Sermons

     God longs for peace for the world. As we focus on the Old Testament book of Isaiah these first three Sundays in Advent, that is one of the loud messages. God longs for peace for the world.

     Yet, peace does not prevail. There is, instead, war in Ukraine and Russia, and in Myanmar and Ethiopia, the horrors of civil war. Violence reigns in Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria. Three of the four most dangerous cities in the world are in our neighboring country, Mexico, with the other most dangerous city located in Venezuela. As for the United States, Detroit and Memphis are at the top of the dangerous list. And that is not including mass shootings, recently in Colorado Springs, CO. and Chesapeake, VA., that shatter lives.

     “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks…”, proclaims the Prophet Isaiah.

     The lack of peace is known to us here in Akron; violence in our community is a daily occurrence. Stop in our Outreach Coordinator David Simpson’s office sometime and see the map he is creating that pinpoint the deaths due to gun violence in our city this year; it’s disconcerting.

     Tragically, there also is domestic violence in many homes. And, although physical harm may not occur, we each deal with hostility, divisiveness, tension and prejudice in our day-to-day lives and relationship.

     “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.”

   Amazingly, God has not abandoned sinful people who freely choose to make swords and spears, that is, who nurture rather than reject violence. God’s will for us is reflected in his words to the people of Israel through the Prophet Isaiah.

     Let me say, though, that the context of this passage is complicated. The passage we read today is set in the mid-8th century B.C.E The once united kingdom of Israel has split into two kingdoms, Judah in the south and Israel in the north. These were places of war and violence. To make a long story short, Syria and the Northern Kingdom, Israel, eventually attacked Judah. The Kingdom of Assyria then came to Judah’s aid and conquered Israel in 722 B.C.E. Judah survived but was under the control of Assyria. All of this is the context for the first 39 chapter of the book of Isaiah.

     In Chapter 1, the Prophet announces that Israel is morally bankrupt, religiously rebellious, deserves the fact that their land is in ruin and, by the way, God is fed up with them. But then, in Chapter 2, from which we read today, the tone changes and Isaiah shares a vision of what can and will happen on “that day”, “the day of the Lord.” We Christians often think of “that day” as the day when Jesus returns and God’s Kingdom fully comes.

     On “that day”, God will raise up the Temple and the mountain on which it stands, so that it is visible to all. Then, all nations, even the enemies of Israel and Judah, will stream to it, to the place where God dwells. There, this radically inclusive group will learn God’s will and God’s ways so they can live them. That will bring stability and moral purpose to the world, and all will flourish.

     However, should a sense of “wrongs done” threaten to create division and conflict, then God will settle the disputes. And, because of this Divine justice there will be real peace. One of the first things that will happen is that people will unlearn the art of war, no doubt because war is so contrary to God’s intention for the world.

     As commentator Scott Hoezee notes, “Few things better symbolize the opposite of God’s desired shalom (peace) than warfare and battles. What the world has been witnessing most recently in Ukraine is emblematic of this fact. It is always the innocent, the children, the elderly, the vulnerable who suffer most in wartime.” Instead, we will learn the art of shalom, which he defines God’s shalom is this way: “Shalom means doing more than finding ways not to argue or come to blows. Shalom means seeing God’s image residing deep inside every person we encounter, no matter how outwardly different from us that other person may be. What’s more, shalom means not just passively accepting the fact of our inter-relatedness but of actively wanting to do something to make that relationship better. We do what we can make other prosper and flourish.” (1)

      Shalom means that the instruments of war – represented in the passage by the spear and the sword – will be reshaped; the metal will be pounded into useful tools for producing food to bless and nourish God’s beloved ones. Just think … the very weapons that harm and threaten will be no more. They will not just be laid aside; they will no longer be needed and have been transformed.

     What a vision! My heart longs for that to happen to the weapons and people who have caused so much grief and suffering in our world, our country. Ah, yes, we say, but it is just a vision, a hope, a dream.

     Yet…look at the final verse in today’s reading: “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” We could turn that into, “O followers of Jesus, come let us walk in the light of the Lord.”

     We are called to walk in the light of that vision, to be peacemakers. That is one of the reasons the Interfaith Justice Alliance, of which we are a part along with our collaborative partners from St. Hilary Catholic and New Hope Baptist churches, and Temple Israel, in planning the Interfaith Justice Series for March, has decided to focus on the tragedy of gun violence in our country, which includes our city. We will be discussing this topic from various angles, but the final session will focus on how we as faith communities can respond.

     You will be hearing more about that in January. The first step, though, is to grasp that we are to live in the light of God’s promised peace. Instead of dwelling in despair, fear, and becoming cynical and belligerent – characteristics of the darkness – we walk in and spread the light of the Lord, putting aside attitudes and actions that lead to hatred and striving to love. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in today’s reading from Romans. “Let us lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12)

     Is that easily done? No, it is possible only by the power of the Holy Spirit. Can it be completely done? No, not until “the day of the Lord” arrives. Yet, our intention to be people of the light will, at least, make a difference here and now. That is our hope this First Sunday of Advent. AMEN

          

1. “Isaiah 2:1-5 Commentary” by Scott Hoezee, November 27, 2022, cepreaching.org