Isaiah 2:4-5
God
will judge between the nations, and render decisions for many countries. The
people shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning
hooks. One nation will not raise a sword against another and never again will
they train for war. Come let us walk in the light of God!
A reading that begins “God will judge” is off-putting.
However, I’ve learned to read backwards, from the last sentence to the first. I
find that Old Testament texts carry the important message in the final
sentence, in this case, “Come let us walk in the light of God!”
And why do we walk in the light of God? Because that
light is a vision of peace.
Here are a few signposts to navigate the rest of the reading.
Just in case you don’t know what a “plowshare” is,
here’s a
photo:
It’s a cutting edge that cuts through the earth. The
photo shows a hand-held plowshare. Other types attach to a plough drawn by person or horse, like this one:
And to complete our image bank, here is a pruning hook:
Images help
us to make large ideas, such as peace, more concrete.
Chris
Ranes offers us an artistic interpretation of the reading. Ranes was born in Paris in 1929 and narrowly escaped death in Poland and
Germany during World War II. She lived in Palo Alto, California as an artist
and her portfolio included many paintings on themes of peace such as: Beat Our Swords Into Plowshares,
a 1998
Mixed Media and Oil on Paper
16" x
16":
Another
artistic expression is found in The Peace Art Project Cambodia that was launched
in Phnom Penh in 2003. Weapons were gathered from thirty years of war and turned
into works of art and furniture. Artist Sasha Constable
and small weapons specialist Neil Wilford founded the project. Students used
scrap metal and recovered weapons to create everything from small sculptures to
furniture to large monuments
like this elephant:
Living peacefully is our way of walking in God’s light.
That walk involves people all around the world who embrace varied spiritualities. Let’s enjoy listening to singers who express their yearning for
a light-filled, peaceful walk. Ted Pearce sings to a Jewish congregation: HERE
Maher Zain expresses his deep love of Allah: HERE
Mwamba Children’s Choir sings Siyahamba: HERE
Siyahamba ekukhanyeni kwenkos
We are
marching in the light of God
Our Advent Exploration question for today is: How do you express your yearning for peace in your daily life?
Feel free to add thoughts and comments to encourage a conversation.
