The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:1
You can find the entire text for our Old Testament reading for today (Isaiah 11:1-10) by following this link: http://bit.ly/1gObYV1
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned in my reflection a passage from Isaiah that is one of my favorites (Isaiah 65:17-25 http://bit.ly/1ct4LIQ). It is very similar to the one we have as our Old Testament reading for this morning, and is perhaps my second favorite, because our passage from Isaiah for today is actually my favorite.
It is such a beautiful vision isn't it? Animals who are usually enemies of one another-- wolves and lambs, leopards and kids, calves and lions, cows and bears—all getting along. No more violence anywhere on the earth. It is a beautiful vision, and as I said a couple of weeks earlier, it is God's vision for life on this planet. God's vision is of a world of deep and abiding peace. God's vision is of a world in which all have enough—enough food, enough water, enough safety, enough power, enough love. It is what God wants for this world, and it is the vision that you and I, as followers of Christ, are supposed to be embracing in our lives.
But we know that we are far from the reality of this vision. As I sit at my desk writing this reflection, I can't help but think about the shootings in Newtown one year ago. We are coming up on the first anniversary of that horrific event. That horrible day, 20 children, 6 adults, one parent, and one mentally ill young man lost their lives. 28 people total. It was a truly terrible day. It is tempting in the face of violence such as this to say to ourselves, "God's vision for the world is nice and all, but it isn't very realistic. We need to take care of ourselves and our children. We need to protect ourselves from all the violence in this world. We need to protect our children. Lock all the mentally ill people up. Buy guns. Keep anyone who seems different or strange away from me and my children."
In the face of the reality of violence in our own backyard, we sometimes want to withdraw from the world and other times we want to respond to violence with violence. It is a normal and instinctual reaction when we are afraid. However, as followers of Christ, as people of God, we are called to move beyond our fear-based reactions to something greater. In the face of the violence of this world, we are called to show the world God's vision for the world. In the face of the violence of this world, we are called to be God's vision for the world. But this is easier said than done.
It means that God is calling us not to segregate ourselves or our children from those in need--the hungry, the mentally ill, the homeless, the grieving, the prisoner, the widow—but instead to walk with them. God is calling us to work to bring justice to the poor and equity to the meek of the earth (Isaiah 11:4). It means that God is calling us not to meet violence with violence, but instead to meet violence with peace. And this is tough stuff. Who wants to lie down with wolves, lions and bears? Jesus did this, and look what happened to him, crucifixion on a cross, and. . .resurrection.
You see, no matter how far we run, how well we hide ourselves or how well we arm ourselves, we can't get away from the violence of this world. No matter how far we run, how well we hide ourselves or how well we arm ourselves we cannot make ourselves or our children completely and totally safe. Bad things can happen to any of us at any time. It is one of the realities of being born human and mortal. But what we can do is work to bring healing and peace to this world. Each and every one of us can be a little piece of God's vision for this world. It may not be the safe choice, but it will be the choice that gives you life.
The shootings at Newtown were a tragedy on so many levels. In the year since, we Americans have mostly focused on the 26 killed in the school that day and then argued about gun control, mental health issues, and judgment of Adam Lanza and his mother. We have mostly spent time arguing with each other and pointing fingers of blame at others. What if we were to set aside our arguments and simply go out into the world and find a way to work with people who have been victims of violence or who have perpetrated violence? What if we were to go out into the world and work to help individuals and families struggling with mental illness to find help and a way out of their isolation? What if we were to each decide to be instruments of healing in this world in some way shape or form? What if we began to make a daily choice in our own lives to be God's vision rather than hiding from the world or contributing to the violence?
"Be the change that you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi
It is such a beautiful vision isn't it? Animals who are usually enemies of one another-- wolves and lambs, leopards and kids, calves and lions, cows and bears—all getting along. No more violence anywhere on the earth. It is a beautiful vision, and as I said a couple of weeks earlier, it is God's vision for life on this planet. God's vision is of a world of deep and abiding peace. God's vision is of a world in which all have enough—enough food, enough water, enough safety, enough power, enough love. It is what God wants for this world, and it is the vision that you and I, as followers of Christ, are supposed to be embracing in our lives.
But we know that we are far from the reality of this vision. As I sit at my desk writing this reflection, I can't help but think about the shootings in Newtown one year ago. We are coming up on the first anniversary of that horrific event. That horrible day, 20 children, 6 adults, one parent, and one mentally ill young man lost their lives. 28 people total. It was a truly terrible day. It is tempting in the face of violence such as this to say to ourselves, "God's vision for the world is nice and all, but it isn't very realistic. We need to take care of ourselves and our children. We need to protect ourselves from all the violence in this world. We need to protect our children. Lock all the mentally ill people up. Buy guns. Keep anyone who seems different or strange away from me and my children."
In the face of the reality of violence in our own backyard, we sometimes want to withdraw from the world and other times we want to respond to violence with violence. It is a normal and instinctual reaction when we are afraid. However, as followers of Christ, as people of God, we are called to move beyond our fear-based reactions to something greater. In the face of the violence of this world, we are called to show the world God's vision for the world. In the face of the violence of this world, we are called to be God's vision for the world. But this is easier said than done.
It means that God is calling us not to segregate ourselves or our children from those in need--the hungry, the mentally ill, the homeless, the grieving, the prisoner, the widow—but instead to walk with them. God is calling us to work to bring justice to the poor and equity to the meek of the earth (Isaiah 11:4). It means that God is calling us not to meet violence with violence, but instead to meet violence with peace. And this is tough stuff. Who wants to lie down with wolves, lions and bears? Jesus did this, and look what happened to him, crucifixion on a cross, and. . .resurrection.
You see, no matter how far we run, how well we hide ourselves or how well we arm ourselves, we can't get away from the violence of this world. No matter how far we run, how well we hide ourselves or how well we arm ourselves we cannot make ourselves or our children completely and totally safe. Bad things can happen to any of us at any time. It is one of the realities of being born human and mortal. But what we can do is work to bring healing and peace to this world. Each and every one of us can be a little piece of God's vision for this world. It may not be the safe choice, but it will be the choice that gives you life.
The shootings at Newtown were a tragedy on so many levels. In the year since, we Americans have mostly focused on the 26 killed in the school that day and then argued about gun control, mental health issues, and judgment of Adam Lanza and his mother. We have mostly spent time arguing with each other and pointing fingers of blame at others. What if we were to set aside our arguments and simply go out into the world and find a way to work with people who have been victims of violence or who have perpetrated violence? What if we were to go out into the world and work to help individuals and families struggling with mental illness to find help and a way out of their isolation? What if we were to each decide to be instruments of healing in this world in some way shape or form? What if we began to make a daily choice in our own lives to be God's vision rather than hiding from the world or contributing to the violence?
"Be the change that you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi
The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11:7-9