December 7, 2025, Advent 2
Isaiah 11:1-10
Introduction
In today’s Gospel reading, that we heard during our Call to Worship, John the Baptist announces “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near,” (Matthew 3:1-12). But it’s Isaiah in today’s Old Testament reading who describes the kingdom. “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. …They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain.”
With the images Isaiah offers it’s easy to see the wolf and the lamb as two different nations at war or two different people who struggle to get along. It’s easy to see the wolf and the lamb as those who have power but not using it against those who don’t. And while I believe Isaiah’s prophecy includes the promise for that kind of peace, I believe the peace he’s speaking about goes further and includes the wolf and the lamb that live with in each of us.
Each of us has within them a wolf and a lamb, and at some point, these divisions will come into conflict within us, and the harm I do myself becomes the divisions and harm between me and you. Peace within, and peace without, are two states in the same kingdom. And we are not going to have one without the other. And it’s for this reason primarily that Isaiah brings this message—that the peaceable kingdom God promises is coming in both states. And that’s what we all want, that’s how we want to live. I know I want the divisions and contradictions within me— the parts of myself that often argue with and fight each other— to find reconciliation. I want my heart to be at peace with you and others. I want my wolf and lamb to live peaceably together. I don’t want my words or actions to hurt anyone. It’s what I hope and pray for myself, you, and the world. It’s the kind of peace I imagine often…and maybe you do too.
Move 1
I want to live in the peaceable kingdom, and I want it to live in me—and I suspect you do too. We want the peaceable kingdom of God to fill the world for all kinds of reasons—for there to be war no more; for there to be harmony among nations; for everyone to feel safe and secure and not live in fear. We all long for this kind of peace, right? It’s what we want for our children and grandchildren. It’s the legacy we want to leave for all who will come after us, even those yet to be born.
But Isaiah is not just talking about peace as simply the absence, avoidance, or suppression of conflict or violence. He’s not talking about just going along to get along. Isaiah is talking about a broader and deeper peace… Peace within ourselves and peace between ourselves and others. He’s talking about living in such a way that we neither hurt nor devour another or ourselves. He’s talking about peace as reconciliation and wholeness, the freedom that allows us and others to become our truer and more authentic selves; mutual respect and wellbeing for all; the willingness to be expansive and more inclusive with our relationships; holding space that promotes creativity and fruitfulness; vulnerability that risks intimacy and deepens relationships; a connection to something larger than and beyond ourselves.
That’s the peaceable kingdom we all want and need, right? I think if we added this “peaceable kingdom” idea to our Congregational meeting agenda that we’re going to have after worship, and a vote was called for, it would be a unanimous vote in favor, right? The “ayes” would have it 100%. And that’d be really great. But here’s the problem… We could take that vote, and the parliamentarian announcement would be “the ‘ayes’ have it”, but “I” still wouldn’t have it. And “I” still wouldn’t have it because “I” still struggle with finding, making, bringing, sharing, and even imagining peace. And maybe you do too.
Move 2
This idea of an unanimously agreed upon peace, where the peaceable kingdom is wholeheartedly agreed upon for our world today is a great idea and a stunning vision. And yet, if it’s what we all want, and need, I can’t help but wonder… what’s happening? Where is it? Where is the peaceable kingdom in Ukraine, in the middle east, in America, in our communities? Where is it in our workplaces and schools? Why does peace have such a hard time being really real in our lives and world today? I don’t think it’s because people are bad. I don’t think it’s because we don’t know how or because we lack the necessary answers or resources. And I certainly don’t think it’s because we don’t want peace or because we lack the willpower.
I’ve come to believe that peace has such a hard time becoming really real in our lives and world because we have lost the gift of imagination. We have so normalized the way things are today that we no longer imagine a world in which peace actually exists; a world in which the wolf lives with the lamb and the leopard lies down with the baby goat. We look at the wolves and lambs in our lives and world and think, “Isaiah, you don’t get it. Your vision of wolves and lambs isn’t possible anymore. You don’t know the wolves and lambs I do. Your idea is nice but it’s not realistic.”
But here’s what I’ve come to believe… It’s not realistic to us because we no longer have the imagination to move beyond the current circumstances while still living in them. We’re stuck. We repeat the same old cycles. The wolf attacks the lamb, and the leopard pounces the kid. That’s the way of the world now, and everyday it’s business as usual. And since we can no longer imagine a life of peace, we settle for a life in pieces.
But here’s the thing about Isaiah… he does get it. He is being realistic. It’s just he is unwilling to settle. And because he’s unwilling to settle, he proclaims an unimaginable (to us) vision. That’s what prophets do. They look at what is, and then imagine and proclaim something new.
Move 3
Theologian Walter Brueggemann understood Isaiah’s proclamation, and described it as a “ministry of imagination.” Through a “ministry of imagination” Isaiah speaks about wolves and lambs living together, leopards and kid goats lying side by side—but not because he is naive or ignorant about wolves and lambs—Isaiah understands the circle of life. Isaiah is casting a vision and asking us to imagine with him—and with God— what the world might be if we are also unwilling to settle. Because without an unwillingness to settle, and without imagination, the peaceable kingdom not only makes no sense, it can never be possible.
Walter Brueggemann writes about this idea of “ministry of imagination” saying, “Imagination is the key to the actions by which new things come into existence, old things are reshaped, and our ways of seeing, hearing, feeling, thinking are transformed.”
So how about we make that a parliamentarian motion for our congregational meeting—because what do you think could happen if we all agreed and committed to a ministry of imagination as being the first ingredient necessary for peace? What would happen if we committed to the kind of imagination that moves beyond the pieces that already exist and is not limited to or confined by our current circumstances, knowledge, or what we’ve always done. Because that is what both Isaiah and John are saying to us today. They are saying, “Imagine your life different. Imagine something new. Imagine a possibility you always considered impossible. Change your mind. Turn around. Go in a new direction. Try on something new and see how it fits. Imagine.” We could call this new direction… “Peaceable Imagination.” After all, imagination is the art of creating what does not exist.”
Conclusion
What is one aspect of your life in need of some peace? Maybe it’s peace with yourself, your past, or a challenge you face today. Maybe it’s peace with someone else. Maybe it’s a relationship that needs harmony, reconciliation, hope for a different future. What are the wolf and the lamb in your life? What is the same old pattern of peaceless-ness that keeps happening?
Now imagine your wolf and the lamb living together, not hurting or devouring, without aggression or fear, without fighting or running away. What does it look like? What does it feel like? Where is it happening? What are they doing? What is being asked of the wolf? What is being asked of the lamb? What might they say to each other? What does each need from the other? What might they learn from each other? What needs to be acknowledged or forgiven?
If we can imagine the wolf and the lamb living together, we’ve taken the first step toward real peace. But it’s got to move from our heads and hearts to our hands and feet. It has to take action. So what is one thing you can do today for your wolf and lamb to live together? Keeping it simple to start is fine, but make it concrete. Take just a small risk and do it. And then pick something else. Keep it simple. Make it concrete. Take another risk and do it. That is the path of peace—of making the impossible possible. Peace isn’t something we accomplish or achieve. It’s a way of being that orients our lives and guides our thoughts, words, and actions.
As difficult as it may be to see and believe Isaiah’s peaceable kingdom, it’s the promise of Advent. Advent always promises that something new and unexpected is coming. We don’t know when or where or how it might come, but it comes. And it comes to us as a call, an invitation, insisting we respond.
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So with this vision of the peaceable kingdom—which we all want and need and would vote in favor for, I wonder what parts of your life today are in need of that kind of peace? Do you need to make peace within yourself? Are there others with whom you need to make peace? Where do you need to go, or what do you need to do to have the peaceable kingdom in your life today? And then use this Advent season, and peaceable imagination, to begin to find your answers to making the peaceable kingdom a reality. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer, December 7, 2025, Advent 2
Almighty God, we come before you in this season of Advent grateful for the vision of a world transformed by your peace, where the “wolf shall live with the lamb” and a “little child shall lead them.” But we know that gratefulness is not enough, and you want more from us—you want a commitment to making that vision a reality.
We confess, though, the realities of our world often seem far from this harmonious image. We see conflict instead of cooperation, division instead of unity, and fear instead of faith—too often letting these images convince us there is nothing that can be done.
Forgive us Lord, and banish these thoughts, purging the solemnness that leads our states of being, and then guide us to not just see the vision cast by Isaiah, but to respond to your invitation, putting us to work to make your coming kingdom seen and felt.
Show us how you, through your willing servants, can help bring forth world peace; uproot the causes of war, hatred, and injustice that plague our nations. Inspire us to take the risk of bringing your peace to places embroiled in conflict and despair. Encourage us to believe that where there is tension between neighbors, reconciliation is possible; where there is prejudice, understanding can be discovered; where there is inequity, justice can be had.
And we pray that this course towards peace begins in our hearts and spirits. So many among us carry burdens of anxiety, grief, and despair—so we ask that you comfort those who mourn, heal those who are sick, and grant restful peace to those whose minds are troubled. Guide us all, Holy God, to trust and believe that a “shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,” and a righteous ruler upon whom the “spirit of the Lord shall rest” will come. May we always be preparing the way for the promised Prince of Peace.
We ask for you to hear the prayers deep within our souls, as we share them in this time of Holy Silence.
All this we pray in the name of our coming Savior Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who taught us to pray, saying, Our….