A Saviour Born to the World of SportSample

Some of us will have a break from our sport this Christmas. That might be timely – a chance to stop and reflect on the coming of the King in our lives. Perhaps we’ve forgotten the significance of the birth of Jesus or the promise that he brings.

Others won’t get a break from sport; in fact, the Christmas period might be one of the busiest times for you. In the hectic schedule of training and competition, what a joy it is to know that the newborn King that we celebrate is your “Everlasting Father.” He’s got you. When you’re exhausted, or feeling the heat to perform, or emotionally shattered from being around people, know that Jesus is eternally caring for you. His love has no bound and no end.

“Everlasting Father’ is how Isaiah describes the baby Jesus in his prophecy:

"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

The name “Everlasting Father” is an endearing description of the ongoing, ever-caring nature of this new-born baby.

The term “Father” was not used as a description of a King in the Old Testament but only of the Lord himself. It points to the care and concern for those who are helpless. Isaiah is helping us see that the rule of the newborn follows the pattern and nature of the divine Father.

In the Old Testament, when the people asked for a king, they had in a mind a permanent institution that would provide security and identity. This had not been the result and now the people found themselves in what the author Isaiah states in 9:2 as “living in the land of the shadow of death”: leaderless, lost and facing extinction as a nation.

How precious these words must have sounded to the original readers. A new king is coming, one sent by God, and he will be the “Everlasting Father”. The one who has come to lead, to care, to keep secure and give identity, not for a time, but forever and ever!

How precious these words are for us this Christmastime.

If you’re a Christian, there are times you won’t feel as though you belong in this world of sport. Christmas is the time to remember that Christ made earth his temporary home to bring you back to his eternal home.

The coming of the baby Jesus happened that first Christmas morning, yet we live in the reality and the consequence of this event daily and into eternity. Apart from him, our time on this earth is momentary and fleeting. Now we class it as the beginning of eternity with him – the one who dearly cares for us.

When you’re exhausted, or feeling the heat to perform, or emotionally shattered from being around people, know that Jesus is eternally caring for you. His love has no bound and no end.

Reflect and rejoice.

Prayer for today

Dear Father,

Thank you that when I’m exhausted or under pressure, I know that you are eternally caring for me, that nothing is too much for you. Thank you for a reminder today of the promise of eternity with you for all who have trusted in you.

Help me to live with the confidence and assurance that comes from remembering you are my “Everlasting Father.”

In your precious name,

Amen.