Wellspring UMC; Second
Sunday of Advent; December 9, 2007:
-Romans
15 : 4-13; Isaiah 11: 1-10
“The
Spirit of the Lord is Peace”
This is a quintessential Old Testament
passage, is it not? These are the words
of a prophet through and through, what with talk of tree stumps and shoots,
lands where hunter and hunted live in harmony with each other, and neither
human nor animal will hurt one another, we wonder about it. In reading this it seems as if it’s more from
fantasy and science fiction than God’s Word, and yet throughout the Bible, we
encounter these visions and stories that seems so far away from our reality,
but are intended to portray God’s reality, or should I simply say, reality. And yet, there is something intriguing here
as well.
Like
a book we can’t put down, these images of life coming from death, peace coming
for eternity, become etched in our hearts and minds, and we are drawn to
believe that maybe, they are true. Maybe
there’s some intention behind them.
Maybe they’re not the words of a crazy person, but these are the Words
and visions of God.
As I was reading through this
passage today, I found myself drawn to Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase with his
use of these words, “The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him and will
give a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, direction and strength, and the
knowledge and fear of the Lord...which will bring justice and
righteousness.” I love the image of a
hovering Spirit, God’s presence above the One God chooses, with a divine power
that brings wisdom, knowledge, guidance, respect, and justice.
We can almost feel the urgency out
of which Isaiah writes, for he is writing to a people, ruled by a horrible
King, Ahaz, who did not fulfill God’s intentions and instead of standing up for
justice perpetuated injustice. Israel is
about to go to war, knowing they will lose, and in the back of their minds, in
their hearts, in their faith they hold onto King David, their greatest King. And they hope for another David, an ancestor
who would do what no one had done since, fulfill God’s desire.
Isaiah speaks for the people. Isaiah speaks for God and says, “One of the
Davidic line will arise, and that hovering Spirit will be with Him, and that
which is created will be far more than you can imagine, for their will be peace
and wholeness. God’s Kingdom will come.”
When
Isaiah wrote, it is believed that he was actually writing about a new
king. However, when Isaiah was gone, and
that didn’t happen,
Have
I confused you yet? Are there too many
variables swirling in the air? That’s
certainly what it felt like when I wrote this yesterday, and yet, there is an
intrigue that remains that pushes us through to make sense of this.
We are entering the second week of
Advent. Traditionally the first two
weeks of Advent focus on the Final coming of Christ, the second two focus on
the coming of the Christ child, and all of the season focuses on watching and
waiting for the Coming of Christ to the world.
In thinking about our scripture today, we are invited to anticipate the
hovering of that Spirit which brings wisdom, strength, justice, and
peace...that which ushers in the living knowledge of God revealed through God’s
peaceable kingdom. Liturgically, we’re
focused on that final day, the day of culmination, and right we should, but I
couldn’t help but be drawn off the liturgical path. To sit down on the side of the road to
Bethlehem, and instead of anticipate the final coming of Christ, watch and wait
for the coming of Christ in the here and now.
After all, this is a season when we
focus on the One who comes, not just back then and “then when,” but who comes
to us as a hoverer...a bestower of wisdom, strength, and justice. The One whose Spirit brings about a living
knowledge of God...the Spirit of the Lord, our peace.
As
I look around the day to day I certainly see God at work. As we entered this worship space, did you
notice God’s love poured out through gift bags and packages? Or what about our Advent challenge of “I Spy
God,” where we’re invited to write down where we see God at work here? Or how about through our children at
children’s time or music that is shared, or in simply being together in
worship? The One who hovers is among us.
Or
what about in the world? Did anyone
watch this week’s CNN’s special about everyday heroes? Those who are changing lives and cultures
through their work. Or what about the
way in which God can transform tragedy to life, for in the wake of a horrible
shooting at a mall, community and care was revealed. Or how about the ways in which, during this
season, we have revealed the core of what God instills in the human heart –
compassion and caring. Whether seen
through a bucket and the ringing of a bell outside Walmart or groups of people
going out of their way to feed, care for, and give to those less fortunate, we
can catch glimpses of the inbreaking of God’s Kingdom on Earth.
All
around us, in our churches, families, in stores or places of work, sometimes
even on the highways, there is evidence that the shoot of God’s love has sprung
forward into life. That that which was
supposed to have been dead, did not die but lives and grows...in this world and
even in us, and when that growth comes, when we see out of the corner of our
eyes God’s grace, then the living knowledge of God is revealed.
Friday, our sister in Christ Barbara
Ashby, passed from this world and entered the Church Triumphant. Friday the world lost a great saint of
God. Less than a month ago, Lyn Wells
spoke of her beaming smile and wonderful hugging arms, and many of us
remembered the first time we met Barbara and saw the light of Christ in her.
As she has been away from us, I, as
well as many others, have been to visit her, and we carry with us, warm
memories of how Barbara brightening up our days. She was always appreciative and always
thankful to God for Wellspring and the love we shared with her, and we thanked
God for her, because when she loved us back we receive tenfold.
One of the things that I loved about
visiting Barbara was that she had to hold your hand. Whoever walked into the
room, would get a big hug and kiss on the cheek, then she’d grab for that hand
and hold it until you said the prayer and/or were ready to leave. And while I was with her, I saw it...that
hovering Spirit...that living knowledge of God...a glimpse of Christ.
When
I think of Barbara, I think of the One who is described so powerfully by
Isaiah. I think of Christ’s wisdom and
understanding instilled in her. The
direction and strength which Christ gave her during her years. The fear and respect of God which spoke out
against injustice and placed her in the midst of those who needed to experience
Christ’s light and love. And I think of
the seeds she planted, the shoot of Christ’s love which once was hers but is
now physically dead, but which now grow among us and through us to fullness.
When we think of Barbara, or any of
those who have gone before us, can’t we just imagine the scene Isaiah
paints? A place where all is well. There
is no sorrow. There is peace. Lion and lamb together, child and serpent
playing, and all are on the holy mountain...the place where God is alive and
the full knowledge of God is ocean-deep and ocean-wide. And yet, like our fathers and mothers before
us, Barbara lived as one who had already seen and believed it, and we are
called to do the same. See it, believe
it, and live it, for when we do this, God has a way of revealing reality, even to us.
This
is a season of watching and waiting, observing and looking, anticipating the
coming of Christ to the world. Whether
it’s anticipating the final coming, waiting for Christ’s birth, or adjusting
our hearts and lives to see and receive the Living Lord.
A shoot has indeed come from Jesse, not only 2000 years ago but maybe even to you yesterday. He’ll come at the end of time and at Christmas...or maybe this afternoon or tomorrow if you look for Him. But there is one guarantee, when He comes, He brings with him, the Spirit of the Lord – a hovering Spirit of wisdom, understanding, direction, strength, equity and fairness...the Spirit of the Lord, our peace. Amen.