Welcome to Nassau Church

Hear these words from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 9, beginning with the 2nd verse.
Hear the Word of God. It is given to and for you.

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness--
on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden,
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.

The other day as I was browsing in the reference section at Barnes & Noble when I overheard a couple at the Christmas card table. Even though my back was to them, I could tell they were looking at the boxes of Christmas cards; they were foraging through many boxes. I could hear: “No. Ugh-ugh. Mmmm. Nope. Nah. No, No, NO.”
The woman finally said, “What’s wrong?”
The man answered, “I just don’t want anything about Christ in our Christmas cards. Aren’t there any Christmas cards without Jesus?”
Then silence and additional foraging.
“Well here’s one,” said the woman. “This just says ‘Peace’ and the inside is blank. Will that do?”
“I guess so,” said the man. “Peace will have to do.”

Yet in scripture, peace by itself, won’t do.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more…And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace. Micah 4

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Numbers 6

"Is not the Lord your God with you? Has the Lord your God not given you peace on every side? 1 Chronicles 22

In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more. Psalm 72

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Psalm 85

His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace…He will establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness and he is named Prince of Peace. Isaiah 11 and 9

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. Dona Nobis Pacem. Grant us peace. Isaiah 11

From the prophets to the Psalmist it’s clear that peace can’t be separated from its peacemaker: the Prince of Peace.

On the afternoon of Christmas Day 1531, Martin Luther preached a sermon on Isaiah 9 entitled “To Us a Child Is Born.” After reading Isaiah 9:6, our text for today, Luther began his sermon by saying: earlier today on Christmas morning we heard the Christmas story and what it is about. Enough of that. Now you will hear how to make use of it.
And Luther goes on: So we take up the words of the prophet Isaiah who sings us this song: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. And the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Luther continues, that is why, Isaiah says “To us a child is born, to us a son is given.” It is like a woman who approaches a baby’s cradle and says, “Oh, it’s a baby! What is it?” And I answer, “It’s a boy -- and he’s ours!” What an incredible thing to say, that all of us should somehow be the mothers of one whom we have not carried in our womb!
Luther ends by saying; this Prince of Peace is given to us as though he were our own son. How proud and honored we are that he is our son, that he belongs to us. But it is not enough that he is “born” to us; he is also “given” to us. And what does “given” mean? He is a pure gift, a present. And there is nothing we have to give or pay in return. (1)

This past Monday we received a request for prayer. Prayer requests come into the church office all the time: through email, phone calls, notes, people stopping by. And you know what? We love to pray for you. Prayer requests are blessings to us.
This Monday the request came from the Presbytery of New Brunswick asking us to pray for Karla Koll and her family. Karla is a friend of Nassau Church and has taught many classes in Mission and the Missional Church. She is a minister and professor in Guatemala and is currently here at Princeton Seminary and serves as our Presbytery’s Missionary in Residence.
The news is this: Karla’s brother-in-law Manuel was shot through the chest. He was shot through the chest as he confronted four men who were attempting to rob his daughter-in-law’s store. He is miraculously alive.
There were four young girls who witnessed this shooting, two of Manuel’s daughters and two of his granddaughters.
The prayer request came to us asking that the congregation of Nassau Presbyterian Church hold Manuel, his wife Ermila, and all of their family in prayer as they recover from this violent episode.
Then Karla adds this, “As we celebrate the arrival of the Prince of Peace, may we dedicate ourselves anew to working to overcome violence.”(2)

The state of New Jersey did so this week with the repeal of the death penalty. We have become the first state in 41 years to abolish the death penalty.
As we balance between the mess we live in, and our hope for the bliss of the world to come, Isaiah’s song, his Christmas card, is anything but blank inside. There’s no noncommittal “PEACE” on the outside and a blank page on the inside.
For Isaiah there’s no blotting out war and brutality with port and plum pudding. There’s no hiding behind a manger scene while a seemingly passive infant smiles and coos for his guests. There’s no luxuriating in sentimental feelings or believing that peace will have to do.
This child born for us is Peace, is come with Peace; in the splendor of great light; shining on the nations, increasing its joy; smashing its burdens and troubles; pulverizing the abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants - all their whips and cudgels and curses – are lifted away. The boots of all those invading troops, along with their shirts soaked with blood, will be piled in a heap and burned, a fire that will burn for days! For a child has been born – a son given. (3)
How will he make use of us, this Prince of Peace?
On this edge of Christmas in the household of God, how will the Prince of Peace make use of us?

Dona Nobis Pacem. Grant us peace.
Dona Nobis Pacem. Be our peace
Dona Nobis Pacem. Prince of Peace

(1) The original text for this sermon (in Latin and German) is in WA34/2:508-514. The translation is by Frederick J. Gaiser. A contemporary German version is available in Martin Luther, Ausgewählte Werke, vol. 3, Ausgewählte Predigten (Stuttgart: Calwer Vereinsbuchhandlung, 1935) 54-58.

(2) Monday in Ministry: December 17, 2007, Volume 3, Issue 50. www.presbynewbrunswick.org.

(3) These verses from Isaiah 9 have been adapted from Eugene H. Peterson’s translation of Isaiah as found in The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary English. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress Publishing Group, 1993.