A Word from Laura: Unprecedented Peace
Even as I’ve been inspired by the resilience of so many as we enter Advent, I find myself repeating, “This pandemic time is mean!” In so many ways and on so many levels, all God’s children are struggling right now!
Whether you are on the front lines of caring or concerned about those who are, whether you are grieving or loving someone else through their grief, whether your community is bearing an undue burden or you’re working to stand in solidarity with such a community, whether you are facing financial uncertainty or investing in someone at risk – or somewhere in the midst of it all – we are all living with unprecedented stress. (Hope you can stop in the midst of this simply to breathe deeply a few times!)
It's a wonder that we also find ourselves in this season when the prophet proclaims unprecedented peace. This peace is not the absence of conflict, but a time like no other. God’s Spirit brings leadership for justice for the poor and equity for those the world has left behind.
In Isaiah 11, the prophet wants to inspire those who are exhausted, worried and separated from those they love. Especially in a time when the world is falling apart, the prophet wants people to know God’s Spirit is still at work. The coming peace is strong enough to tame the wolves and empower the lambs – of their era and any era.
In this time of stress, uncertainty and grief, I invite you to let your mind think back on your day or week, until you notice a time when God’s Spirit has been at work in your life or the larger world, bringing this kind of peace. If you’re having trouble thinking back, you may want to use John August Swanson’s image of the peaceable kingdom, based on Isaiah 11, with the reflection below from the website Eyekons:
Peaceable Kingdom is a visual illustration of Isaiah 11:6-8: “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them…” John Swanson’s creative, visual re-telling of this biblical vision enables us to see the story through new eyes and rediscover the power and meaning of the story for our own lives. He challenges us to look at our lives, to re-examine our world-view, and see if we’re living as we should be.
May you find reassurance in the prophet’s promise, enough to be inspired to seek the Child moving in your own life. And may we lean in together towards the unprecedented peace we trust will come in the wake of the Christ Child and those who follow him.
Towards love and justice, Laura