Ready and Waiting (Nov.

22 - 28)


Sunday, November 28, 2010
First Sunday in Advent

Weekly Theme
Ready and Waiting

Prayer
Unexpected God, your advent alarms us. Wake us from drowsy worship, from the sleep
that neglects love, and the sedative of misdirected frenzy. Awaken us now to your
coming, and bend our angers into your peace. Amen.

Focus Scripture
Isaiah 2:1-5

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 ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

All readings for this Sunday
Isaiah 2:1-5
Psalm 122
Romans 13:11-14
Matthew 24:36-44

Focus Questions

1. What is your role, your church's role, the wider church's role, in bringing in the great
day described by the prophet Isaiah?

2. In what ways have we constructed our lives to protect what we have, as individuals,
communities, and nations?

3. What would the dream of peace look like in today's world?

4. In what ways do we need to imagine that our interactions with others might change?

5. How might we hear the voice of the Stillspeaking God through the voices of others,
especially those who are "not like" us?

Reection
by Kate Huey

Walter Brueggemann has likened today's beautiful passage from the prophet Isaiah to
the "I have a dream" speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but most days our reality is a
long way from either prophet's vision of peace, justice, and healing. This year, we read
this text in the context of war: conicts and struggles are all over the world, in Iraq,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Darfur...in our cities and neighborhoods, our homes
and workplaces, our relationships with one another, perhaps even within the walls of our
congregation. We've come to understand the absence of peace in other ways, too: in
the threat of terrorism that makes even "peaceful" days feel ominous, in the growing
anger of the dispossessed that threatens to explode, in the damage to the earth that we
will leave as a tragic legacy to our grandchildren, and to theirs as well.

It isn't hard then to imagine how the people of Israel must have felt over the centuries in
the face of threat, destruction, and exile by one empire after another. They listened to
this dream, this vision of the future, and then they looked around, at their beautiful city,
Jerusalem, burned and battered by powers that must have appeared unstoppable. But
they knew there was one power stronger than any empire and any destructive force,
and today's passage is Isaiah's recitation of God's promise of a future very different
from what was just then visible. Isaiah's words are so graceful, so haunting, so
expressive of our deepest yearnings that we use them in our public life as a vision for all
of God's children: James Limburg tells us that these words are engraved on a wall near
the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City, where they inspire the work of
many nations, many different peoples who yearn to live together in justice and peace.

We hear this text not only in a time of conict and war but in a new season at the
beginning of a new church year: Advent, the time of waiting, and so much more.
Brueggemann describes Advent as "an abrupt disruption in our 'ordinary time'...utterly
new year, new time, new life. Everything begins again..." While the world around us
wraps up another year hoping for increased consumer spending and waiting for annual
reports on prots, the church already steps into a new time, to begin a season of hoping
and waiting for much more: "Advent," Brueggemann continues, "invites us to awaken
from our numbed endurance and our domesticated expectations, to consider our life
afresh in light of new gifts that God is about to give." In this new season and new year,
we dare to hope for something much better than the news may report. We begin a new
time remembering who is really in charge of everything, and setting our hearts on being
part of the plan. As beautiful as these verses are, they paint a very clear picture: God is
the One who brings this dream to reality, but there's work for us to do, too, in re-shaping
the instruments of war, violence, and destruction into instruments of peace and
provision for all.

So, there are words of comfort and promise about what God is going to do, but between
the lines, there's a call to participate in that dream of God. We suspect that Dr. King
expected us not just to sit around waiting for that great day of peace and justice but to
work as we wait. Isaiah too wants us to loosen the grip on our swords and the
instruments of war and to take up the things of peace, to "walk in the light of the Lord." It
sounds really, really nice, but Brueggemann says there's a catch: "God wills for the
world...a center of justice and righteousness that will get our minds off our petty agenda
and our penchant to protect our little investments. I nd that vision overwhelming--and
not very welcome, because the things I value most I am reluctant to lose or risk, and
even more reluctant to share." The things of war between nations are also things that
we struggle with, each one of us, individually, even our great theologians and scholars.

"Delighting in God, Engaged in God's Purpose"

We might claim that the nations, alas, can't beat their swords and spears into the things
of peace just yet, much as they might like to, because there are still so many situations
in which those weapons are needed. After all, that's how we have to settle conicts. But
Isaiah promises a day when, in Brueggemann's words, "The nations will not only delight
in God's person, they will be engaged in God's purpose." (Wouldn't that be a great
mission statement for a congregation? "Delighting in God, Engaged in God's Purpose")
Isaiah promises a time when God's ways will fully shape how we live, not just some of
us, but every single person--"all the nations...many peoples" streaming toward the bright
light of peace, and enough, for all. It may not look like that right now, but Advent is about
taking the long view of things. And, in the meantime, Limburg writes, we're "invited to
get this marvelous picture of peacemaking out of the realm of the imagination and into
the realities of everyday life." Many may doubt that seeking peace through justice will
ever turn back the dogs of war, but, Mary Hinkle Shores writes, "even skeptics have to
admit that justice, safety, and widespread prosperity have a better chance of resulting in
peace than injustice, danger, and disparity of wealth." Certainly it's worth our best try!

History belongs to God

If this text were not so comforting and full of hope, it would be painful to read. Indeed,
how our hearts long for a time--the time--of peace in the world! Perhaps the most
powerful afrmation of the text, however, is that history belongs to God and will surely
unfold as God sees t. As we steep ourselves in Advent observance and look forward
as much as backward in time for inspiration and hope, what do we truly long for in our
lives? What price are we willing to pay for it? Haven't we often beaten our pruning hooks
into spears in order to protect what we claim as our own? As we write our Christmas
cards with lovely images of peace in the world, in what ways are we pursuing peace in
our lives and in the world around us?

How can people of faith transcend our differences and speak with one voice about the
call to peace given by a God who--today--loves each one of us? What can we share in
common--care for our children, for the earth, for the future--that brings us together in
recognition that all of us, and our entire lives, belong to the same God and therefore nd
our common ground in peace, not war? How might we deepen our respect for one
another?

A preaching version of this commentary (with references and sample sermon) on Isaiah
2:1-5 and also commentary on Matthew 24:36-44 can be found on http://www.ucc.org/
worship/samuel

For further reection

Jo Hudson, 21st century
There is a world of hurt out there that needs the word of hope in here.

Martin Luther King, Jr., 20th century
The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that recognizes the dignity and
worth of all Gods children.

Rev. Emil Gudmundson, 20th century
May we have faith in life to do wise planting that the generations to come may reap
even more abundantly than we. May we be bold in bringing to fruition the golden
dreams of human kinship and justice. This we ask that the elds of promise become the
elds of reality.

John Lennon, 20th century
All we are saying, is give peace a chance.