Word to the Wise
Tuesday, December 4, 2007 - Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
[Isaiah 11:1-10 and Luke 10:21-24]The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the feat of the Lord..........Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.........
It would be difficult to find a more majestic vision in the prophetic literature of the Bible than the one presented in the passage from Isaiah today. It is truly a magnificent dream! One cannot help but think of Edward Hicks' famous 1847 painting: THE PEACEABLE KINGDOM. I could not, however, resist the comparison with a process that many members of religious orders know - "brainstorming about where one wants the congregation/province to be in 5/10 years and what kind of leadership will be necessary to achieve that." Isaiah starts with the leadership and is convinced that the ideal king will produce the ideal results. Human history shows that it is always premature to sing, "Happy days are here again!" Lest I be thought to be cynical and lacking in hope, I pray earnestly for Isaiah's vision to be realized here and now. Advent offers a season that gives a meaningful context to the vision. The Christian community has always found a description of Jesus in Isaiah's words. Short of the Second Coming, dare we hope for a leader like the one in the vision or a time of the "peaceable kingdom?" We tell the story of Christ's coming each year and refill the lamps with the oil of hope. But I do recommend keeping the child's hand away from the adder's lair! AMEN