Swords into Plowshares

November 29, 1992

Advent I

Isaiah 2:1-5 THIS is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: IN the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. MANY people will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His path." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. HE will judge between nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more. COME, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Introduction

This popular phrase, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares," has a context of prophetic vision. In this vision, which we believe is God's Word, the prophet sees:

  1. a movement, a drawing, an attraction TO Mount Zion, the center of the worship of Jehovah God, which Mount has taken its place as chief among the mountains of the world. He sees also
  2. a flowing or outflowing FROM Mount Zion, as the nations SEEK and FIND God's good Word of life and enabling. And then:
  3. and THEN ONLY comes the promise: They shall beat their swords into plowshares... How does this "connect" with HOPE and ADVENT and REALITY and with CHRIST'S COMING?

I. THE VISION OF THE PROPHET

  1. The prophet's vision flies in the face of what WE think of as "reality." The world is NOT beating a pathway to the house of God, and doesn't seem about to start.

    Nevertheless, God's WORD is what the prophet hears and what he declares. Reality is called into being by the word of God! God speaks, and creation happens!

    Advent is a time when darkness is challenged! Advent is a time when a Light shines in the darkness, and will not be extinguished. Isaiah declares that Mount Zion will become irresistibly attractive!

  2. Be aware, also, that the prophet's vision is a universal, inclusive, world-wide vision. Isaiah was a Jewish prophet, speaking to a limited audience about God's chosen people, the Jews.

    But God's message from the first call of Abraham has always been one of world-wide, inclusive grace. "In YOU," God said to Abraham, "In you ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH WILL BE BLESSED!"

  3. The prophet's vision began with the call: "COME, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord." The world-wide, universal vision begins when God's people walk in the light.

II. THE ROLE OF THE PROPHET

  1. All God's holy people are called to share the calling of prophet. God calls individuals to prophetic tasks within the church, and as spokespersons for the church. But God's plan was that His people would bear witness to Him by their pure worship, until the nations of the world would see a difference.

    Remember the words of Moses himself, when he rebuked Aaron and Miriam for being jealous of his leadership? Hear the scripture:

    And Moses said unto him (Aaron) "Enviest thou for my sake? would that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them! (Numbers 11:29)

  2. When the Church understands her role as prophet, the world will have a vision of the coming Prince of Peace.

    How will this bring peace in Northern Ireland, or in Boznia- Hertzegovnia? If peace comes there, it will be because some part of Christ's body has released the mighty power of God's LOVE in that place. There is no peace apart from the Prince of Peace; there is no complete expression of His love apart from His Body!

  3. But how do we, here, now, in our little corner of the world- -HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FILL OUR PROPHETIC ROLE?

    Respectfully speaking, the great world at large is not just now your problem! TV is part of the problem: We get hooked into other people's problems until we FEEL for them, and either throw a little money at them, or do nothing at all— while our lives fail to reflect the light of the Presence of God where we live!

    Your problem and mine is plugging into the task to which God has called US here and now! God's prophets must be sent, and they must tell the truth as God gives them the truth to tell.

    [What does all this have to do with the text? And Advent? What, indeed, can we say about the nations "flowing into Jerusalem?" The ATTRACTION of God's holy mountain?

    ATTRACTION is a quality or property of God Himself! How many things in this world are really attractive?

    God's WORD is attractive! God's people, as prophets, are challenged to tell the truth:]

III. THE CALL OF THE PROPHET

"O house of Jacob! Let us walk in the LIGHT of the Lord!"

  1. The church can only be a prophet through OBEDIENCE! [Above all else, a prophet is called to tell God's truth! As God's people (1) do we even know the truth? (2) Are we communicating HIS message of hope and love? or our own ideas of what that message might be? CHALLENGING GOD'S PEOPLE TO TELL THE TRUTH:]
    1. We must speak the truth by SEEING THE INVISIBLE

      The sustaining power for the prophet is knowing that God has called! The world will probably call it insanity, but the prophet knows when it is spiritual reality! Witnesses are those who know what they have seen. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most powerful phrase, perhaps, was a prophetic vision: "I HAVE SEEN THE PROMISED LAND!"

      Have we SEEN the great King? Is spiritual reality central in our lives?

    2. We must speak the truth by LIVING IN THE LIGHT. Most of the forces in this world PUSH and DISPLACE and EXERT PRESSURE. Love is a force that DRAWS.
    3. We must, finally, speak the truth ONE ON ONE WITH THOSE NEAREST TO US.

      For what it is worth, the wars IN THE WORLD AT LARGE today are not, for the most part, 'nation versus nation.' They are, instead, wars of hatred between people of the same nation— people who speak the same language and often look and dress alike- - but who are driven by blood feuds and grudges ancient and modern.

      And for what it is worth, the SINS that do us in are not great sins of the culture at large so much as the sins of back-biting and infighting and pettiness and frustration.

  2. The quality of the church's role as PROPHET in this needy world cannot rise above the level of TRUTH as it is spoken in the everyday lives of the people that make up the church. Our homes must reflect this TRUTH. The prophet says to us: "O HOUSE OF JACOB, WALK IN THE LIGHT OF OUR LORD!"

    We are concerned that our services be attractive— that we speak the language of our culture. And rightly so.

    We are concerned that our sermons say exactly the right thing— that our music be correct. We are concerned about what WE do— and rightly so.

    But when the world begins to see a Church that truly walks in God's light— that speaks the truth of God with actions as loudly as it does with words— when our homes are places where we express kindness and forgiveness and love, and our spirits manifest the love and joy and peace and all the other fruit of the indwelling Spirit, then they will come streaming up the mountain!

Conclusion:

Advent is a time of HOPE. It is a time of looking forward to Christmas and all the beauty and wonder.

But Advent is also a time of preparation and heart-searching. It is a time for facing up to reality! The prophet's vision reaches to where WE are, today! The CHURCH is called to its task: WE MUST BE GOD'S PROPHET! The world desperately NEEDS to hear the message, to SEE the light shining in the darkness!

Advent is a time when God challenges you and me to walk in the light of God's truth!

How do we respond to such a "far out," Old Testament message?

Perhaps we need to respond first of all by admitting that in many ways our lives are no different from others who do not have the light of the knowledge of God!

Then perhaps we need to ask God for Christ's sake to forgive us, and help us to come into the light, and to walk in the light- - whatever the cost may be to other goals and aspirations!

Why don't you give the people who live in your house a real Christmas present this year? Instead of just giving nice things, give them a new dad, or a new mother, or a new husband or a new wife! Give them a brand new son that expresses love by kind obedience! Give them a brand new daughter who gives no cause for worry and concern! It is possible!

When we have been to the mountain— when WE have seen the light of the coming king— then WE will declare this Advent message that THE PRINCE OF PEACE IS COMING!

Prayer

Hymn 227 - Jesus, I Come