Advent First Wednesday 12/1

Today we finally made it to December.  When I crawled out of bed this morning I looked out the window to see it snowing.  This made me happy and sad at the same time.  Happy because in one sense I really love the snow and how it covers the earth with this pure (well white, we wont talk about all the minerals and what not in snow that are bad for us) blanket of fluff, and sad because about this time every year it gets too cold to hike, the sun goes away, and it gets dark and gloomy.  I share this because as I pulled into my driveway this evening, it was dark, I was tired, maybe even a little cranky, but the Christmas tree in the front room was lit and it brought a deep joy to me to know that no matter how dark and gloomy it gets, no matter how tired and cranky I am, no matter how cold it is, the light of Christ shines on in the world to pierce the darkness and bring life to the world.

In today's lectionary I pulled out the verses from Isaiah 2 and then the beginning of the text from 1 Thessalonians 2...

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 any more.


1 Thessalonians 2:13

   We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you
received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not
as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at
work in you believers.

"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 any more."  I think I have heard more than a handful of sermons on this text, and yet, even so each time I read this passage from Isaiah I feel as if I could listen to twenty more sermons.  Today as I reflect on issues of oppression, on issues of justice, on what in the world is going on in North & South Korea, as I look for hope, peace, joy, and love in the world, I look at this text and I see hope.  I see a future of peace. I am overcome with joy, and I can feel the love of God for the world to desire this peace for God's creation.  

I had a conversation early this week about this passage and was reminded at how our words can often become swords. Our actions can feel like spears when we attack others.  I was reminded that as a follower of Christ I too am called to turn my swords, my words, into plowshares or something that is used in planting a harvest, a tool that is used in providing food for a community.  My words should cultivate a love for Christ, my words should reflect my beliefs as a follower of Christ, and my words should be used to build others up in love not to declare war on others.  My actions should be more like a pruning hook than a spear.  I shouldn't be making stabs at people but I should be like a pruning hook that leads to the bearing of fruit.  My actions should bear the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control...I hope you just sang them like you learned them as a kid).

It is when we learn to be plowshares and pruning hooks, that the world will see peace at work and learn war no more.  I don't believe that we are to sit back and wait for world peace to happen, I believe that God is working in, through, above, around and in between us to use each and every one of us to work for a world that lays its weapons down.  And I love that the passage from 1 Thessalonians 2 is in the lectionary alongside the Isaiah passage because Paul is getting at this notion of working in the here and now.

We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you
received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not
as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at
work in you believers.

Paul uses this idea of accepting the word of God as God's word not human word more than once in scripture, and this is important.  It is important because when God's word is at work in us as believers it holds power. When God's word works in us we are able to do more than we could ever imagine.  Because God's word is at work in us, we become plowshares and pruning hooks today instead of years from now.  Because God's word is at work in us we live the Gospel of Jesus Christ bearing light and life to the world.

I love scripture.  I love scripture because each time I read it I learn something new and I see that God is working in the world, I see that God created and loves this world and yearns for it to be peaceful and whole again.  I love scripture because it brings the hope of unity and reconciliation to the world.  I love scripture because it is the word of God which is at work in me.  

Peace be within you,

KP

Picture: PAX is the Latin word for peace.  This is an ornament on my Christmas tree!