Up to Restoration

Introduction

Today begins the season of Advent in the Christian Calendar. Today is the beginning where we start all of our Christmas traditions. We decorate the tree. We hang the garland. We put up all the decorations for celebrating and recognizing this time of the year. If you are like me, this time of year is different. You have your traditions and different events or times where you celebrate Christmas with friends and family. However, have you ever had a Christmas season where it felt empty? Where maybe you didn’t get to celebrate with friends and family because of schedules or maybe because they are no longer with you. Maybe you looked around at the way in which Christmas has been commercialized and it turned into something completely different than what it should be.

Today I want to look at this season of advent not in the manner of building up to Christmas or as one item in your checklist that will lead you to the next event. Today I want you to find hope and joy in anticipating what can be.

Future

In reading the notes on the Isaiah passage, it is interesting in that Isaiah’s life as a prophet was long and he witnessed a lot from his position. He witnessed people who ignored God’s commands. He witnessed kings who came to the throne and were removed. He witnessed things going from empty rituals or hollow faithfulness towards God to complete destruction of all he known for many years.

Isaiah 2:1 NRSV

1 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

What is interesting about this early chapter is that the word was something Isaiah saw. Isaiah was able to see something much better than what he witnessed around him every day. Isaiah, just like us, saw a turning away from God by the people. Isaiah witnessed wars, famines, diseases just like we are seeing today. Yet, Isaiah, as God’s chosen prophet was able to see with his eyes something better. It was not just words written down but a Living Word that showed a new future, a hopeful future, a future filled with peace and joy.

It is not hard to look around us today and see that peace is a foreign concept or a term for temporarily ceasing hostilities until another event kicks off the fighting again. Jesus is the King of Peace, yet when we look around, it is hard to find that peace. Today, I ask us to pray to God to see, as Isaiah saw, that future peace coming with Jesus.

Today

How can we live in peace today until that future comes? The psalmists shows a way in which we carry ourselves, differently from the world, is how we have an attitude of hopefulness for peace and joy to be restored to our church and our land. Take church for example. How many people come to church because they have to or because it is a task expected of them or some other reason that is not based on gladness for coming to church?

The psalmists in Psalm 122 opens by saying they were glad when invited to go up to the house of the LORD. There was a joy to go and worship God. There was a sense of belief that God was in the temple and it held all the possibilities of the future. It was not meant for politics. It was not meant to be a traders market. It was meant to be a beacon of peace and hope for all.

While the world may in constant conflict from greed and power struggles, the center of God’s worship, the temple of the psalmist or the church for us today, it is meant to be a beacon of peace. It is meant to be a place to learn how to be a peacemaker. It is not a job, it is not a chore, it is not a task to check off the list for today’s activities. It is meant to learn to become a disciple, a peacemaker as Christ calls us to be.

Today, I ask you to pray to become a peacemaker for the sake of Christ who has redeemed you. Let this house of the Lord be a place that teaches people once again to be glad to worship God and to learn how to be peacemakers in this world.