ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPE
December 1 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhD
Isaiah 2:1-5
He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-
hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn
war any more. Isaiah 2:4
Can you imagine a world where there are no wars? It does seem unimag-
inable, especially since there is always a conflict happening someplace in the
world.
In this text we read about the hope of one day the very weapons we use to do
harm to one another become instruments of provision for one another. Our
swords will till the ground, and our spears will help us to catch fish.
At first glance this seems unrealistic given what we have experienced
throughout our lives. What catches my attention is in verse three when it talks
about God teaching us God’s ways. This new reality is not something that we
can achieve ourselves but requires learning.
It involves learning, for example, a new way of being with one another that
does not move toward violence. The good news is we already have a model
for what this looks like from Jesus. The truth is it is even challenging for us as
Christians to follow Jesus’ model.
Advent is a time when we should anticipate a new reality. This reality moves
us closer toward God’s intent for instruments of destruction to become instru-
ments of provision. Our hope for this new reality as Christians should move us
to action now. We should model Jesus’ behavior as individuals and communi-
ties of faith. One day we truly will say, “we no longer are training for war.”
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