Fill The Whole World With Peace
Isaiah 11:1-10[1]
This is the time of
year when our thoughts turn toward “peace on earth.” It was, after all, the
promise the angels made to the shepherds on that night so long ago. I must
confess that I’m not sure we want true peace, lasting peace, peace that benefits
everyone equally. I think most of us at this time of year just want a little
“peace of mind.” And there’s a big difference between peace that benefits
everyone equally and a little peace of mind. We can find a little peace of mind
by simply watching TV, or working in the garden, or reading a good book, or
listening to relaxing music, or taking a nice hot bath or shower. But true
peace, lasting peace, peace that benefits everyone equally takes a lot more
work than that.
For many of us, peace
at this time of the year means that we lose our cares and worries, our fears
and frustrations in the distractions of decorating and cooking and shopping and
entertaining ourselves and others with Christmas festivities. And I get that.
We all need to take a breather from time to time from the pressures we feel in
our lives. When we face head-on the problems in our families, in our community,
and in our world, it can all be whole lot more than a little overwhelming. Think
about it: a housing market that’s priced a lot of people out of housing.
Grocery bills that have gone up, or grocery lists that have had to be shortened
considerably. More and more mass shootings, in schools and stores and
workplaces. The feeling that we’re a nation badly irreparably divided against
one another. A war with no end in sight. I honestly don’t blame anyone for
wanting to take a break from all that right now.
But at some point,
we’re going to have to think about true peace. Surely all of us want what the
writer of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” said: we want God to come and “fill the
whole world with heaven’s peace.”[2] But I think we get hung up because true peace comes at a cost. As Pope Paul VI
said on January 1, 1972, “if you want peace, work for justice.” Those of us who
were alive at that time remember that it was a time very similar to this one.
We were at the end of the Vietnam War, which had severely divided this country,
setting family members against one another. Peace was not something that seemed
any easier to achieve at that time than it does today. And I don’t think the
Pope meant to suggest it would be easy, because achieving peace through justice
takes hard work.
Our lesson from the
prophet Isaiah for today addresses the peace that comes from justice. The
prophet looks forward to a “branch” coming from the “root” of David’s family
who will “give justice to the poor and make fair decisions
for the exploited” (Isa 11:4, NLT). He speaks of one who would come to
lighten people’s burdens, to right the wrongs, to restore all things in such a
way that makes it possible for everyone to live the lives God intended.[3] This promise was spoken to the Jewish people when there were threats looming on
the horizon. They were still relatively safe at home; they had not yet reached their
darkest point in exile. But all was not well. The prophets like Isaiah pointed
their fingers at the Jewish leaders for neglecting their duties when it came to
caring for the least and the last and the left out in society, duties spelled
out in our Psalm reading for today.[4] Instead the leaders relished their power and prestige and forgot about the
widows and orphans and immigrants in their midst. And we know, as Martin Luther
King said, “injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere.”[5]
That’s why Isaiah
spoke of the coming of one who would set things right. And the result of the
justice the coming one brings would be peace: “Nothing will hurt or destroy in
all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be
filled with knowledge of the Lord” (Isa 11:9). The idea is that the coming
one will teach the people the “knowledge of the Lord” so well that they will
live in peace with one another. And the prophet said this peace would not only
be for the Jewish people, but that all the nations would benefit as well: “In
that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all
the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a
glorious place” (Isa 11:10, NLT).[6]
But more than that, the
prophet speaking in the name of the Lord promised that the peace brought by the
coming one would also restore the world of nature. Isaiah says, “In that day
the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the
baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little
child will lead them all” (Isa 11:6, NLT). In a very real sense, Isaiah
looked for a time when the peace found in the garden of Eden would fill the
whole world. And that kind of peace would reunite even the natural world. Can
you imagine a world where wolves lie down with lambs, taking care of them as if
they were their own young? I think the prophet Isaiah could, and he believed
that when the coming one brings true justice and lasting peace, it will change
the face of the whole world. The peace he will bring to Israel will embrace all
the nations, and it will even restore harmony to all creation.
All that may sound
just too good to be true. And I understand that, because that kind of justice
and that kind of peace is beyond what any of us can do. Filling the whole world
with peace is a God-sized task. It will take the power of God, working through
Jesus Christ, to bring about that kind of world. But I would say we still have
a part to play in all of this. Those of us who know the “peace” that God has
brought to the human family in Jesus Christ are called to be peacemakers in
this world. And I believe that peace is “contagious,” like kindness. When you
spread it around, it just keeps going. As Dr. King also said, “Darkness cannot
drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only
love can do that.”[7] When we treat people with a little more respect, a little more kindness, a
little more dignity, perhaps they’ll “pay it forward.” When respond that way
even to those whom we may view as a threat, I think it might just change the
world.
[1] ©
2022 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm PhD on 12/4/2022 for Hickman
Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE. For a video recording of this sermon, check out my Pastor Alan YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/dfgpUBt06sc .
[2] See the history of the English versions of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Come,_O_Come,_Emmanuel , accessed on 12/1/2022.
[3] Cf. Jürgen Moltmann, The Way of Jesus Christ, 121: “God’s justice and
righteousness brings shalom [peace] to both his people and land.”
[4] That this is to be the role of the King in Israelite society is made clear by
the Psalm lesson from Ps. 72, especially Ps. 72:4 “May he defend the cause of
the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the
oppressor.” Cf. J. Clinton McCann, Jr.,
“The Book of Psalms,” New Interpreters
Bible IV:963: “Everything said about or wished for the king depends
ultimately on God’s justice ... and God’s righteousness. Justice and righteousness are first and
foremost characteristic of God’s reign ....
In short, the role of the king is to enact God’s rule” (emphasis
original).
[5] Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 16 April 1963.
Accessed at https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
on 12/3/2022.
[6] This is essentially St. Paul’s point in the reading from Romans 15:4-13
(especially 15:8-12). Cf. N. T. Wright,
“The Letter to the Romans,” New Interpreters
Bible X:747: “It is not that God has done one thing for Jews, and another
thing for Gentiles; God has designed mercy for all (11:28-32).” Referring to God fulfilling his promises, he
adds, “The promises were both to
Israel and through Israel to the
world” (emphasis original).”
[7] Martin Luther King, Jr., “Loving Your Enemies,” in Strength to Love, p.
47. Cf. a similar statement in Martin Luther King, Jr., “Where Do We Go From
Here?” SCLC Presidential Address, 1967 (Quoted from J. M. Washington, ed., A
Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr., p.
249): “Through violence you may murder a liar but you can’t establish truth.
Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can’t murder hate. Darkness
cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.”
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