Sermon Second Sunday Of Advent

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Tyler Stephens
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Sermon Second Sunday Of Advent Text: Isaiah 11:1-10 6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together; and a little child

1 Sermon Second Sunday Of Advent Text: Isaiah 11: The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, A Shoot with Humble Beginnings Brings Peace on Earth A few years ago, a television commercial wonderfully pictured peace on earth. A dog enters a room, walks past a fireplace, and plops down on the floor. Next a cat comes in, walks over to the dog, rubs faces with the dog, and lies down. Then a mouse scurries in and lies down next to the cat. Finally, a little girl, about five years old, looks through

2 the door and smiles at the three animals lying side by side by side. The last scene is of the three animals looking up at a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, and the words Peace on Earth appear on the screen to Christmas music. No one is afraid. No one attacks. Just resting together before the Christmas tree. Peace on earth. Isaiah pictures peace on earth as well. Animals that would normally eat each other are now relaxing and eating together. A leopard stretches out and takes a nap next to a goat rather than crouching to attack. A wolf no longer snarls and prowls around a lamb, but the two are best buddies, playing together. You won t hear Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! anymore. They ll eat grass and nap in a pasture with a bunch of cows, and not one cow will get nervous about the arrangement. Natural enemies in the animal world will become friends, living in perfect harmony. A child, perhaps no older than a baby crawling, will find a snake to play with, laughing at the sound of the rattle it makes. And the snake is not warning the little one to stay away, but simply enjoying the laughter and company of the child. No harm, no danger, no threat, even from a poisonous snake. Peace on earth. The picture is beautiful. The weakest and most vulnerable will be safe and secure. No one will get hurt. No one will be in harm s way. No more injustice. No more enemies. No more war. Just living together in harmony and peace. Of course, that s not the way it is on earth right now. Animals do not play nicely together. A wolf preys on the weak. Oh my, most animals need to be afraid of lions, tigers, and bears. A snake bite can kill. We watch television programs with titles such as Extreme Animals.

3 I knew of someone who raises a few chickens, about twenty or so. She takes good care of them and has them fenced in, so they are protected and stay put. However, one night a raccoon got into the chicken coop. Now, many people think raccoons have such cute faces and would make nice pets. But don t be fooled. Raccoons are mean. This raccoon did not kill just one chicken for food. It killed them all, just to kill them. No peace on earth that night. But it s not just the animal world where peace on earth seems missing in action. Terrorism won t go away, car bombs go off, and innocent people are killed. Street crime takes lives of teenagers or even younger children. Drug deals and gang violence scare us out of the cities. No peace in those places. And inside, in our hearts and minds, peace eludes us as we listen to the news and see an economy in free fall. Retirement funds shrink. Jobs disappear. No one seems safe and secure anymore. In Isaiah s picture, a little child plays with a snake without fear, but in the world we live in, peace on earth seems as far away as angels singing a couple thousand years ago to shepherds on a lonely hillside, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace (Lk 2:14). And yet, that angelic song, sung at the birth of Jesus, has it right. True peace on earth has to start somewhere, and in Bethlehem, long ago, true peace arrived as a little child, born so humble and vulnerable. Isaiah s prophecy, written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, described his arrival as a shoot out of a stump. The nation of Judah was almost destroyed. Its rebellion

4 against God had led to foreign nations taking it over and sending the people into exile. It looked dead, like a stump. But God had promised that a Messiah would come one day, and he would be called the Prince of Peace. However, in this prophecy, the glory of King David is not mentioned. The time when Israel is at the pinnacle of power and prestige is not the heart of the message. No, Isaiah goes back to David s early family, when he is a part of a little-known family of shepherds. King David s father, Jesse, is named to show that the promised Savior of the nations would be born in humble surroundings. And he was. Mary and Joseph are not famous: a carpenter and his wife simple working-class folk. Jesus is born in a manger, not a palace. He is raised in a small town among fishermen and other hard-working people, not in a capital city. Yet he is the shoot out of that stump who will bring peace on earth. He has the wisdom and counsel, the knowledge and might, to bring true peace. Isaiah says his delight is the fear of the Lord. Not frightened fear like a lamb before a wolf, but reverence and total submission to his Father s will. Every breath he takes is to do just what the heavenly Father has sent him to do. What was he sent to do? He was sent to bring peace. He was sent to bring justice. He came in all faithfulness to do what was right for us, for all creation. What was right was to make peace between God and us. God s wisdom and counsel was a cross. His death would take care of whatever anger and hostility God had against us because of our sin and rebellion. We call it forgiveness, but we can also call it peace. Listen to how Paul describes it: For in him [Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to

5 dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross (Col 1:19 20). Did you catch what all is included? All things animals and people alike are included in God s wise plan to bring peace to this scary world, where violence and hate destroy the peace we so desire. And then came that day where peace flowed from Jesus to his first followers. He rose from the dead. The violence done to him was undone. On that first Easter, the disciples were huddled in a locked room, afraid for their lives. Then the frightened disciples saw him alive and standing in their midst. He greets them by saying a powerful word, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you (Jn 20:21). With that, the true peace that Jesus brought into the world began to spread into the world. The disciples took it wherever they went in fulfillment of Isaiah s prophecy (v 10). But don t stop with the disciples. Jesus is the shoot that comes out of the stump. He sprouts branches and leaves wherever his followers might be. No matter what year or what city, those who claim to be a part of his Church are called to bring peace into this world of hurt and fear. Do you see how it works? One disciple brings Jesus peace to someone or someplace that desperately needs peace not necessarily by taking away the pain or violence, but by bringing Jesus. Where can you bring peace into this world? A visit, a meal, a prayer brought to a home that has been shattered by crime? A contribution to a Christian organization that provides a

6 safe haven for abused children or battered women or an alternative to abortion? A bag of groceries to a food pantry with a greeting of God bless you for the work done to feed the hungry? A word of encouragement and a helping hand for someone struggling in these tough financial times? A visit to the hospital or nursing home to read a devotion from the Bible or Portals of Prayer to someone who is lonely and scared? Yes, the Last Day is when Isaiah s prophecy will be completely fulfilled. On that Last Day, animals will lie down together in peace and harmony. The world will be right again. No more hurt or violence or wars. Peace on earth. But until then, we are the branches and leaves that grow out of this shoot called Jesus. We are the instruments of peace for the Prince of Peace. So humble, so small, usually with no fanfare, what we do can bring Jesus peace to a world so desperate for peace.

Sunday, December 16, Lesson Text: Isaiah 11:1-10. King James Version (KJV) I. THE PERFECT KING (Isaiah 11:1-5)

Sunday, December 16, Lesson Text: Isaiah 11:1-10. King James Version (KJV) I. THE PERFECT KING (Isaiah 11:1-5) Lesson Text: Isaiah 11:1-10 King James Version (KJV) Sunday, December 16, 2018 I. THE PERFECT KING (Isaiah 11:1-5) 1. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow