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ADVENT 2: TOUCHED BY THE LIGHT
By Nancy S. Cushman
Isaiah 11:1-10
December 4, 2016 North Scottsdale UMC
SETTING THE CONTEXT
Today we are reading from the prophet Isaiah. “Isaiah is quoted more in the New Testament than any other Old Testament writer” according to the Word in Life Study Bible. [i] Maybe because his word pictures are so powerful and maybe because the New Testament writers saw Jesus in the images he painted.
In the chapters before our reading, Isaiah’s images carry the warnings of judgment prophecies. He rails against the injustices committed by Israel and Judah. Then he warns that the nation of Assyria, Israel’s enemy, will be the Lord’s instrument of punishment. Assyria does attack and devastate Israel and Judah. Later Isaiah speaks to the injustices of Assyria and the other nations and how those nations will bear the consequences of their injustice. In Chapter 1, Isaiah speaking for the Lord tells them that their worship is just an irritation because in the living out of their lives they practice injustice. In chapter 10, the Lord through Isaiah tells them “Doom to those who pronounce wicked decrees, and keep writing harmful laws to deprive the needy of their rights and to rob the poor among my people of justice; to make widows their loot; to steal from orphans!” (Isaiah 10:1-2) Can you see the shadows of cruelty and chaos that Isaiah painting? There are definitely consequences to Sin (which is separation from God) and to acts that spring from that separation. Injustice, wherever it is, will be judged. Isaiah doesn’t leave them in the judgement though, but with all his poetic ability he paints them a prophecy of salvation.
Read Isaiah 11:1-10
THE SERMON
Have you ever seen an old olive tree? We have them around our city, but they’re not nearly as old as some of the trees in Israel. When visiting the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed, we saw trees that were believed to be 2,000 years old. Isaiah’s image reminds me of those old olive trees. When the olive tree gets old and it’s not producing much fruit, the farmer usually cuts it down. Now we might think that’s the end of that story, but it’s not, soon new shoots grow from the old stump and the tree begins producing olives again.[ii] It is reborn for a new season.
Isaiah is very realistic in his prophecies about the state of the world and his nation. The judgment and the salvation prophecies are interwoven with each other. He shows what is and offers an image of what could and will be. These prophecies are connected, woven together and that makes sense because something ends before something new begins; the evil king Ahaz’s reign had to end so that the reign of Immanuel can begin. The ways that lead to injustice, suffering, and harm must end for everyone for the age of wholeness or salvation to be complete. Isaiah opens our passage with the coming of Immanuel which means “God with us;” what I find fascinating in Isaiah’s prophecy is that Immanuel is not shaped to oversee perfection, but has the characteristics to deal with people who prey on each other, who harm each other. While the people Isaiah was addressing probably imagined this person as a new king or perhaps even a renewed nation growing from the stump of a devastated nation; many generations later the followers of Jesus recognized him in Isaiah’s description. Immanuel will have God’s spirit to address the suffering and sin of the world and that spirit includes wisdom, understanding, organization, strength, knowledge and reverence and most importantly a deep and abiding connection to God. He will be able to judge in all truth and wisdom for he can see beyond appearances and propaganda, he judges honestly no matter the status of the person being judged. He judges with the divine clarity which is why he told us not to judge each other but for us to leave the judging to God who has complete knowledge and understanding. We know from the stories of Jesus in the gospels that he looked beyond the surface of people to bring them dignity and healing or to bring them challenge and a call to repentance or change. We see how he showed a special concern for the weak and marginalized. He had the discernment and power to challenge those who chose against God’s will and ways even if they masked themselves as religious. Just three short centuries after the Romans executed him; the Roman Empire became a Christian empire. He defeated those who killed him not by meeting their violence with violence, but with the power of his message and his love that were embodied and carried out to them by his followers; within 300 years the Roman empire was a Christian nation. As Christians, we believe that Jesus is Immanuel (God with us), both our judge and our savior.
Isaiah then paints a picture for us of where we are heading. This word picture is known as the “Peaceable kingdom.” It is a compelling and beautiful image. There will be no more predators and prey. He describes natural predators living in harmony with their prey. The wolf will live with the lamb. The leopard with the baby goat, the cow with the bear, toddlers will play over poisonous snakes in safety. In the Garden of Eden story, after the humans sinned, God caused humans and snakes to dislike each other. In the vision of the world Isaiah paints, that aversion is removed, that hatred and fear are removed- the world is restored to paradise. There is peace on earth. I love how he paints that picture. You see when we are touched by the Light of Christ and his spirit dawns and grows within us, we are changed. And the direction of our growth, the ways we are to change are spelled out for us. He is like a light in the dark of night guiding us home. The fruit of Christ’s spirit within us, is manifested in tangible things like being concerned about the welfare of all people no matter their status, caring for the most vulnerable, seeking justice, loving God and loving our neighbor.
I think this four-year old had it right. She was in her pediatrician’s office being examined. The doctor looked in her ears with a scope and asked, “Do you think I’ll find Big Bird in here?” The little girl didn’t respond. Next, the doctor looked down her throat and asked, “Do you think I’ll find the Cookie Monster down there”; still, no response from the little girl. Then the doctor listened to her chest and as she listened to her heartbeat she asked, “Do you think I’ll hear Elmo in there?” “Oh no!” the little girl piped up “Jesus is in my heart. Elmo’s on my underpants.”
We yearn for that light of Christ in our hearts, in our lives, in our world. As I hold together the events of our world and Isaiah’s image of predator and prey living without harming each other, that image of peace on earth; I can feel the tug in my chest, the yearning is so deep for that day: terrorists and the terrorized; Syrian militias from both sides and families; people who maim and kill and police officers, college students, harassed people of color, victims of domestic violence; human traffickers and women and men they enslave; the predatory and the people they exploit- no longer predator, no longer prey, at peace. Who comes to your mind? Who needs peace? Don’t you yearn for it too? No more harm, no more suffering, no more exploitation, deception, or violence, paradise restored. The light Jesus shines draws us toward this vision like the lighted window draws us home toward safety. Isaiah’s words continue to strike true – both the prophecies of judgment and of salvation.
We live in a frightening, fallen, violent world; a world where there is a lot of injustice, a lot of exploitation, a lot of mistreatment of the poor and vulnerable. There are and will be consequences for that behavior; we will be judged. Let us never though lose sight of God’s vision for creation. Like a beacon in the chaos, let that vision draw us home, let it guide us in our behavior, in our attitudes, for Jesus said the kingdom of God is here. We can already catch glimpses of it. Where are we challenged to cut off the decay or allow God to cut off decay in our own lives so that God’s way may grow new shoots from its stump?
Ann Weems wrote “The whole world waits in December darkness
for a glimpse of the Light of God.
Even those who snarl "Humbug!"
and chase away the carolers
have been seen looking toward the skies.
The one who declared he never would forgive
has forgiven,
and those who left home
have returned,
and even wars are halted,
if briefly,
as the whole world looks starward.
In the December darkness
we peer from our windows
watching for an angel with rainbow wings
to announce the Hope of the World.”[iii]
As we prepare this Advent season and as we receive again the Light of the World, let us pray for that vision; let us work for that vision; let us live for that vision. Amen.
[i] “The Fifth Gospel” in the introduction to the book of Isaiah. Word in Life Study Bible: Contemporary English Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1993), p. 994.
[ii] “Olive Tree Imagery.” That the World May Know with Ray Vander Laan website, https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/olive-tree-imagery.
[iii] “In December Darkness.” Ann Weems. Kneeling in Bethlehem. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1980) p. 15.