ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPE

December 1 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhD

Hope is a New Reality

Isaiah 2:1-5

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. Isaiah 2:4

Can you imagine a world where there are no wars? It does seem unimag-

inable, especially since there is always a conflict happening someplace in the

world.

In this text we read about the hope of one day the very weapons we use to do

harm to one another become instruments of provision for one another. Our

swords will till the ground, and our spears will help us to catch fish.

At first glance this seems unrealistic given what we have experienced

throughout our lives. What catches my attention is in verse three when it talks

about God teaching us God’s ways. This new reality is not something that we

can achieve ourselves but requires learning.

It involves learning, for example, a new way of being with one another that

does not move toward violence. The good news is we already have a model

for what this looks like from Jesus. The truth is it is even challenging for us as

Christians to follow Jesus’ model.

Advent is a time when we should anticipate a new reality. This reality moves

us closer toward God’s intent for instruments of destruction to become instru-

ments of provision. Our hope for this new reality as Christians should move us

to action now. We should model Jesus’ behavior as individuals and communi-

ties of faith. One day we truly will say, “we no longer are training for war.”

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