Word to the Wise
Monday, December 1, 2008 - Monday in the First Week of Advent
[Isaiah 2:105 and Matthew 8:5-11]They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
I usually awaken to the program, "Morning Edition," on National Public Radio. It is not always happy news. The amount of violence and warfare is depressing, let alone the kind of economic violence that has occurred at the hands of insatiable financial institutions which has created the current global financial crisis. One longs for a message of hope that is untainted by political or economic gain on the part of the one making the promises. There has to be something more to life than whether or not Black Friday shopping was better or worse than last year's! Is there no end to the type of violence wreaked in Mumbai, India or the Bangkok airport or in the east of the Congo or the streets of Bagdad or between rival drug lords in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico? Those who work in social services and pastoral roles know that this season (euphemistically called "The Holiday Season") is anything BUT a holiday for many people and is frequently the context for domestic violence as short term hopes and expectations are frustrated by lack of resources or overindulgence! Isaiah offers a wonderful vision of possibilities for peace and for instruction in the ways of the Lord! Perhaps that vision inspires a close friend of mine who works for a private peacemaking foundation! If so, she is creating an Advent! Perhaps it could inspire others to work for national policies that discourage armed conflict in the name of "security interests." Perhaps it could inspire less greed and avarice in corporate finances. We humans can create Advent by preparing the way. We can give hope. Swords are not easily beaten into plowshares. They must stop fighting first! We can encourage that! Where do we start? First of all we start with ourselves and then we can begin to encourage one another. "The Holiday Season" brings a kind of narcotic relief. The Advent Season can bring a lasting hope! AMEN
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