Micah 4:1-5
"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..."
(Micah 4:3b)
Micah's dream seems unreachable. Human arrogance and pride make learning war a lesson that is studied and applied again and again. He envisions something different, however, that transforms weapons of war into garden implements.
Advent calls us to ponder the "what ifs" of God's presence among us. What if people like you and me took seriously Micah's vision and spent more time studying peace, deciding that we would not learn war anymore? What if we took seriously the words of Jesus to love our enemies and pray for them? What if our interests were focused less on power and control and more on feeding the hungry and cultivating relationship with those who are different than ourselves? Perhaps then we could follow Micah's admonition to "walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever." That is an Advent dream worth pursuing.
Prayer: Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, help us set aside the lessons of war and learn the value of peace. Amen.
Jim Abernathy
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