"Walk in the Light"

      First, a word about prophets. Over the next four weeks we will be hearing from the prophet Isaiah.

      We tend to think of prophets as fortune tellers, but this is not exactly the biblical definition of a prophet.  In the Bible, a prophet is a person who speaks for God.  A prophet is a witness, who makes God's voice audible, who reveals God's will.  In doing so, the prophet often confronts society, speaking God's truth with care and concern.  A prophet often says the difficult things people don't want to hear, things that God would have us hear.

      Isaiah is just such a prophet.

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!

      Come house of Jacob, let's walk in the light of God.

      I could do a whole series of sermons based just on this one passage (but I won't!).  Today we are going to focus on one part of it: walking in light.  The walking language of the text sounds like pilgrimage.  When you go on pilgrimage, you move.  It helps to know where you are headed.  It's also a good idea to stay on the path.  Light always helps.

      When the Jews went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem¹, they literally "went up".  Jerusalem is 2500 feet above sea level, high above the surrounding countryside.  Isaiah, though, is not talking about the usual Jewish festivals.  He is talking about gathering before God for a particular purpose: in order to receive instruction.  Let's look more closely at the passage.

      "Many peoples will say, 'let's go up!"

      This phrase, 'many peoples', is remarkable.  Notice the scripture does not say, "The Israelites" or the "chosen ones" or "the Jews."  It says everyone!  It is completely inclusive.  Everyone is going to be doing this; we New Testament folks can't wiggle out of it.

      "Let's go up to the house of God that He may teach us."

      People are streaming up the hill toward the temple.  It is not to celebrate; it is to learn something.  What is this learning about?

      We need to learn what the light is, and then we need to learn to walk in it.

      We learn God's ways.  Not "book learning," but "life learning."  Not just acquiring information but doing things.  Taking God's law to heart and doing things differently because of it.

      Isaiah then says what will happen when we do this: there will be a new world order.  Things will be turned upside down.  This is an Advent text; you are beginning to see how this relates to Jesus.  It is no accident Jesus was born into a tumultuous political scene.  It is no accident Jesus was born powerless and poor and raised in an occupied country.  Jesus turned the religious establishment and the politics of power upside down.  It is no accident he did this, not with a sword, but with the tools of compassion, healing, and food.

      Knowing (and obeying) God has political ramifications. Peacemaking becomes possible when we know God.

      God will judge and settle disputes.  And PEOPLE will change their ways.  PEOPLE will become instruments of peace.  Instruments of war will be changed into instruments of peace.

      "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks".

      This is so radical! Do you hear how incredibly counter-cultural this is?

      We live in a country with one of the world's highest rates of violent deaths.  We live in a country with the world's highest rate of incarceration (743 per 100,000 people).  We do not bat an eyelash when the first response to conflict is lawsuit, not compromise.  We regularly re-elect politicians who decide our tax money and accumulating national debt will be primarily devoted to military spending.  More than 50% of discretionary budget goes to the U.S. military.  Between 1 and 1.5 trillion dollars is projected for 201l.  We pay for media that plays on peoples' fears of terrorism, religious diversity, and immigrants.  We accept without question that violence, criminals and hate make the news.

      "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks".

      In the garden of the United Nations complex in New York City there is a sculpture of a blacksmith beating a sword into a plowshare.  A plowshare is a powerful tool.  It is not a toothpick.  But it is a tool for producing food, not war.

      This sculpture was a gift from what was then the Soviet Union, presented to the United Nations in 1959².

      There is also remarkable sculpture in Washington, D. C.  Welded to a sixteen by nineteen foot steel plowshare are thousands of disabled handguns confiscated by the D.C. Police Dept.  This sculpture is called "Guns into Plowshares."  These images are unsettling but also hopeful.

      We almost never think about the fact that when we pour our resources into weapons, we deplete our ability to feed people.  We almost never do, but the prophet Isaiah did, because the prophet was speaking for God.

      What are the swords and spears we hold fast to?

      It's easy to think of societal problems like war and gang violence.  Easier still to distance ourselves from these problems; we don't live in a war zone.  But think for a moment of the personal swords and knives we all wield from time to time.

      The cutting edge of a tongue turned in anger.
     Withholding help out of spite.
          A hand raised in threat.
     A steady diet of violent media: movies, games, books, music. (It affects us, even though it's "not real.")
     A word that robs a loved one of self-esteem.
     Cursing someone.
     A lie intended to hurt.
     Gossip.
          Silence born of discord.
     Forwarding emails that encourage racism, classism, or fear.

      Knives and swords indeed.  These are the weapons we pull out when we want to wield power, demonstrate superiority, cover over our fear.

      Isaiah's vision underlines something we know deep down:  Peace cannot grow out of violence.  Violence does nothing good on a small scale, between two people, and it cannot engender peace on a large scale, between countries.  There can be no peace without justice, and no justice when so many in our world starve.

      It's no coincidence there is so much violence in areas of extreme poverty.  It's no coincidence the more impoverished we are spiritually, the more we turn to a hateful word, thought, or action.

      How can we, today, begin beating our swords into plowshares?  How can we take some first steps into the light?

      We take the high road.  We stop and reflect rather than press on in anger.  We do what Jesus did:  we look at a situation with the eyes of compassion.  We look for good in others.  We build that up.  We balance our media diet of violence with one of peace and hope.  We reach out to someone rather than cut them off.  We cast a critical eye to ourselves and a beneficial eye to others.  We are generous with words of love and praise.

      On a societal scale, it means giving up our allegiance to violence as a solution.  It means doing what Jesus did:  challenging the powers that be.  Upsetting the apple cart. Acting with compassion.  Healing others.  Giving away food, and the means to produce and distribute it.  Drastically reducing funding for military might so we can give more food production assistance for countries in dire need.  Loving our enemies.  Turning our creative energies from death to life.

      As citizens and Christians, we expand our concept of faithful living to include petitioning our political leaders, voting our conscience, and demanding they do so as well.

      Isaiah did not say it was easy to walk in the light. When we walk in the light, sometimes we see things we'd rather not.  It is not easy, but it is faithful.  And we are never alone on the journey.  It is the way of hope, the high road, the only path that leads to peace.

      Let's walk. Start today, now, with the little swords and arrows you like to keep in your quiver, just in case.  Crush them, bend them into something helpful.  As you allow God to refashion your usual tools, you will find also yourself whistling a peaceful tune, walking in the sunshine, with an eye toward a different kind of Christmas and a more peaceful kind of world.  You will become a peacemaker.  You will spread God's peace, one person at a time.  You will find yourself in the presence of the holy, high on the mountain of hope, supported and comforted by the Advent promises of God:  not just for the end times, but for our times.