Isaiah 11:6-9 (MSG) #verseOfReflection #d-shedRemix
The wolf will romp with the lamb...
The wolf will romp with the lamb...
Calf and lion will eat from the same trough...
Cow and bear will graze the same pasture,
their calves and cubs grow up together...
The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens
the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent.
Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill...
a living knowledge of God...ocean-wide.
Cow and bear will graze the same pasture,
their calves and cubs grow up together...
The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens
the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent.
Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill...
a living knowledge of God...ocean-wide.
Our verse of reflection comes from the book(s) of Isaiah. This man was a prophet known for a lot of things. He's in more modern terms a "heavy-hitter" when it came to revealing what God was/is/will do in our lives (then and now). The reason why I used this verse in particular is because it was something that was harped on at my church when I arrived back in the Fall of 2010. I had never heard of this "peaceable kingdom" concept. Beyond that, Isaiah and I weren't exactly the best of friends, as he much like Jesus can be very cryptic in his sayings.
These days politicians, parents, and everyday people continue to hold a grasp to this idea that we can live in peace. An idea that hope will win out in the end and things can ultimately get better (and for good). Wars will end, poverty will be eradicated, and once and for all everyone will live at peace with one another despite our differences. Whenever there's a pageant, especially in light of the recent Miss USA contest/pageant, we expect a certain answer from them during the Q&A portion that always ends with, "...and World Peace."
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| Meet (Metta) World Peace |
Is "world peace" even possible? Given the context of this verse it seems that some very "contradictory" or at best opposite likenesses seem to come together at a time where they are no longer at odds. The battle between serpent and seed (i.e. Adam/Eve's offspring vs. that of the Serpent) is no longer waged. Wolves and lambs are not only able to coexist/habitate beside one another but also play with each other. Granted this is a metaphor and it can easily be extended to interfaith relations, acceptance, love, and appreciation for those of various orientations and ideologies, as well as being okay with the fact that your significant other doesn't like all the things that you do.
More specifically this verse is about the coming (or potentially past and soon to be future) reign of a king who will settle all of the "disputes" and infractions committed against one another once and for all (to some degree). My question however is this: "If God dreams, what does he dream about and why?" I honestly don't have an answer to that but here's what I do know.
Our reality is jacked up...to put it nicely. People who claim to love Christ show nothing but hate towards those they don't understand. Folks aren't open to dialogue and gaining knowledge about things that they fear. My neighbors still harbor some sort of animosity because they feel that I may be getting a free pass because of my skin color, and not my talents and hard work ethic (i.e. Passing grades and/or "mobility" in society). The reality is, we are in a very fragile place as a people. Our media feeds us in ways that suggests we stay close to what we know, protecting everything we own with our lives, lest it be taken from us. Everyday there's some new app "for that" or tech toy that increasingly draws our attention away from that which matters. I dread the day that wi-fi becomes overwhelmingly available on family road trips; you might as well stay home.
The reality is we have people who are educated but choose to limit the furthering of their education because they feel that, "even though I haven't reached the summit of understanding, I believe this is a good stopping point." We'd rather argue down opposing views instead of taking the time to actually hear in an active sense what the other person is saying.
As we discussed on last week, "It could all be so simple..." I do believe that God's dream is for there to be peace on earth, for everyone to have all of their needs provided for, and for us to do as Rodney King suggested: "Can't we all just get along." It's funny, as a child it is so effortless, and the older we get it seems the "dumber" we become.
I'll end with this quick reflection on my experience at my first ever PRIDEFEST on June 16.
The day went by fairly quickly. There was one small group at the beginning of the parade shouting how homosexuality is a sin and condemning the churches that were a part of the parade. I had to march because a year ago I said, "I support the gay stuff but I'm not doing it (pridefest)". When I realized that this made me a half-hearted ally; go all the way. It was a great experience. In all honesty I felt like I was getting "practice" for some future event. The day indeed went smoothly. We shared cookies and candy at our table to allow folks to receive (and taste and see) "The Sweetness of God's Grace". That was our "tagline" and at one point I made the sign because people weren't sure what we were doing there. We were in a row of several church booths. The apprehension was understandable. And this is where we get to the punchline.
We had available (and had ran out at some point earlier in the day, which saddened me) booklets that discuss "Homosexuality and the Bible". Now, I have a copy of my own but have never read it for myself. 95% of my approach to homosexuality comes from Scripture and my experience. Later on reasoning and tradition were added as is the fullness of the Wesley Quadrilateral*. There were two young ladies who came up and one of them said (after having the booklet explained to them), "This is good to have." One of the "pastors" at our church who is over Christian Education put it simply to everyone, "This is for you so that you can quote back. It's not the gay bashing-perspective." I responded to the young lady (having been in conversations with people of various faith groups; some obviously false and/or misdirected, which have tried to convert me, as well as coworkers who held on to their Catholic tradition without fully knowing what is "going on") by stating, "Sometimes they go hard when it comes to this." She shot back but in a respectful manner and looked at me. It cut to my core because I knew, "They always go hard."
Wow...and the thing is for me that statement is in reference to those who are more conservative Christians who refuse to open up their minds or purposefully engage in dialogue.
Well, a couple of those showed up while I was at the table alone. Let's just say we didn't get very far. They seemed to actually be a "couple". In their mid-50s plus I imagine. The lady stopped at our table and looked everything over. I asked, "Can I help you with something?" 'Does this church use (or read) the Bible?' "Yes we do."
The rest as they say is history and there'll be a more detailed explanation (perhaps next week) in the book and at some later time.
This was my reality. I even offered them the booklet and they did not accept it; for them to have accepted it would've put us a step closer towards achieving God's dream.
I pray that you may dream dreams and that at the very root of them, you find yourself being the twinkle of God's eye, the reason that he smiles.
God Bless,
liMitz
Sumthn2Ponder (s2p):
- Do you dream and if so what is it about?
- How do your dreams fuel your thoughts on life?
- If you haven't dreamt in a while (while sleeping or awake), why do you think that is?
