MONDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT
Isaiah 2:1-5
Reflect
The Prophet Isaiah offers one of the most striking images of peace-making in the entire Bible: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares / and their spears into pruning hooks” (Is 2:4). It’s so striking because the prophet calls for the very implements that were used for war to be refashioned to become instruments of prosperity. Warriors become gardeners, weapons become tools. In fact, the passage is a promise of a great and future reversal. The three primordial evils — banishment from the garden of Eden, Cain’s murder of Abel, and the dispersal of nations from the Tower of Babel — will be undone. Nations, according to Isaiah, will be brought to Mount Zion, they will be instructed by the Lord, and there will be no more war. The gathered nations will be sowing and gathering in peace, like our first parents who once delighted in the garden of the Lord.
Pray
Heavenly Father, turn the weapons of my life into tools for good. Refashion my harsh words to be words of peace. May my friendships bring unity not division. Reshape my thoughts to think often of you and your kingdom. Amen.
Live
Find in the news a country suffering from the evil of war. Offer a prayer for peace for that nation today.
