Wonderful Counselor...

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders;  and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6

I love this prophecy passage and what it tells us about Jesus.  Does it make any of you want to sing?  Handel's Messiah is an amazing composition of music that we normally don't hear until this time of year.  In fact, I'm listening to it as I write.  Probably, the most famous song from Messiah is The Hallelujah Chorus.  My cousin, Sue, put a link to an incredible rendition of this song on her facebook page.  It gave me goosebumps and I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of it that I got a little choked up!  You might want to check it out on You Tube - A Random Act of Culture.  An opera company spread out in the common area of a mall, on several floors, and sang The Hallelujah Chorus to the accompaniment of an organ.  It was totally unannounced and several shoppers joined in the singing. Wow!!

Have you ever wondered what all the names of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6 mean in Hebrew, the original language?  Today, we will look at Wonderful Counselor.  Wonderful means a miracle, a marvelous thing.  Counselor means to advise, deliberate or resolve. 

Our son in law just became a nationally certified counselor.  Because of what he has learned in seminary and through experience at a counseling center, he is able to help teens and their families work through the confusion and turmoil of their lives.  He is very good at what he does.

Did you know that Jesus is our counselor?  I especially appreciate the word resolve in the definition of counselor.  We generally go to a counselor because we have issues to resolve.  Jesus has the power to resolve any of our issues.  And we don't have to make an appointment.  He is available to us twenty-four hours a day.  

So, how do we appropriate this attribute of Jesus?  We can pray all day, but until we open our Bibles and read and pray, we will find no comfort.  There is no counselor that can help a client unless that client listens to advise, so we must listen and let Jesus advise us through His Word.  It is a marvelous, miraculous thing to have as our personal counselor the One who created us and loves us unconditionally!


Christmas Decorations - Nativity Sets

I have two different nativity items on our mantle this year.  One is a Christmas card that I framed and the other is carved in olive wood from Israel that our oldest daughter gave me when she was in seminary in New Orleans.  It is simple and beautiful.

Today's Recipe - Cranberry Chutney
This makes a festive and colorful appetizer when poured over a block of cream cheese in a pretty Christmas bowl and served with Wheat Thins or rice crackers.

16 oz can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Remove from heat and pour into a container.  Refrigerate at least eight hours.