Hope Springs Eternal

Tuesday, December 16, 2008 -- Week of 3 Advent; Year One

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 938)
Psalms 45 (morning) 47, 48 (evening)
Isaiah 9:1-7
2 Peter 1:12-21
Luke 22:54-69

My eyes crossed yesterday; I typed the Psalms for today and the Gospel for today when I entered yesterday's readings. I'm going to read yesterday's Gospel and Psalms today -- Psalms 41, 52 (morning); 44 (evening) and Luke 22:39-53

Isaiah's beautiful passage poetically sings of an eternal hope. We all long for the coming of peace and of anointed, just, and wise leadership. In the time of Isaiah (8th century BCE), the threat to Judah came from the north, from Galilee, Zebulum and Naphtali. From there came the Assyrian threat. Isaiah imagines a day when "all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire." We can dismantle the instruments and effects of war. It is an eternal hope.

And Isaiah sees a royal birth, the coming of a just and wise king to the throne of David. Just as Isaiah has named the three children to prophecy the passage of the threatened invasion from Israel and Aram, now Isaiah names this new anointed king: "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." God will establish this new king, "and there shall be endless peace... with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this."

In one sense, Isaiah's vision is a timeless one. We all long for peace, for justice, and for wise and good leadership. Many scholars believe that this oracle may have celebrated the coronation of Hezekiah who succeeded Ahaz (? 725 or 715?). Hezekiah brought a change in the policies of Ahaz. Hezekiah attempted to separate from the alliance of tribute to Assyria that Ahaz had initiated against Isaiah's counsel.

Yet Hezekiah's policies were unsuccessful in liberating Judah from Assyrian oppression. So some scholars believe this oracle praises the reforming king Josiah (639-609). Under his rule Assyrian control finally ended, and he initiated a religious and economic reform that fits the prophet's vision of righteousness. It was during his refurbishment of the Temple that the scroll of the law (Deuteronomy?) was discovered. Josiah led a movement of renewal and righteousness following the teaching of the ancient Torah.

Yet, Josiah was tragically killed at the height of his effectiveness. Within twenty years Judah and Jerusalem was overthrown by the Babylonians and its leaders taken into exile.

So Isaiah's vision continued in a timeless fashion. The early Christian movement picked up this hope and applied it to Jesus. This oracle is usually read as part of the Christmas liturgy when we celebrate the coming of the Christ child. We can hear its words set to the music of Handel's Messiah: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Christians see Jesus as the descendant of David establishing an endless rule. Yet peace and righteousness still remain a future hope.

For many people, the change from George Bush to Barak Obama has some of the qualities that Isaiah identifies in the change from Ahaz to Hezekiah. Ahaz had ignored religious counsel and become embroiled in a tragic, ill conceived, and costly political and military adventure with Assyria -- modern Iraq. The new king Hezekiah vowed to extract Judah from that quagmire. Our President-elect has made similar promises. Hope springs eternal for peace and for justice as well as for wise and righteous leadership.

I'll go one step further to offer my observations of our new leader. He is very different from George Bush. The anticipation for change is electric. My sense is that Barak Obama is primarily a pragmatist. He is a problem-solver who seeks solutions that he believes are likely to work. Secondly, he is attracted to competent and gifted people, even those who don't necessarily agree with him. He tends to seek the council of the brightest minds he can find and turn toward people of some proven capacity. Third, he has a streak of idealism that guides much of his direction. But his idealism is tempered by his pragmatism.

Pragmatism, competence, and idealism -- those seem to be the marks of Obama's style of leadership. Will he try and ultimately fail, like Hezekiah? Or will he bring about a hoped-for reform, like Josiah? Who knows. But hope does spring eternal for peace and for justice, as well as for wise and righteous leadership.

Lowell

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About Morning Reflections
Morning Reflections is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html


The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org

Our Rule of Life

We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.

Lowell Grisham, Rector

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas