Two Sundays ago, through the book of Isaiah, we studied one of the names of Christ – Immanuel, which means God with us. The Creator God has been with us in the past. The Mighty and Merciful Lord is present among us at this very moment and in this place. The Incarnated Christ will consistently guide us through the Holy Spirit until we are called to be with God in Heaven.
In those days, King Ahaz, the leader of the Southern Kingdom of Israel, received God’s promise that their enemies would not attack. Instead of losing heart, the people of Judah were encouraged to “stand firm” before the Lord. They were also assured of the Promised Messiah, Immanuel Baby, who would deliver the people of Judah from the oppression of their neighbouring countries. However, King Ahaz and the people of Judah placed their trust in the nation of Assyria, the strongest at the time. Relying on human power over God’s strength, they eventually became captives to the Assyrians.

In our Old Testament reading, the prophet Isaiah described the lives of the people of Judah as those who were “living in the land of deep darkness” (Isaiah 9:2). They were sorrowful, having lost their identity as God’s chosen people and had consequently lost hope in their lives. Once again, Isaiah was called to prophesy God’s hopeful message to the people of Judah while emphasizing His promised child, referred to as a great light. Can we imagine the power or the impact of the bright light in chaos? Shining light upon all the complicated places in which we may find ourselves would be impossible for us to do on our own. There are always gloomy and shadowy areas despite how many artificial lights we put out and how much human effort we invest. However, when the sun arises and touches those locations, all the darkened places will be gone. Someday, the True Light, known as the Immanuel Baby, will be born at God’s appointed time for the people who are walking in spiritual darkness.

Through the help of the Messiah, the people of Judah would expand their territories. With the power of the Immanuel Lord, they would increase their joy and shatter all the oppressive elements. The reason for these surprising events is the birth of Christ, who carries all authority on His shoulders. This Baby will mend all the broken pieces of the nation and fulfill God’s Kingdom with justice and righteousness. God’s passion for this saving ministry will enable Immanuel Christ to accomplish this divine project. Once again, according to the prophet Isaiah, this child would be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6-7). All these names point to “One Person – Jesus Christ,” which is the name above all names.

When we read the beginning of the book of Genesis, we find that God named each of His creatures during Creation. When He created light, He called it “Day.” When He made darkness, He called it “Night.” On the sixth day, God created Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden. He asked Adam to name every animal there. Naming the animals was the first job Adam did.

Sometimes, God changes certain people’s names. When Abram was called, God changed his name from Abram to Abraham. Abram means “exalted father,” and Abraham means “Father of a multitude.” God chose Abraham to become the father of all the ancestors. When Simon was chosen to be Jesus’s disciple, He gave him a new name, Peter, which means “rock.” The reason why the Bible mentions this naming activity is to teach us the importance of naming.

One of the challenges I have experienced in adopting Canadian culture is becoming familiar with people’s family names. In the Korean language, family names come first, followed by given names. The three most common Korean family names are Kim, Lee, and Park. Nearly half of the population has one of these surnames. Family names are limited in Korea; however, there are many given names. Here in Canada, there is a wide variety of surnames that have been passed down from generation to generation. Compared to the number of family names, first names seem to be more limited. On many occasions, we can find the same given names in group settings. Many Canadians also have middle names, although they are rarely used in daily life. It is interesting for me to have learned that some last names are used for the recognition of the founders of towns, buildings, streets, stores, and so on.

For example, Fenelon Falls was named “Cameron Falls” when the village was formed in 1832. This township was later renamed after François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, “who established a mission on the Bay of Quinté and travelled the Trent-Severn Waterway ministering to his flocks along the way.” Our spiritual home, St. Andrew’s Church, is located on Colborne Street. The name of this street originated from a British surname, Colborne, and has been spread to many British Empire colonies. A Canadian grocery store, Sobeys, was founded in by John W. Sobey, who grew up in Nova Scotia. The Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay officially opened its doors in 1902. The name Ross was chosen because James Ross, a former resident of Lindsay, donated $80,000 to the Hospital in memory of his parents, John and Mary Ross. In my homeland, the names of villages, streets, and buildings, are usually composed of proper nouns rather than people’s surnames.

Returning to today’s subject of Christ’s names, there are numerous names for Jesus in the Bible that describe Who He is: “Lord of Hosts, Deliverer, King of kings, Redeemer, Saviour,” and so on. As we celebrate the Advent season, I invite us to reflect on four names given to the Messiah in the upcoming services. This morning, I want to begin with “Wonderful Counselor” and apply these lessons to our faith journey during Christmas time.

I have noticed that counseling is very prevalent nowadays, with many people seeking advice from famous counsellors. There is certainly nothing wrong with searching for guidance when we have issues in our lives. However, we must remember that as believers, we have access to the most Wonderful Counselor, Jesus Christ. While there are many skilled professionals in our society, none of them can compare with our Wonderful Counselor.

In our Gospel text for today, we find a great example of excellent counselling done by Jesus towards a Samaritan woman. She came to draw water from the well at noon deliberately because she did not want to encounter anyone there. One of the difficulties counsellors may face is clients who are reluctant to open their hearts easily. At the beginning of the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, she had firmly closed her mind towards Him. Jesus, however, was not upset or in a rush to address her problems. Instead, He humbled Himself before her and asked her to give Him a cup of water. The topic of water that Jesus chose was truly wise. He counselled her to receive the living water: “Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Once the woman was touched by His invitation, she changed her attitude towards Him. Eventually, she asked Him about the place of worship because she wanted to be satisfied spiritually. Jesus taught her the importance of the attitude of worship: “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). She immediately realized that He is the Messiah called Christ. She then left and went back to the town, saying to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did!” (John 4:39). What a change we’ve witnessed. After meeting the Wonderful Counselor, she became a new creature.

Human beings have two areas that need to be satisfied: physically and spiritually. King Solomon, known as the wisest counsellor in his days, expressed, “All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing” (Ecclesiastes 1:8). Solomon tried to find satisfaction in many ways from this world, but he concluded that life is meaningless and futile without God’s blessing. Finally, this counsellor introduced the Lord to his audience by proclaiming the following statement: “Remember our Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them… Remember Him’” (Ecclesiastes 12:1-8). The richest and wisest king confessed that all things “under the sun” could be meaningless if he lived a life without Immanuel God.

In our Epistle for this morning, the Apostle Paul invites us to come to this Wonderful Counsellor as we are. Paul gives us this promise: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Since as the Son of God, Jesus completely becomes a human being, like all of us, He understands us and perceives our struggles.
In one way or another, each of us is looking for satisfaction. God created us this way. The problem is not our desire for happiness; the problem is how we seek to satisfy our desire. While pursuing happiness in all the wrong places, we may have our own mental, physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual issues. We may find ourselves like the Samaritan woman at the well in today’s scripture. Think about it. What do we believe will bring us true happiness in this world? Possessions, power, or pleasure. None of these would give us divine satisfaction. True satisfaction is found only through the Living Water that Immanuel Christ gives us.

Friends, today, Jesus wants to be our Wonderful Counselor. When we are going through a difficult situation, sometimes we hear someone say, “I understand what you are going through…” We appreciate it; however, that wording may not be effective unless they have been through the same challenge we have encountered. Otherwise, it would not be possible for them to truly understand our problems. But Jesus does understand. He knows exactly what we are going through. When we come to receive counsel from Him, He perceives not only our issues but also our hearts and minds. “Have we ever been betrayed? …” Jesus understands everything about us.

Before I conclude this sermon, I want to read to you again Isaiah 9 verse 6. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Another important part of this verse is the first three words, “For to us.” The birth of Jesus is a personal gift from God to each of us. Friends, let us remember this amazing promise and make a divine appointment with our Wonderful Counselor. Let us kneel before God, open our hearts to Christ, tell the Holy Spirit what is going on in our lives, and humbly ask for the guidance of the Triune Lord during this Advent season. As we celebrate Christmas, we need to remind ourselves of Christ as our Wonderful Counsellor. Amen!

* In this sermon I have used some thoughts from various messages based on the following texts: Ecclesiastes 12:1-8; Isaiah 9:1-7; John 4:4-26; and Hebrews 4:14-16.