December 6
Isaiah 2.1-5
1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.
3 Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
5 Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Peace on Earth is a common theme throughout Advent and Christmas; hopefully throughout the whole year. A theme that we see in the last two sentences of Isaiah 2.4. A picture that we all pray for, not just in our own places, but in the faraway places where we see people fighting and killing. Places where people only see others around them as the enemy.
But things never start there, except in Genesis 1 & 2. There we start with peace and end in sin and exile from the garden. Isaiah begins with the image of people from outside of Israel coming to the temple of God in Jerusalem. People coming to learn the ways of God in his words. And God becoming the one they see as the judge of the world, which he already is.
The result is weapons becoming farm implements. Tanks becoming farm tractors. Guns becoming hoes or shovels. Nations at peace with each other. People learning things that bring the world to a better place. Educating our young. Curing disease. Eliminating poverty. These are results of learning to live as the people of God instead of living as people of self.
During Advent we hear that we look forward to the two comings of Christ. The first coming in Bethlehem that we celebrate at Christmas. The second coming that we look forward to still to come. But not a passive waiting. It is an active waiting. Waiting that involves preparation. Getting ready for the kingdom of peace that will be. Becoming people who already understand peace in life.
We can each look at how we can bring peace in our own places. Seeing the things we can do that will restore peace with neighbours. Doing something to restore peace in our family. Finding a way to have peace in our community. And seeing that spread beyond. We can’t solve the problems of international war. But we can be part of peace here and pray that it is part of restoring the peace on earth for which we pray and of which we sing. We pray and work for peace on earth today.
Song – Let There Be Peace on Earth
Prayer
Father in heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love, and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ, our Saviour, and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of his coming may find us rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his truth. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.