An important message from the prophet Isaiah
(From Isaiah, chapter 7, verses 10-14)
About 2700 years ago the prophet Isaiah came so close to God and God came so close to him that Isaiah knew that God wanted to tell God's people to live together in peace. And so, Isaiah began to speak in public to the people living around him in the Holy Land. Many people listened carefully to Isaiah and remembered what they'd heard him say. They told their children, and their children told their children, and so on, and so on, and so on
When Jesus was a young boy, his parents and the people in his faith community told him about God's message of peace spoken through Isaiah. As Jesus grew up, he felt a strong connection between himself and Isaiah. When he began his ministry as a grown up, one of the first things he did was preach about Isaiah.
Each Sunday during the season of Advent, as we look forward to celebrating Jesus' birthday at Christmas, we hear a little bit of God's message spoken through the prophet Isaiah. And we pray that God's message of peace will continue to show in the way we live our lives today.
From the prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz of Judah:
"You think that your enemies will soon defeat you and break your kingdom apart. But don't worry! God is with you.
"Something will happen that will let you know for sure that God has not moved away from you. Watch for it! A young woman will give birth to a baby boy and shall name him "Immanuel," which means "God with us."
Questions to think about:
What new beginnings are happening in your life?
How do you know that God loves you?
How can you share God's love with others during Christmas?