Advent
November 21, 2022
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord!
How do we discern the ways of God? How do we test differing interpretations of scripture, of the history of our faith, and of the acts of God in our lives? How do we strip from the ways of the world, our culture, and the ancient cultures from our understanding of how to love God, love ourselves, and love others as we love ourselves? Where is our mountain of the Lord where God may teach us God’s ways that we may walk in God’s path?
In the 19th century, two of my great aunts had their left toddler arms tied to their sides until they were “cured” from being dominantly left-handed based on the scripture in Matthew 25:33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. The assumption was made that the right hand was the favored one, but that is not the big problem. The big problem is that my ancestors could have gotten so caught up in stopping their children from being left-handed that they lost track of the critical purpose of the scripture–to feed the hungry, care for the sick, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, and restore the prisoner.
I think it is essential to study the Bible on our own, but it is also important to hear how others understand scripture. Discerning worldviews impact our reading of scripture and can help us separate what is cultural and what is God’s ways. Practicing a daily examination of ourselves regarding the practice of our faith will help us be intentional about following God’s way.
Prayer: Lord, grant us the gift of discernment regarding being in sync with you. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.