Seasons, And Advent and Lent Podcast by Willow Park Church 

The Land of Galilee had the misfortune of being in the corridor between the Northern and Southern empires of the ancient near east, so, as you could imagine, Galilee would be the ground which many boots of battle would march along, and the fertile farmers’ fields of Galilee would often turn into bloody battlefields for the competing armies.
Brian Zahnd, in the book The Anticipated Christ, from which this podcast is greatly inspired, writes that The valley of Megiddo (Armageddon) would eventually become a grim poetic way of speaking of war itself. No doubt there was plenty of gloom and anguish in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali in the days of Isaiah. But the poet imagines a future when those living in the gloom of Galilee would see a great light and rejoice as people do when a long war is finally over.
Sometimes our lives can feel like a great battleground! Wars are fought, and we seem to be caught in the middle.

The world over wars being waged with the lives of the innocent caught in the crossfire of conflicted governments contending to accumulate power and wealth.
Places like Ukraine and Russia, Myanmar (mee-ann-mar), Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, the Congo, and Syria name a few are all gripped by war with innocent lives being lost.
During advent, we can anticipate a great day when the long war will finally be over, and the peace of God's kingdom will reign.
Today's reading comes from Isaiah 9:1-7
Clearly, Isaiah is anticipating a Messiah, a King from the line of David that will be characterized by justice and great peace.
Isaiah is confident that this will come to pass, and he heaps of praises for the future king.

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.
And though he doesn’t expressly say so, we can probably assume that Isaiah had pinned his hopes on Hezekiah, the son of King Ahaz, as the messianic child “born unto us.” Hezekiah did turn out to be a rare, good king of Judah, but he wasn’t the Messiah. It would be another 700 years before the people of Israel would meet their true King.
Brian also says… It’s only in the light of Christ that we can look back upon Isaiah’s poem and fully appreciate its prophetic significance.
For example, when Isaiah says, “the government shall be upon his shoulders,” we would first regard this as a poetic way of saying that the messianic king will possess full authority. But in the light of Christ, we see the cross—indeed, the cross is the government of God!
People may hope that Christ would come to rule apart from the Cross, but Christ and his rule of peace are brought from the cross.
The shape of Christ’s government is eternally cruciform. Messiah is not just another king ruling with a sword—that would keep the world in the gloom and anguish of Iron Age Galilee. It was when Jesus began to preach the good news of the peaceable kingdom that the messianic light began to shine in Galilee.
Let us take a few moments to pray for those who live in war-torn countries that they might know Jesus, who rules with love and peace and knows the pain of hatred and war. Pray that they might know that the King that we anticipate this Christmas walks with them through pain and suffering and will be a comfort in those times of deep distress and fear.
Lord Jesus, we confess that you truly are the Prince of Peace and that the government upon your shoulders is the cross you bore. Give us the grace to walk in the light of the cross that we might live as subjects of the King, who is a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Amen.

Music: 

Allswell, May I Recieve 
Dear Gravity, Is there a way? 

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