"Do You See What Isaiah Sees?"
Almost a week before Thanksgiving, I was headed back to Roanoke and, as I often do, was searching through the radio stations to find a song that appealed to me. To my shock I happened to stop on 93.5 FM. This station is known as Sunny FM and plays a nice mix of 60’s, 70’s and some 80’s. But what I heard playing did not fit that genre. I was listening to Christmas music. It seemed that Sunny FM had already, a week before Thanksgiving, changed their music to all Christmas music. As I stopped on the station, the lyrics that happened to be playing were, "Do you see what I see?" These lyrics got me to thinking about Christmas but, more than that, about Isaiah’s visions, namely the one found in the second chapter of Isaiah.
"In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!"
Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the woman who was terrified of flying. She claimed that her fear was based on biblical principles. When asked to explain, she quoted Matthew 28:20; "Lo [low] I am with you always." Now for those who truly believe in the omnipresence of God, then it makes no difference whether you are flying 24,000 feet up in the air on a plane or planted safely and securely on land – God is everywhere! However, most of our Judeo-Christian ancestors believed that going higher brought them closer to God. I mean, after all, most of the theophanies that occur in the Bible usually take place on the mountaintop. This was typically the setting where God chose to reveal God’s self to God’s people. So, understandably, when Jesus wanted to reveal himself to Peter, James and John, he chose a mountain. Even today, Christians will hold spiritual retreats in the mountains or describe spiritual ecstasy as being a "mountaintop experience." We even sing; "Lord, plant my feet on higher ground." There’s something about the grandeur of a mountainous setting that draws us closer to our Creator.
In the second chapter of Isaiah, the prophet speaks of the "mountain of the Lord." More than likely this is the elevated plateau in Old Jerusalem equated with the Temple. Isaiah envisioned a day when the Temple would be a desirable destination for vast multitudes of people, with the word "highest" having more to do with its promise than its elevation.
Ironically, the only remnant of the building available for viewing today is a portion of the western wall – known as the "wailing" or "weeping wall," which is located at the base of the Temple Mount. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrimages are made their yearly to pray or to see this sacred spot to the Jews. Just above this area is another sacred spot for Muslims – two Islamic mosques. There, Muslims gather daily to worship, to pray and to study. To whatever degree, there remains a vision of the "holy hill." However, it is obscured by bitter political, religious and ethical disputes.
Within Isaiah’s we discover two basic yearnings of humanity. The first yearning is humanity’s universal yearning for God. As St. Augustine prayed; "O Lord, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you." And the second yearning is, our universal yearning for peace. We want nothing more than peace – we seek to make peace with ourselves and with others. We long for peace – inner peace, world peace, and eternal peace.
Unfortunately, it is hard for us to envision, to picture and to "see" what Isaiah is seeing. In fact, the prophet’s words do not seem very realistic in light of today’s circumstances.
In 1992, a group of academics and historians compiled this startling information: Since 3600 B.C., the world has known only 292 years of peace! During this period there have been 14,351 wars, both large and small, in which 3.64 billion people have been killed. The value of the property destroyed is equal to a golden belt around the world 97.2 miles wide and 33 feet thick. And this study doesn’t even factor in the costs of the current war. And so, Isaiah’s vision seems to be more of a dream than a vision to us!
In our present world, with its endless conflicts, incidents of terrorism, and nuclear threats, we might do well to take a long look at Isaiah’s vision for a peaceful world. What pathway did he indicate as the way that ensures a world of peace? What can we do today to bring about such a vision?
I think Isaiah sums this up in verse 5, where he says; "O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord." Although Isaiah’s original hearers could not see the glorious future of Zion, they continued to place their faith and trust in God’s promises and obeyed God’s law. They knew that one day God would send a Messiah to deliver them. But you and I have seen this glorious future, because we have been given the Light - the true and eternal Light of Christ. And we can walk in the Light now, because it shines in and through us. Thus, these words must be lived out – "let us walk in the light of the Lord." Let us place our faith and trust in God’s promises. Let us walk in God’s paths and obey God’s law. Let us allow God’s light not only to illumine our hearts, but to shine through us as well. Let us truly live as children of the Light. Let us be instruments of hope, peace, joy and love. Let us be those who stand up for justice and extend compassion and grace. For it is then that we will not only discover and experience but others will too, the kingdom of God. May we ever pray; "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Isaiah asks; "Do you see what I see?" Advent invites us to see what God is doing and will do in our world, and to also see how we might be a part of it all.
"In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!"
Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the woman who was terrified of flying. She claimed that her fear was based on biblical principles. When asked to explain, she quoted Matthew 28:20; "Lo [low] I am with you always." Now for those who truly believe in the omnipresence of God, then it makes no difference whether you are flying 24,000 feet up in the air on a plane or planted safely and securely on land – God is everywhere! However, most of our Judeo-Christian ancestors believed that going higher brought them closer to God. I mean, after all, most of the theophanies that occur in the Bible usually take place on the mountaintop. This was typically the setting where God chose to reveal God’s self to God’s people. So, understandably, when Jesus wanted to reveal himself to Peter, James and John, he chose a mountain. Even today, Christians will hold spiritual retreats in the mountains or describe spiritual ecstasy as being a "mountaintop experience." We even sing; "Lord, plant my feet on higher ground." There’s something about the grandeur of a mountainous setting that draws us closer to our Creator.
In the second chapter of Isaiah, the prophet speaks of the "mountain of the Lord." More than likely this is the elevated plateau in Old Jerusalem equated with the Temple. Isaiah envisioned a day when the Temple would be a desirable destination for vast multitudes of people, with the word "highest" having more to do with its promise than its elevation.
Ironically, the only remnant of the building available for viewing today is a portion of the western wall – known as the "wailing" or "weeping wall," which is located at the base of the Temple Mount. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrimages are made their yearly to pray or to see this sacred spot to the Jews. Just above this area is another sacred spot for Muslims – two Islamic mosques. There, Muslims gather daily to worship, to pray and to study. To whatever degree, there remains a vision of the "holy hill." However, it is obscured by bitter political, religious and ethical disputes.
Within Isaiah’s we discover two basic yearnings of humanity. The first yearning is humanity’s universal yearning for God. As St. Augustine prayed; "O Lord, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you." And the second yearning is, our universal yearning for peace. We want nothing more than peace – we seek to make peace with ourselves and with others. We long for peace – inner peace, world peace, and eternal peace.
Unfortunately, it is hard for us to envision, to picture and to "see" what Isaiah is seeing. In fact, the prophet’s words do not seem very realistic in light of today’s circumstances.
In 1992, a group of academics and historians compiled this startling information: Since 3600 B.C., the world has known only 292 years of peace! During this period there have been 14,351 wars, both large and small, in which 3.64 billion people have been killed. The value of the property destroyed is equal to a golden belt around the world 97.2 miles wide and 33 feet thick. And this study doesn’t even factor in the costs of the current war. And so, Isaiah’s vision seems to be more of a dream than a vision to us!
In our present world, with its endless conflicts, incidents of terrorism, and nuclear threats, we might do well to take a long look at Isaiah’s vision for a peaceful world. What pathway did he indicate as the way that ensures a world of peace? What can we do today to bring about such a vision?
I think Isaiah sums this up in verse 5, where he says; "O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord." Although Isaiah’s original hearers could not see the glorious future of Zion, they continued to place their faith and trust in God’s promises and obeyed God’s law. They knew that one day God would send a Messiah to deliver them. But you and I have seen this glorious future, because we have been given the Light - the true and eternal Light of Christ. And we can walk in the Light now, because it shines in and through us. Thus, these words must be lived out – "let us walk in the light of the Lord." Let us place our faith and trust in God’s promises. Let us walk in God’s paths and obey God’s law. Let us allow God’s light not only to illumine our hearts, but to shine through us as well. Let us truly live as children of the Light. Let us be instruments of hope, peace, joy and love. Let us be those who stand up for justice and extend compassion and grace. For it is then that we will not only discover and experience but others will too, the kingdom of God. May we ever pray; "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Isaiah asks; "Do you see what I see?" Advent invites us to see what God is doing and will do in our world, and to also see how we might be a part of it all.
posted by Pastor Christopher @ 12:24 PM
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