Advent Sunday: God's promised gift of peace

Isaiah 2: 1-5 

There is a wonderful story, which may or may not be true, that during the approach to Christmas in 1948, a radio station in Washington DC asked ambassadors to the United States, from a number of countries, their preferred Christmas gift. The replies were recorded for a special Christmas broadcast.

Most of the answers were what you would expect from a diplomat:

Asked ‘what gift do you most want this Christmas?’

the French ambassador said he most wanted

'Peace throughout the world,'

the Russian ambassador said he would like to have 'Freedom for all people enslaved by Imperialism,'

 

Then the request went through to Sir Oliver Franks, the representative of the Government of the United Kingdom, ‘what gift do you most want this Christmas?’


'Well, it's very kind of you to ask,' he replied. 'I'd quite like a small box of crystallised fruit.'

 

Whatever you have said you want for Christmas, Advent Sunday helps us remember to dream big as we wonder what God will give us this Christmas.

The prophecy from Isaiah reminds us that God promises his people joy and peace and light.

 

In the time of Isaiah’s prophecy, the small kingdom of Israel felt very vulnerable – surrounded by hostile, larger forces, living in fear of their neighbours, and desperate to cling onto their land. You might think that things are not so different in Israel today.

 

The prophet Joel encouraged people to prepare for war – to fight for their land. God says in Joel’s prophecies:

“Beat your ploughshares into swords
    and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,   “I am strong!”

Joel is telling people to be ready to fight, now -  to make weapons of war from their farming tools.

 

But Isaiah is looking forward to a time when God will take charge, when peace will reign at last, and there will be no need for God’s people to fear.

Then, Isaiah tells the people of God, it will be time to give up fighting forever, and turn the instruments of death into instruments of peace.

Then God will judge between the nations:

“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”

 

Isaiah paints a picture for us of the time when all our fears, all our ignorance, all our darkness will be overcome by God as he will reign fully amongst all people.

 

As we begin Advent we remember that “in the days to come” – at some point in the future, God will bring peace, security, truth and light into this world.

 

But in the meantime, we prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus into the world, as the one who shows us the beginnings of what God’s reign is like.

 

Each of these nativity scenes around us remind us of the wonderful story of the coming of Jesus, for us – each of us -  whoever we are and wherever we’re from.

There are small scenes and big scenes, scenes with many characters and some with just a few. Scenes from different parts of the world, made of different materials, some that make us smile and some that make us sigh.

 

All these scenes, in all their variety, tell us the story of the coming of Jesus, God’s love made human, into the world to show us what God’s reign is like.

 

When we run out of words to talk about this amazing truth, we can simply look at these scenes, at the lights, at the people around us and give thanks to God the Father for the gift of the coming of Jesus.

 

I often read John Betjeman’s poem “Christmas” – the one with the stunning line  “And is it true?...”

But here is the end of a slightly later, less well-known poem of Betjeman’s -  ‘Advent 1955’

 

'The time draws near the birth of Christ.
A present that cannot be priced
Given two thousand years ago.
Yet if God had not given so
He still would be a distant stranger
And not the Baby in the manger’.

 


God is here with us the Advent and this Christmas – that is a wonderful gift.

But the words of Isaiah remind us to expect even more from God.

One day God’s reign will come on earth.

One day God will be fully known by all people,

and peace will reign everywhere and forever.

 

This is the gift Isaiah promises: a time when there will be no more tears .

 

That time is not yet here.. yet Jesus comes to show us a glimpse of all that that will mean, and to reassure us that while we wait, we are loved and comforted.

 

God is with us – in these scenes, in our hearts and homes.

This Christmas and always. Amen.

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