December 5, 2012

Isaiah 2:1-4

The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

"In days to come
the mountain of the Lord's house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
 Many peoples shall come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore."

            Each day, it seems, we are made aware of the escalation of violence in our community, the increasing tensions in the Middle East, and the possibility of military intervention or a civil uprising in some part of our world.  Of course, such news should not surprise us, for Jesus himself said that there would always be wars and rumors of wars as we wait for him to come again.  The prophet, Isaiah, lived in a time when violence and warfare were among the staples of everyday life.  In the midst of such unsettling times, the prophet proclaims that there will come a day when war and violence will end; a day when God himself will take the implements of war and transform them into agricultural tools. That same hope is ours today as we continue this time of preparing our hearts and minds to celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace.  On this fourth day of our Advent journey, let us heed the words of the prophet and make our way up "to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob,"  that we may celebrate the hope we have in Christ and pray for peace in our world and in our lives. 

            Prayer:

Loving and Gracious God: we live in a world which has been and continues to be battered and bruised by violence and warfare. We ask your blessing upon those whose lives have been touched by the horrors of war, and pray that you will hasten the day when bombs and bullets will be transformed into plows and shovels.  We pray in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.  Amen.