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…
Isaiah 11:2 NIV
The Spirit of the Lord
The MV Spirit of British Columbia is an S-class ferry, part of the BC Ferries fleet active along the British Columbia coast. It and the MV Spirit of Vancouver Island represent the two largest ships in the fleet. The Spirit of British Columbia was completed in 1993 and serves the Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay route. In 2018, it underwent a mid-life refit that included conversion to a dual-fuel system that allows it to use either marine diesel oil or liquefied natural gas.
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I love the story of Jesus’ birth as recorded in the Bible. There is so much to celebrate about it. It is filled with the fulfillment of prophecy, people from so many varied walks of life, mystery and majesty, earthly shepherds, and heavenly angels. There is nothing like it. I wonder what everybody thought was happening. Don’t you wish you could put yourself in the shoes of the shepherds, the magi, as they set out from the East, Mary and Joseph? The heavenly beings knew what was going on, but I wonder if others did. The Bible says that Mary pondered these things. Could she have known that this child of hers was the fulfillment of Isaiah 11:2, and if not, when did she realize it: “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.” At some point, it must have become obvious in His childhood that, in spite of being fully human, there was something unique about this child. His wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, and love for God was like none other. This, and so much more, is our Jesus.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley