Scripture Text (NRSV)
Isaiah 65:17-25
65:17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the
former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
65:18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I
am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.
65:19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no
more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of
distress.
65:20 No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few
days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who
dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls
short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
65:21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant
vineyards and eat their fruit.
65:22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not
plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of
my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
65:23 They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD-- and their
descendants as well.
65:24 Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I
will hear.
65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion
shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent--its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.
Comments:
This lesson of the peaceable kingdom is linked with a Gospel pericope
predicting war, earthquake, famine & plague .... and while that Gospel
vision is getting a good deal of discussion, there is not one posting
here. Perhaps, given the current state of affairs (9/11, Afghan war,
AA 587 crash) that is understandable, but what else can we draw from
the fact that we are drawn to the more disturbing vision of the
future?
Blessings, Eric in KS
This is the vision of hope to which we must testify. The ridiculous
but persistent promise that even while the Pentegon, Lower Manhatten,
and now Rockaway are rubble, even while our hearts are tattered from
grief and twisted in fear, even while bin Laden is our enemy...
Behold... I am about to create a new thing. The former things shall
not come to mind. Faith is holding on to the trust that in time this
rubble shall not come to mind, and lions and lambs shall be keeping
each other warm. SQ in CT
The wolf and lamb will lie down, the lion will graze with the oxen.
The snake will "bite the dust".
I'm wrestling with this week's Isaiah passage.
What does it mean to be a "sanctified" wolf? The serpent (s?) will
bite the dust, but the wolves are still around... just redeemed. I
really doubt that God was thinking of the Myers Briggs and typing
church members, but what's this mean? And what are the implications
for Christians and the Church?
What does a redeemed wolf look like?
Lions, lambs, oxen, and wolves all hanging out in the Kingdom of God.
I think the current popular image of being a Christian is that you
"get saved" and have to start acting like a lamb. I would go as far as
to say that an analogy most people would use to discuss Xian
Perfection - God eventually makes sheep out of all those wolves.
Thoughts? I'm really fascinated by this and its implications, not just
in this sermon, but in ministry.
EX: The cunning and wiliness of wolves is something that's often
criticized when displayed by church members. Should it be, if it's
(can it / should it be) used to benefit the Kingdom?
Let me know what you think.
To "Unsigned"
Hmmmm.... a sanctified wolf... ??? While we often get (or give) the
impression that being saved means becoming a lamb (sheep and lamb
images abound scripturally), a wolf remains a wolf. You raise a good
curiosity. I wonder what the subtle difference is between changing
something/someone's NATURE in getting saved, and in changing its FORM.
It seems that salvation changes our nature, but not our form.
You've got me thinking...
Sally in GA
My friend works at a Humane society, she has about 6 cats A while ago
she adopted a rabbit. It is amazing to me that the cats just sit
around looking at the rabbit as something too unusal to comprehend. My
hunter cat, would be sitting around drooling! Maybe the sheep are no
longer familiar fodder for the wolves because our actions are too
different. Just a thought Nancy-Wi
Sanctified Wolves.
I heard a sermon by Brian Blount that turned the our conventional
metaphors upside down. The wolves are the mature in faith: strong,
fierce, and aggressive. In the kingdom, the wolves feeding alongside
the rest of us unsettle us and keep us moving--we who are mindless,
weak, and sheepish. Consequently, there is peace and prosperity in the
kingdom because the Church is no longer passive in the midst of
injustice.
DSS
I have often heard this text referred to as "the peaceable kingdom". I
always thought it meant that the lion and the lamb were no longer the
natural enemies we presume them to be. In God's realm, they are
unlikely bedfellows, but live together in peace. The snake is unable
to live God's way of peace, and therefore bites the dust.
SueCan
in the Lord's Prayer we pray thy kingdom come, thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven. I get great comfort from Is. 65:24 "before
they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear."
Things may/will look different in God's "upside down kingdom" (lions
and lambs together). But in the midst of all this trouble, God is not
caught by surprise and our answer is already on the way and has
already come (in Christ Jesus). Will we let this "new" kingdom come in
us, in this earth.
b.f.
in the Lord's Prayer we pray thy kingdom come, thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven. I get great comfort from Is. 65:24 "before
they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear."
Things may/will look different in God's "upside down kingdom" (lions
and lambs together). But in the midst of all this trouble, God is not
caught by surprise and our answer is already on the way and has
already come (in Christ Jesus). Will we let this "new" kingdom come in
us, in this earth.
b.f.
For the musically-inclined:
The late composer Randall Thompson has an a cappella oratorio called
"The Peaceable Kingdom." In it, he chose to include the disruption,
murder, mayhem, and destruction of the old kingdom, to include the
brutality of the human world - especially for the people of God who do
not uphold their side of the covenant, "Woe unto them that draw cords
of vanity and sin as it were with a cartrope, woe unto them that call
evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for
darkness ..." and "Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand." I
think Thompson was onto something. And, being such a skilled text
painter, he wrote it a cappella on purpose: dare I interpret from him
that humans need no help from instruments or anything else in calling
darkness for light and light for darkness? It's about our human
relationship with God - no embellishments. Before victory comes an
upheaval, before peace often comes war, and before salvation comes
judgment, before new life comes death. Thompson, I think, was trying
to illustrate just how tumultuous salvation can be. We could do well
to remember that.
Sally in GA (a music store with a good classical selection should have
a copy if you're interested in hearing it)
Eric, you were wondering about the connection between the peaceable
kingdom and the destruction of the gospel lesson. I'm thinking about
whether or not some destruction is necessary for a new creation? Does
the old have to be destroyed before the new can come? (Don't know the
answer to that question)
DGinNYC
DG asked "Does the old have to be destroyed before the new can come?"
I gave a qualified answer to this question in the Gospel discussion
for this week, where DG also put the questiion. Take a look.
Blessings, Eric in KS
To DGinNYC from JGinWI
The answer to your question is John 12:23-25.
Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and
dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many
seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who
hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (NIV)
It's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth.
I've seen a few programs where people show off their opulent houses -
the "things" they own and, granted, have worked hard to obtain (in
some cases). One thing I never hear them talk about is how grateful
they are.
We've seen ongoing tragedy in our country, but I think the image that
grips me is the picture I saw of citizens of Kabul escorting northern
alliance troops into the city after the Taliban fled. They were
thankful after years of oppression. I saw the aid workers who were
rescued. They were thankful.
We've all seen it. Why can't be believe it? The flower of gratitude
grows best in the barren soil of pain, anguish and loss.
The weed of greed grows in lush, rich, fertile soil.
God's ways are not our ways.
To DGinNYC from JGinWI
The answer to your question is John 12:23-25.
Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and
dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many
seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who
hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (NIV)
It's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth.
I've seen a few programs where people show off their opulent houses -
the "things" they own and, granted, have worked hard to obtain (in
some cases). One thing I never hear them talk about is how grateful
they are.
We've seen ongoing tragedy in our country, but I think the image that
grips me is the picture I saw of citizens of Kabul escorting northern
alliance troops into the city after the Taliban fled. They were
thankful after years of oppression. I saw the aid workers who were
rescued. They were thankful.
We've all seen it. Why can't be believe it? The flower of gratitude
grows best in the barren soil of pain, anguish and loss.
The weed of greed grows in lush, rich, fertile soil.
God's ways are not our ways.
Who wrote this:
"The flower of gratitude grows best in the barren soil of pain,
anguish and loss. The weed of greed grows in lush, rich, fertile
soil."
It's great. I plan to use it -- I'd like to give credit.
Blessings, Eric in KS
To Eric in KS from JGinWI
It's semi-original. The first part is similar to something Max Lucado
wrote in _The Applause of Heaven_. The latter is totally original. You
can say it was a guy on the internet if you like... or my e-mail is
The-Graffs@wi.rr.com.
Peace.
Reckonings
When I read this, I hear Auld lang syne in my mind,should old
acquaintaince be forgot AND NEVER BROUGHT TO MIND. For me this is a
passage of transformation rather than just destruction of old ways of
living, doing, being. We are called to be a people with transformative
faith. Can God actually transform this world, us, who have turned
away? Yes he can destroy, but the greater power is God's ability and
patience to transform. Building a new house is much easier than
restoring an old. But what has more grandure than a restored house.
Though he has been tempted otherwise,God chooses restoration even as
it is costlier and filled with infinitely more headaches.
Our society is such a disposable society, perhaps because it is
"cheaper" now days to throw away and buy new than repair. Electronics,
cars and even homes in some areas are disposable. How often does this
thinking move into our conception of the world, of the poor the sick
the homeless? It is so easy to throw up our hands and claim, there is
just too much illness and poverty etc. to do anything about it, cant
we just start again? Or more often, just look away.
Some have a transformation faith. Mother Teresa, and other
missionaries all over the world see not the hopelesses of the masses,
rather the transformation one child, one person at a time.
When this transformation occurs, there will be no memory of the way
things used to be. The suffering, the pain, the separation that sin
is, "will never be brought to mind," such is the true peace, such is
the ability of God to forgive, transform and restore.
Apolloguy in Tx
Reckonings
When I read this, I hear Auld lang syne in my mind,should old
acquaintaince be forgot AND NEVER BROUGHT TO MIND. For me this is a
passage of transformation rather than just destruction of old ways of
living, doing, being. We are called to be a people with transformative
faith. Can God actually transform this world, us, who have turned
away? Yes he can destroy, but the greater power is God's ability and
patience to transform. Building a new house is much easier than
restoring an old. But what has more grandure than a restored house.
Though he has been tempted otherwise,God chooses restoration even as
it is costlier and filled with infinitely more headaches.
Our society is such a disposable society, perhaps because it is
"cheaper" now days to throw away and buy new than repair. Electronics,
cars and even homes in some areas are disposable. How often does this
thinking move into our conception of the world, of the poor the sick
the homeless? It is so easy to throw up our hands and claim, there is
just too much illness and poverty etc. to do anything about it, cant
we just start again? Or more often, just look away.
Some have a transformation faith. Mother Teresa, and other
missionaries all over the world see not the hopelesses of the masses,
rather the transformation one child, one person at a time.
When this transformation occurs, there will be no memory of the way
things used to be. The suffering, the pain, the separation that sin
is, "will never be brought to mind," such is the true peace, such is
the ability of God to forgive, transform and restore.
Apolloguy in Tx
Previous:
Wow...I can't believe I'm the first one to submit something on this
beautiful passage.
This is all about new beginnings. So often, I hear a combination of
fear and excitement from the folks in the bible studies I lead.
They're convinced that this is the worst of times...that the rapture
is just around the courner...that armegedon will happen and Jesus will
come.
I'm not convinced that this is the worst. 77 year olds are traveling
in space....and returning envigorated!! Infant mortality rates are not
only the lowest they've been (ok...only in the rich nations) but we
have the capacity to be healthier than we ever have been before. The
major powers of the world are trying peace. And everyone is looking
ahead to the future.
....except maybe the church. We're slow for some reason. I like to
think of God in this passage as a "concussion." When my husband had a
bad bike wreck a few years ago...he couldn't remember anything for a
few hours. Scary for me, but he thoroughly enjoyed himself. He didn't
forget that he loved me and I loved him. He figured I was his wife,
(even though he didn't remember my name). He didn't remember what he
was worried about right before his head hit the sidewalk. He didn't
remember his tendency toward cynicism. It was all gone. And he just
enjoyed it.
I'm not saying that we must completely wipe out the past...tradition,
ritual, doctrine...but if we let God -- God can get rid of the garbage
to make way for the compelling vision that reshapes the memory.
The hymn "This is a day of new beginnings" will do nicely. We don't
leave behind the folks we remembered on Nov 1, we just leave behind
the guilt and grieving.
How does this vision compel us to live today?
It's like riding a donkey down the grand canyon. "Precipice of
destruction, the pathway to peace." (Maybe tie in with Luke here.)
It's scary and dangerous but absolutely magnificant.
Alane in the 4corners
I'm glad somebody else is as impressed by this passage as I am. I went
to a lectionary study group this morning where it was skipped over a
bit rather than discussed much. This is a good lead in to Advent (and
to Christ the King Sunday) and there is a lot of promise here. There's
a reminder that it is God who is starting the new beginning which
might be appropriate for those of us who tend to think that the
bringing in of the kingdom depends on us!
What a wonderful passage this is! I think it deserves some
contemplation just because of its delightfulness. I'm planning to use
it as a text this week to address some of the struggle of my
congregation about the fragility of life and the problem of theodicy.
The situation is this: Last Easter one of the active, 30-something
young women in our congregation had a sudden stroke and died, leaving
a husband and two young daughters. Her death hit the congregation
hard. Now, this fall, a 33-year-old mother of two (again very active)
has had a recurrence of breast cancer, which has metastacized (sp?) to
her lung and bone marrow. Her prognosis is grave but not entirely
without hope.
My challenge is how to let Isaiah speak not just to the exiles longing
for Zion but to a congregation longing for wholeness and hope. How do
I do that without sounding glib -- certainly there are not easy
answers?
So far, what I have is a great quote from Jesuit Father Luis
Espinal(courtesy of Reben Job's Prayers for Ministers and other
Servants)
"There are Christians who have hysterical reactions as if the world
would have slipped out of God's hands. They act violently as if they
wer risking everything. But we believe in history; the world is not a
roll of the dice going toward chaos. A new world has begung to happen
since Christ has risen... Jesus Christ, we rejoice in your definitve
triupm. . . with our bodies still in the breah and our souls in
tension, we cry out our first "Hurrah!" till eternity unfolds itself.
Your sorrow now has passed. Your enemies have failed. You are a
definitve smile for humankind.. .. Take away the sadness from our
faces. We are not in a game of chance. You have the last word!"
Father Luis was assassinated March 22, 1980 in LaPaz Bolivia by
paramilitary forces. He wrote this meditation shortly before his
death.
Is anyone else out there working with this passage this week? I'd love
your insights.
Levfish in Kansas
As I have struggled with this text for this Sunday, I was struck first
of all by its note of hope in what must have been a depressing time
for the people of Israel/Jerusalem in particular. Imagine getting a
"word" from God like this. I'm reminded of the old song "What a
Wonderful World It Would Be". Well, in this case, God gives a glimpse
of the reality that is in the process of unfolding.
Of course, for the "new heavens" and "new earth" to come into being,
there is a great amount of change required, as some of the
contributors have already alluded to. But "new wine" won't fit in "old
wineskins". Change may be hard; it may be experienced as "loss" -- but
change is a spiritual necessity (2 Cor. 5:17). The old must pass away
before the new can come. I notice John Glenn chose not to return to
space in Friendship 7, but a shuttle!
Maybe the issue facing us and our congregations is how are we able to
face the changes necessary for God's Kingdom to be realized -- in us
and the world?
I am reading this in from the perspective of the question of the
coming Kingdom of God. Many would take that to be a future,
eschatalogical event. Still others (I am currently reading Dallas
Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy," which I find TREMENDOUSLY exciting,
and he interprets it this way) see the Kingdom as something Jesus is
trying to bring about in the here and now (in addition to the future).
Is it fair to read the Isaiah text as something not just that God
promises for the future, but as something God wants to bring about
here and now, with US as agents of this change? Appreciate your
reactions.
Matt in WA
I have written a hymn for this passage. Please feel free to use it
(the tune is Mozart 7777). If you us it, please let me know at michael@cliffcrest.org
Heav'n and earth are made anew Through the work, O God, you do. Former
things shall pass away, New beginnings start today.
Sing with gladness and rejoice, Praise God's goodness with one voice.
See the new Jerusalem Where all thankful people come.
For the Lord we build a home; Blessings from the earth are grown. May
our days be like a tree: Happy and contented be!
You who come the Lord to seek, God will hear before you speak. Even as
the Lord you call, God will answer one and all.
Words©1995, Michael Jacob Kooiman
I jumped to Luke first, felt a sense of doom, went to Isaiah and heard
a Word of Hope. Is the apocalyptic of Luke 21 linked closely to
current events that we are uncomfortable? Am I hiding in the words of
Isaiah's beautiful vision and not willing to let Luke give me a wake
up call? All the comments on Isaiah have been helpful. I find it
powerful to use in conjunction with Luke. I still have alot of work to
make the connections. Here an initial thought: Can you live in the
world with hope if you aren't involved in the struggle. The Psalms are
expression of faith not from the mountain top but from the pit. As
Brueggemann says, we live moving between the pit and the shelter of
the wing. HOpe for our world is to identify with the suffering's and
bring God's love to bear on that which is in need of restoration.
Bobby, tx.
Just returned from Tn. Conference School of Ministry where speakers
gave me a perspective on this passage:
Mel West said that we pray "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven." He posed these questions:"however you
envision heaven, what are you doing to make it happen here? Do you
think there is racism in heaven? What are you doing about it here?
Poverty? What are you doing about it here? (add your own to the
list... hunger, war, selfishness, materialism...). I think the key is
to remember that God is what makes the new creation, the heaven on
earth, happen -- but that we are also called to participate with God.
Where are the places where people are building and living in their own
houses (Habitat?), where people find long, fruitful life and enjoy
their work, where the wolf and the lamb lie down together? We can join
in and celebrate those places. Kay
I would like to second what the second contributor said: This passage
is about God bringing the Kingdom, not us! Good thing, too!
Kay points us in a good direction, though. As one of my seminary profs
was fond of repeating, "Our job as followers of Jesus is not to create
the kingdom. Our job is observation and articulation."
We watch for it springing up wherever God brings it (even if it's not
in the Church!!!), and we point to it and say, "Thanks, God!"
Ask not what you can do for God's kingdom. Ask what God has already
done and is already doing, and then celebrate!
Rick in Canada, eh?
