Advent 2020 Reflection – Day Three

Day Three – Isaiah 3 3-5

³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

Reflection

Although we often think of the Lion lying down with the lamb – this imagery does not exist in the Bible. The two occurrences of this image of peaceful co-existence in Isaiah refer to the wolf and the lamb. However, it is a powerful image of peace and of a return to the harmony of creation.

We can push imagery too far but there is an element of the human condition within these verses. The rich and powerful who exploit their contacts and positions, those prepared to exploit the vulnerable for financial gain, those prepared to kill and destroy to get their own way, often so that they can become rich and powerful exploiters themselves. These are perhaps the wolves of our time.

Our passage today prophecies the time when we will be at peace both in the natural world and as humanity.

We work for that day in our passion for truth and justice and in all of our choices in life. What we buy, who we vote for, how active we are in lobbying for change. These all reveal the Spirit of God at work in us. “May he rule, may he reign in our lives”.

Stillness

We spend a few moments in stillness as we remember times when we have truly opened ourselves to God’s desire for truth and justice.

Carol

I chose as my carol today a worship song for which I wrote additional Christmas words, many years ago. Those of you who know me will know that I love using and singing worship songs as well as hymns but they are often too short!

I wrote these words for a carol service I was leading and it spoke to me of the glory of God as we come once again before the nativity scene. The wonder of God come to earth as that most fragile, vulnerable baby and yet the majestic transforming power of Jesus’ coming. The verses pass from the shouts of praise from heaven, announcing the good news, to the awe and wonder within our own hearts that Jesus is come. The unbridled joy that we can come into his presence and give him our praise and worship.

There’s a shout from our hearts as a child is born. Hail the King hail the Lord of all!

O the valleys shall ring
With the sound of praise
And the lion shall lie with the lamb
Of His government there shall be no end
And His glory shall fill the earth
May Your will be done
May Your Kingdom come
Let it rule let it reign in our lives
There’s a shout from the heavens
As a child is born
Hail the King hail the Lord of lords

O the earth shall be filled
With the glory of heaven
As God is born as man
He comes to earth as a helpless child
So that we may be reconciled
May Your will be done
May Your Kingdom come
Let it rule let it reign in our lives
There’s a shout from the earth
As a child is born
Hail the King hail the Lord of lords

All our hearts will be filled
With the sound of praise
As we think on that stable bare
As we bow before the Prince of Peace
When we find Him lying there
May Your will be done
May Your Kingdom come
Let it rule let it reign in our lives
There’s a shout from our hearts
As a child is born
Hail the King hail the Lord of lords

May Your will be done
May Your Kingdom come
Let it rule let it reign in our lives
There’s a shout from our hearts
As a child is born
Hail the King hail the Lord of lords

Prayer

Dear Lord, you are the Lord of my life. I pray that you will rule in all that I think, believe and do. Help me to resist those thoughts which destroy my peace. As I fix my thoughts on you, help me to remember that in your presence my mind will find perfect peace. So I pray that you will let your peace rule in my heart. Amen

Loving God we thank you for your continual presence in our lives. Both when we feel you right next to us and when it is hard to know that you are there at all. For those times when life is hard and we just cannot feel you through our distress.Help us to remember your promise to be with us always.

May we know your Word of truth and justice that rules in our lives. Help us to remember that you are all-powerful and all-loving. You care deeply for each one of us and for those we love. Be with us as we live out these truths, no matter what our circumstances are. Inspire us to strive for peace and justice in our world.

A Prayer for Peace & Calm – Teresa of Ávila