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23 DECEMBER A CHILD KING Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die, Born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth. Isaiah 9:1-7 Charles Wesley's Hark! the Herald Angels Sing has long been among my favorite Christmas carols. In contemporar y arrangements, it is often only the first three verses that are sung. Thus, the third verse ser ves as a sor t of climax: the music swells and voices raise as we sing of a newborn prince whose righteous reign produces peace and light. This imager y is pulled from Isaiah 9, where the prophet tells of a child bearing lofty titles ("Mighty God," "Wonderful Counselor," "Everlasting Father," "Prince of Peace") and a kingdom with no end. While these terms may be familiar to long-term churchgoers, the context in which this prophecy rests is less well known. By the time we read of "a child born" and "a son given" (9:6), children have been mentioned several times in the book of Isaiah. In chapter 3, the prophet writes that children will rule over Jerusalem and Judah (verses 4, 12). But while the child of Isaiah 9 brings salvation, these children are signs of God's judgment. Due to the people's sin, God is going to remove the leadership in Judah and replace them with children who are not competent to rule. In chapter 7, Isaiah foretells the bir th of Immanual—"God with us." Although this title brings thoughts of Jesus to mind, the immediate fulfillment of this prophecy would occur in Isaiah's time. Before this child was old enough to determine right from wrong, Assyria would lay waste to Judah. Finally, in chapter 8 we read that before Isaiah's newborn child would be able to utter "my father" or "my mother," Assyria would plunder Samaria, Israel's capital city. The child of Isaiah 9, however, is not a herald of judgment, but salvation. His coming brings light and relief for those previously in distress and darkness (9:1). In contrast to Israel's incompetent and sinful rulers, the reign of this Son is described as just and righteous (9:7). Violence and war will no longer have a place when this king reigns (9:5), for His peace will have no end (9:7). He is a monarch so wise that He needs no counselor, and He leads His people with fatherly care and protection (9:6). Thus, when we sing of a newborn child this Christmas, we are celebrating the arrival of a king whose reign is like no other. God has come among His people, and His kingdom will have no end. Brian Gehr, MDiv, Alumni Relations Specialist and Alumnus Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Lyrics by Charles Wesley (1739), composed by Felix Mendelssohn (1840)