He Shall Be Called, Pt. 1: Wonderful Counselor

Advent speaks as Isaiah speaks, straight into the dark. Isaiah names the audience first, not their resumes but their reality: “the people walking in darkness… those living in the land of deep darkness.” Advent starts with darkness, not with polish, and not with those who have it all together. It meets a soul that can say, there is bitterness, deceit, lust, fear, grief, and a need for light that does not come from inside the self. That honesty becomes the doorway where dawn breaks.

Isaiah then treats Advent as an apocalypse. Not Hollywood doom, but unveiling. The veil lifts on what is really happening and on what is surely coming. Things are grim, but it is not the end. It gets bleak, then it gets bright. Advent places the church in the middle, between how things seem and how things really are, between first light and final noon.

Isaiah’s hope anchors in two arrivals. The first Advent is the incarnate Christ, God wrapped in humanity. The second Advent is the promised return, when all things are made new. Between the two bright lights is a messy layover where long shadows stretch across life. The call in that middle is to stand and watch the encroaching dark give way, and then to stand in the beams when light wins the night.

Honesty about the dark is not an excuse to numb out. The gathering of believers must not be a drug to dull pain, but a place for open heart surgery. Confession clears space for radiance.

Who is this light? Isaiah names him Wonderful Counselor. Ahaz tried strategy by befriending Assyria, bending worship, and rearranging the temple. Cute strategy, Ahaz. But Isaiah promises a counselor whose wisdom makes imperial playbooks look like a child’s first drawing. Wonderful is pele, the word for the awe that makes a soul say, “oh, wow,” the same wonder sung at the Red Sea and sketched across the heavens. The incarnation itself is the breathtaking strategy. Born in obscurity, it should not have worked, but here it still is, remaking calendars and hearts. This Counselor is wisdom in person, the Logos who stood beside the Father at creation and now steps into history to lead humanity out of night and into glory.

From politics to grief, from anxiety to fractured homes to church hurt, despair is loud. Advent is louder. The bells still peal deeper: God is not dead nor does he sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail. Advent restores the “oh, wow” and puts steel in the soul to hope again.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Advent begins in acknowledged darkness Advent does not ask for polish, it asks for truth. Only souls that stop pretending can receive light that actually heals. The way into glory runs through honest naming of despair, desolation, and drift. Advent starts where night is thick and hope feels thin. [07:35]
• 2. Apocalypse means unveiling, not doom Biblical apocalypse pulls back the curtain on what hurts and on what heals. It names real loss and then announces a future that is more solid than pain. The unveiling steadies the heart in the middle, where things look one way but are actually held by Another. Hope is not spin, it is reveal. [11:35]
• 3. Christ counsels with wondrous wisdom Ahaz’s geopolitical calculus saved face but mortgaged the soul. Christ’s counsel outstrips human cleverness, not by sleight of hand but by holy wonder that remakes the map. The incarnation is strategy that stuns, birthing peace where power expects none. Wisdom puts breath back into a people who ran out of plans. [19:57]
• 4. Hope lives between two arrivals The church inhabits a layover between manger and return. Shadows are real, but so is the promised sunrise. Faith stands its ground, watching night lose its grip and learning to live by the coming light. The heart practices tomorrow’s joy today. [13:44]
• 5. Childlike wonder is holy posture Wonder is not naivete, it is clear sight before a Counselor who is pele. Awe softens cynicism and makes room for obedience. When the soul says “oh, wow,” it is already turning toward the light that heals and leads. Wonder is courage with its eyes open. [23:37]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [188:00] - Holiday joy and childlike wonder
• [290:00] - The “oh, wow” of Christmas lights
• [341:00] - Prayer to restore wonder
• [431:00] - Isaiah’s audience named
• [455:00] - Advent starts with darkness
• [695:00] - Advent as apocalypse, not doom
• [824:00] - Two arrivals of Christ
• [888:00] - Living in the messy middle
• [986:00] - From numbing to open heart surgery
• [1055:00] - “Wonderful Counselor” unveiled
• [1119:00] - Ahaz’s strategy versus God’s wisdom
• [1309:00] - Pele wonder and the “oh, wow”
• [1484:00] - Wisdom, Logos, and light
• [1569:00] - Hope for real-life despair
• [1838:00] - Longfellow’s dark Christmas
• [2092:00] - Bells that peal deeper than hate
• [2152:00] - Invitation to restored hope and wonder

1. Isaiah 9:2 describes the audience as "people walking in darkness" and "those living in the land of deep darkness." What specific realities or struggles might this darkness represent, both in Isaiah’s time and today?
2. The term "Wonderful Counselor" in Isaiah 9:6 uses the Hebrew word pele (wonder). What examples of God’s "wonder" are highlighted in the sermon, and how do they redefine human strategies for hope? [21:49]
3. The sermon contrasts Ahaz’s political strategies with the "wonderful counsel" of Christ. What made Ahaz’s approach to crisis ultimately hollow, despite its short-term success? [18:39]
4. How does the sermon define the "two arrivals" of Advent, and what characterizes the "messy middle" between them? [13:44]

1. Why does Advent begin with acknowledging darkness rather than jumping to celebration? How does this honesty create space for true hope?
2. Ahaz’s strategy relied on alliances and compromise, while Isaiah points to a "wonderful" divine plan. Why do human solutions often fail to address deeper spiritual or emotional darkness?
3. The sermon describes Advent as an "apocalypse" (unveiling). How does this perspective reframe our understanding of suffering and God’s promises?
4. Childlike wonder is called a "holy posture." How might cynicism or routine hinder our ability to recognize God’s work in dark seasons? [23:37]

1. Advent starts by naming our darkness. What area of your life (e.g., relationships, mental health, faith) feels like "deep darkness" right now? How can you bring that honestly into your prayers this week?
2. The sermon warns against using faith communities to "numb pain" instead of pursuing "open heart surgery." What practical step could you take to move from avoidance to vulnerability with God or others? [16:26]
3. Ahaz prioritized human strategy over trust in God’s wonder. Where are you tempted to rely on your own plans instead of seeking Christ’s counsel? What would it look like to pause and ask, What is the "wow" of God’s wisdom here?
4. The "messy middle" between Christ’s first and second coming includes long shadows of doubt. What daily habit could help you "stand and watch" for glimpses of light overcoming darkness?
5. Childlike wonder softens cynicism. What simple practice (e.g., gratitude journaling, observing nature, serving others) could help you recover an "oh, wow" response to God’s work in your life? [05:16]
6. The church is called to "live by the coming light" while acknowledging present shadows. How can your small group support one another in holding both hope and honesty this Advent season?