When I were a lad, there were lots of families where the children were not allowed to open their Christmas presents until after they had been to church. I suspect that doesn’t happen so much these days, which is good, because you can tell everybody what your favourite present was this year or presents if you had more than one.

There was once a boy who desperately wanted a bike for Christmas. He knew which bike he wanted had taken every precaution to make sure he got it. He wrote a letter to Santa, he made sure his parents knew, and he just to make sure, he prayed every day in December first thing when he woke up. On Christmas day he was very excited and rushed downstairs to open his presents. Then he discovered that his Christmas present that year was a pair of socks. Socks! I wanted a bike! Personally I’m very happy to get socks these days – they are very useful things. The keep your feet warm and comfortable. They were brought to us by the Romans – the word sock comes from the Latin word soccus. What did the Romans ever do for us? Well, they gave us the gift of socks amongst other things. The world is a better place because we have socks.

We don’t always get what we want or what we pray for, but that’s often a good thing. Ruth Graham, Billy Graham’s wife once said, “God has not always answered my prayers. If He had, I would have married the wrong man -- several times!”

Often we think we know what we want, but we actually don’t. We receive the thing that we didn’t know we wanted, and it’s only after we have received it that we understand the blessing that it truly is, and we thank God that he didn’t give us what we asked for. As author Timothy Keller put it:

“God will only give you what you would have asked for, if you knew everything he knows”

Of course, there are much worse things that can happen to you than not getting what you wanted for Christmas. People usually get over that, although marrying the wrong person is something to avoid if you can help it.

In the scripture reading today the people walking in deep darkness. They have lost everything, homes, families, land, their freedom. They live under the yoke of the oppressor, and the boot of the tyrant. This passage reminds us of just how little most of us have to complain about. All they have left is faith and hope – but perhaps the value of faith and hope is only truly understood by those who have nothing else.

The gift that they know they want is a strong man, to lead them and defeat the tyrant that threatens them. Winston Churchill, Horatio Nelson, Duke of Wellington, superman. And what they want, they receive, as the prophet Isaiah foresees.

⁴ For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
    you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor.
⁵ Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
    will be fuel for the fire.

But this prophecy of Isaiah is going way beyond a strong leader, necessary as they sometimes are, and pointing to something much greater.

⁶ 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 Counsellor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end … from that time on and forever.

In fact, you slightly wonder how got away with this. Mighty God, Everlasting Father, from that time on and for ever. In those days you couldn’t say that about a man, only about God. That was blasphemy. But in these days you can say that about a man, the gift we celebrate of Christmas, the man who is God, who came to give us good gifts, not the ones we thought we wanted, but better ones. A confederate soldier from the American Civil war, who was of course on the losing side - I bet he didn’t ask for that - had this to say:

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey ...
I asked for health, that I might do great things.
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things ...
I asked for riches, that I might be happy.
I was given poverty, that I might be wise ...
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God ...
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things ...
I got nothing I asked for—but everything I had hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among men, most richly blessed”