Today is the first Sunday in Advent (the beginning of a new Church calendar year with a four-week season that celebrates Christ’s birth and coming into the world). Our lectionary readings for the week included passages from Isaiah, Romans and Matthew.During the Sunday School hour, our adult ed class, taught by Pastor Kent Shane, focused on the first five verses of Isaiah chapter two where the prophet gives a glimpse of future occurrences in Judah and Jerusalem.
Isaiah spoke of a time (in the future) when “they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
These words are oft quoted when we speak of the coming peaceable Kingdom of God. However, in one sense, this Kingdom began when Christ took human form and lived an exemplary life among us. Our problem, because we are part and parcel of a fallen, sinful world, is in trying to replicate His example.
Our class discussion was full of many good, thoughtful (and diverse) ideas about Kingdom living. As we were concluding our discussion by massaging how difficult it is to live now as if we were already in the Kingdom of God, Pastor Kent made a wonderful spontaneous utterance.
“Beat the rush,” he said, “be a disciple NOW.” How true! If we could just practice it!
The more I think about it, I see possibilities for the use of these words as a bumper sticker…
BEAT THE RUSH;
BE A DISCIPLE NOW
I’m just not sure how many would “get it”.
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