Word to the Wise
Tuesday, December 4, 2012 - 1st Week of Advent - Tues
[Isa 11:1-10 and Luke 10:21-24]Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to lead them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox.....
Isaiah's majestic vision of the messianic times was pictured by the Quaker minister/painter, Edward Hicks (1780-1849), and now shows up in various versions on Christmas cards all over the country! [He painted it in different arrangements more than 60 times.] As a Quaker, Hicks sought to convey his belief in the "inner light" which would lead to peace that transcended even the natural boundaries between species of animals who might otherwise try to destroy and eat one another! I suspect that most people find the external peace of the painting to be attractive without realizing that 1) it is based on scripture, and 2) refers to that "inner light" that faith leads to. One of the challenges of this season is to "interiorize" the sense of peace that Isaiah's vision hopes for.
The great Dominican mystic of the 13-14th century, Meister Eckhart, is supposed to have written: "What good is it to me that Christ was born so many years ago if he is not born daily in me?" Indeed, can we "give birth" to that "peaceable kingdom" within us that enable us to work for it outside of us? The appalling violence around the world and in our own states and neighborhoods presents a challenge that can be overwhelming. It is hard enough to deal with our immediate and personal problems. Yet, each year we can exercise a special "Advent discipleship" to bring a bit of "peace on earth" to others and do it by beginning with Isaiah's vision being born within us! AMEN