her guiding words.

The prophet Isaiah, giving us an unveiling of God’s mystery in first century times, tells us of a child that would be born, a son that would be given. One of His names is THE WONDERFUL COUNSELOR. What makes his advice so special? It comes directly from Almighty God. It is reliable. It is trustworthy. The ‘Wonderful Counselor’ will never lead you astray. The glorious truth for Christ-followers is that God has placed His Spirit within us who is our own intimate, personal counselor, taking the words of Christ in Holy Scripture and speaking truth to our hearts. His word is indeed a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths. Jesus has the words of eternal life. Jesus was born into this world as an expression of God’s mighty wisdom. Jesus speaks like no one else. Who will you listen to this Christmas season?