Isaiah 11:1-10
There seemed to be a tear in the seam of peace yesterday. I kept sitting with people who were going through some kind of crisis in their life. Some of these were more apparent, like the youth who sat sadly and explained that his parents are getting a divorce and is unsure of how it will affect his college hopes. Some were not so obvious, like the girl whose first words to me were, "I can't wait until this day is over." then didn't say another word all day long. Everywhere I turned or sat or otherwise shared space with people there was some kind of disturbance happening in their life.
I was reminded that not everything in this world is happy-happy-joy-joy. Maybe it's just this time of year - a time when people want to know peace on earth and goodwill towards humanity - that those of us who do not live in ideal situations feel and sense just how un-peaceful our lives are. This is also the time of year when things feel at their most stressful with pressures to fall into the advertised world of consumerism or the perceived need to outdo those who do for you.
Isaiah was speaking to a people who were under similar stresses. Their lives were about to be thrown into complete and total chaos. Isaiah's message to these people was not to feel bad or go into depression, instead his message was that God watches over us and for those who passionately understand that, life will once again be peaceful.
In today's passage Isaiah paints a scene of peace at its highest level. The poor and the meek are treated with fairness and equity, farmlands and livestock are safe from predators, children young and old are able to play freely on the land, and most importantly there is a place where destruction and pain live no more.
The days of Advent are meant to help open our hearts to receive that which Christ brings. It's not meant to be a time when we look for the forgiveness of our sins so that we may live better lives - that's Lent. Advent is when we prepare our hearts, minds, and souls for the coming of a child into our lives. A child so pure and innocent we can feel nothing but peace whenever we're around him.
It would be a long time between the time Isaiah wrote those words and the birth of the Christ-child, and those years were not easy for the people of Israel in any way, neither are they easy now. I won't be so naive as to say that life is easy anywhere. What I will say is that when Christ is born into our lives the world around us does seem a little more peaceful. It's in our peace that others can begin to understand how the love of God is unconditional and is there to help make their lives a bit more peaceful as well.
As this week moves forward I ask each one of you to sit with someone who may not know what peace is and to simply let them know they're okay. Let them know it might not seem so at the moment, but there are people who care and love them and are there to carry them through this difficult time in their life. This is the week to share peace.
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