“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 So proclaims one of the greatest verses of hope in the Bible. No other religion, no other faith, has ever given such a truly wondrous gift to the world. In light of the recent political elections, not even the most seasoned candidate could match the promise of God given through the gift of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. The government can promise you free health care, lower taxes, safety from foreign invaders, protection from criminals, freedom of worship, yet all those promises by men and women in high places, wielding great power, and controlling massive amounts of money, can only deliver on those promises as God allows them to do so. Like it or not, all the powers of the all the nations of the world are at the mercy of Jesus.

You see, no government or political party truly operates with individual wills of their own unaffected by God, the creator of the universe. No matter how much people recoil at the mention of the name “Jesus” it is still a name of truth that lives today and controls all things. He is wonderful, the glorious God that amazes all who study Him, love him, and seek to know Him. He is the mighty God with all power that can never be matched in any way by any amount of power the world can muster. He is the eternal father of his children who has no beginning or ending. He bewilders our minds with the glory of his beautiful and undefinable trinity allowing him to be God the Father and God the Son simultaneously in perfect harmony.

He is the prince of peace. The only hope for peace in this war torn world that has left a patch work of blood stained soil throughout the ages. There is a greater gift of peace than that which would stop all the wars in the world, it is the gift of peace between man and God. We were all separated from God in the garden when Adam and Eve sinned, Jesus is the Son of God who was sent to bring reconciliation between God and man. Condemned and cursed by the sin of Adam Jesus was the ultimate gift born in a manger for the whole purpose of being crucified on a cross to pay the penalty of sin we could not pay. Be receiving that gift of salvation through the sacrifice of the of Jesus on the cross, in our place, we can now repent of our sins and be forgiven and be free from sins condemnation and enjoy peace with God forever.

So, please, take a second look at the manger scene and let that baby in a manger fill you with joy and wonder at why He came and what He did to bring you peace. May the manger scene overwhelm you with gratitude and may you never be one to recoil at hearing the name above all names, “Jesus.”

Pastor Jerry Favor is pastor at Victory Baptist Church in Sagle.