Advent 2019: The Royal Names of the Royal Child

“Rank on rank the host of heaven spreads its vanguard on the way,

as the Light of light descendeth from the realms of endless day,

that the pow’rs of hell may vanish as the darkness clears away.”

– Liturgy of St. James, 5th century

Compared to Easter, with its jubilant celebration of Jesus’ resurrection, or Christmas, with its singing choirs of angels and “tidings of comfort and joy,” Advent can seem like a much smaller event in the church year. Is it just a taste of Christmas until the real holiday arrives? There is no account of the New Testament church commemorating any event in Jesus’ life, and no biblical command for keeping any day of the year holy other than the Sabbath. But Christians since at least the 7th century have observed the weeks leading up to Christmas as a time to meditate and focus on both the coming of Christ into the world as the incarnate Son of God and the anticipated second coming of Christ in fullest glory to judge the earth. This year at LMPC, our Advent sermons will examine the four descriptive names of Jesus given in Isaiah 9:6: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.” As these titles make clear, the coming of Jesus into the world was an event of staggering proportions, and as we live in the time between his first coming and his second, we have every reason to make this a season in which we anticipate and long for that day when the Light of light will descend once again and banish darkness for all eternity.