No Way This Happens, Unless…

Isaiah 11:1-9
“The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; 
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9). These words from today’s Old Testament reading are filled with hope but also with almost comical imagery. Here is a scene that nature could never recreate: predators and prey, carnivores and herbivores, human children and the offspring of dangerous animals all coexisting in a way that even Disney’s “The Lion King” wouldn’t dare to suggest.

But then that’s the point, isn’t it? It isn’t natural, it isn’t an aspect of life as we know it, it isn’t the way things happen, but it is a parable about that which God is able to do. If we depend on ourselves we will fall short; the wolf will consume the lamb, the leopard will devour the kid, the lion will chow down on calf and ox and not think even once about straw; there will be pain and destruction all over the mountain if we try to pull this sort of thing off. Only God could make it work.

And only God could announce the approach of God’s reign with a baby born to humble parents in an out-of-the-way place and under extreme circumstances. What was God thinking? The arrival of God’s Son in the manger at Bethlehem isn’t natural, it isn’t an aspect of life as we know it, it isn’t the way things happen. If you want to bring lasting change you have to have a bigger stage and a wider audience than shepherds and traveling sages. So maybe the story of the birth of Jesus is a parable of sorts as well. Maybe it reminds us that with God all things are possible. With God love can overcome evil, pain can be soothed with mercy, poverty can be addressed with generosity, hunger can be assuaged with compassion. With God all things are possible and all things find their fullest purpose. So maybe Isaiah’s scene from the holy mountain is not as far-fetched as we may think. Maybe it really is a sign of what God is doing in our world.

Prayer: Lord, may all the world live in peace under your coming reign. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Remember

Isaiah 63:7-14

Early in the Disney film, The Lion King, there is a conversation between King Mufasa and his young son, Simba.

Mufasa: Simba, let me tell you something my father told me. Look at the stars. The great kings of the past are up there, watching over us.

Simba: Really?

Mufasa: Yes. So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I.

Memory plays an important part in our lives especially in our lives of faith. According to the prophet Isaiah, the people of Israel had turned away from God, but “then they remembered the days of old, of Moses [God’s] servant” (Isaiah 63:11). By remembering what had happened in the past the people were able to better understand where they had fallen short of God’s will and to seek God’s forgiveness.

For us, part of the “memory” is bound up in scripture, the stories and teachings collected in the Bible. Some “remembering” is done by sharing the faith from person to person, generation to generation, in the way that Mufasa taught Simba to remember the kings of the past. A profound type of “remembering” takes place during the sacrament of communion when we, as God’s people, are invited to share in the meal “in remembrance” of Jesus Christ. This remembering, this rehearsing of the past is one of the great responsibilities of Christians, as individuals, but particularly as a community. In reflecting on scripture, in attending to the teaching and preaching of the word of God, in telling and singing the great stories of the faith, in sharing the sacrament and inviting others to do so as well, we find strength for our living even as we prepare others to take our place in the future. Mufasa wanted Simba to remember what it meant to be a king. I want my children to remember what it means to have faith in God through Jesus Christ, how generations of their ancestors have been active in the life of the church and have sought to live as God’s people. But before I can share those memories with others, I have to be sure and claim them for myself. And so do you. Remembering leads to better understanding and greater faithfulness. It brought the people of Israel back to God, it can keep us focused as well.

Prayer: Lord, help us to remember your works and your words as we look ahead to your coming reign. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.