December 17, 2012

Isaiah 11:1-9

"A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;

 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

 The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea."

 

            Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a place where righteousness reigns supreme; where prejudice has been eradicated; where predatory animals graze together; where infants and toddlers are able to play freely without fear?  In this vision, the prophet describes what is often termed, "the peaceable kingdom," a time and a place where God is in charge and all is right with the world.  The vision is reminiscent of the paradise-like setting of the Garden of Eden described in Genesis as well as the new creation described in the Book of Revelation.  It is also a description of the hope of the Advent season as we watch and wait for the coming of Christ when the fullness of God's kingdom will be established in all of its glory.  While the realities of our world reveal anything but a peaceable kingdom, Advent invites us to move forward in faith and in hope, trusting that the "peace of God which passes all understanding," will fill our hearts and minds, even as we wait for the full revelation of God's peaceable kingdom.

 

Prayer:

            God of peace and God of hope, in the midst of the world in which we live, it is almost impossible for us to share the prophet's vision of a peaceable kingdom.  Yet, O Lord, we trust in you, and pray that you will hasten the day when all of your children will live together in harmony.  Amen.