Tracing the Path of the Holy Spirit in the Christmas Story
“For unto us a Child is born” Isaiah 9:6
Has your family started planning meals for your holiday get-togethers? If a charcuterie board is somewhere in your planning, you’re so on-trend.
Three hundred years ago, a great deal of thought was put into meals for a man who was so laser-focused on his work that for almost three weeks, he refused everything prepared for him. He barely slept. Those who brought him food returned many hours later to find it untouched. Day after day.
Messiah
The task with which the man was so obsessed? Committing to paper what the Holy Spirit was moving him to pen, a masterpiece we now know as Handel’s Messiah. The motivation that kept George Frideric Handel up at night—furiously scribbling so he didn’t miss any nuance—was rooted in what had kept Isaiah the prophet up all night 2,400 years earlier—a voice from heaven speaking into the darkness:
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
We’re told the lyrics of the Messiah were taken from the books of Isaiah, Haggai, Malachi, Luke, Zachariah, Matthew, John, Psalms, Lamentations, Romans, Revelation, Job, and 1 Corinthians. As Handel’s Messiah was written, the composer drew from whichever part of Scripture spoke to that musical moment.
Selah – Pause
The thrilling connections make me want to add, as the psalmists often did, SELAH (which from the Hebrew is often translated “pause and reflect”).
Let’s focus on the Isaiah portion of the Christmas story as we observe the presence of the Holy Spirit throughout every layer of Advent, the same that Handel explored when composing “For unto us a Child is born.”
God’s Word tells us that two of the Holy Spirit’s assignments are to offer comfort and hope (see John 14:26; 16:7; Romans 15:13). It’s hard to comprehend how many people have taken comfort and drawn hope from these potent and stirring words since they were breathed into the atmosphere in ages past:
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah, the same prophet, tells us that the Son of God was wounded for our transgressions, although that action would not happen until long into the future (see Isaiah 53:5).
A Child Is Born
When the ancient prophet claimed that “unto us a Child is born,” he’d been given— by insight from the Holy Spirit—the words and confidence for an action that would not be fulfilled for seven hundred years. And yet, because of God’s faithfulness and unchanging nature, for Isaiah and those who listened to him, it was as good as done . . . until the moment it was done.
The culture in which Isaiah lived was desperate for a wise and trustworthy counselor, desperate for assurance, desperate for peace. The people were divided, held captive, resorting to ransom, with distress and darkness and fear, part of their everyday existence.
But that prophetic promise flowed from Isaiah’s mouth—“For unto us a Child is born” (Isaiah 9:6).
Isaiah wouldn’t have known that seven hundred years would pass before the birth of Jesus and the fulfillment of that prophecy. We—included in the us of “unto us”—look behind us more than two thousand years. By now, humanity has talked about that child almost three times as long as Isaiah’s prophecy was old before it came to pass.
The Role of the Spirit
Catch the role of the Spirit when, a couple of chapters later in Isaiah, the prophet is inspired to say, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse [from David’s family tree]; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1–3).
Was Isaiah convinced the Holy Spirit flows freely through the ancient and yet ever-new story of the Christ child?
Forever and ever, and ever, and ever . . . hallelujah!
Reflection:
Take a moment to pray this prayer today:
Spirit of God, help us notice the “crumbs” You left throughout the Word that point so clearly to the truth on which we rest our faith. Amen.
If you liked this post, check out the book The Spirit of Christmas by Cynthia Ruchti. We love how Cynthia invites you to discover exciting new aspects of the Christmas story you thought you knew by exploring how the Holy Spirit appears in the Christmas story. An excellent advent devotional!
Cynthia Ruchti is an acclaimed writer and speaker. A former radio producer, she is a popular media guest and has been featured on numerous TV, radio, and online outlets. Her written work has received recognition with Publishers Weekly starred reviews, Christian Retailing‘s BEST Awards, Readers’ Choice Awards, Reviewers’ Choice Awards, The Carol Award, two Christy finalists, and more. Her tagline is, “I can’t unravel. I’m hemmed in Hope.” Learn more at CynthiaRuchti.com.
