Of all the Advent readings this year, this one has stuck with me the most.
The house of God shall be visible to all, and those who utterly don’t belong will come to it. Weapons will be transformed, and neither shall they learn war anymore.
God will be so compelling, so visible, that outsiders will come.
Am I revealing a God this compelling? Am I that welcoming to those who don’t belong?
They shall beat their swords. It’s hard work giving up violence. Giving up on our instinct to defend and prove and control.
I don’t think of myself as one who learned war, but haven’t we all? Isn’t that built into our society? Hasn’t it been a part of culture for all time? We talk about the war machine in our country, but I’ve never heard talk of a peace machine.
When we do not actively resist the culture of war, we breathe it in. The church cultures I was formed in had the attitude of war built into them. And outsiders know they are unwelcome in the one place that their acceptability should be a given. When true peace is not actively sought, the ‘Gentiles’ know they are at risk of being wounded.
These verses, and the life of Jesus, the billions of Christians on the planet, would make it seem like it should be natural to seek peace and pursue it. But it’s not.
It’s foreign to my own nature, and it’s foreign to the nature of the world. But gathering with other Christians should be teaching us a different way. Let us walk in the light of the Lord.
People talk about how following Jesus is counter-cultural, but when it comes to peace and war and welcoming those who think they don’t belong – well, I haven’t seen a whole lot of ‘counter’.
It’s so easy to think that we’re the exception. Of course outsiders are welcome in our group, in our church. But we forget the silent addendum we add; if they agree to play by our rules and think our thoughts.
But the Gentiles are welcomed as Gentiles. It is so much harder to invite people in who are so different from us and might always be that way. Are we aware of how we push people away? Can I name the invisible exclusions I use against people?
For outsiders to feel welcome, the space has to be safe. It has to be non-threatening. In interpersonal relationships, words and attitudes can be deadly. Neither will they learn war anymore.
One of my favorite things about God is how much he wants the unwelcomed to be wanted. Thousands of years before Jesus, God was inviting the outsiders in.
And reflecting on these ancient words this year reminds me: the invitation still stands.
Excellent post. Thank you Caris for this.
Love this so much. I wonder sometimes how to really have perspective when, as you say, we are breathing in what’s around, whether war or other things. We breathe involuntarily, invisibly- and yet we need to confront, acknowledge, and maybe change some of those perspectives and attitudes that are so ingrained. Thanks for taking part in this collective!
Oooh. I like this.
Much for pondering.
I love this: “One of my favorite things about God is how much he wants the unwelcomed to be wanted.” Me, too! And I agree… We too often get lost in our own comfortable bubbles, that we get scared and defensive every time we encounter change… or someone who is different. And so we like to forget that loving the foreigner/stranger “for you were once strangers in the land of Egypt” (Deut. 10:19) is not a recommendation; it is a command.
What a great challenge- to ponder how we actively seek peace. One of the things that jumps out at me from the verses is “He will proclaim His way to us and we will walk in it”. I think sometimes we get peace all confused, but true peace is not being more welcoming. It is pointing people to God- to see Him, the only peace giver. THAT is what is counter-cultural- seeking God and not ourselves. Thanks for causing me to ponder!
Thank you so much for this beautiful piece (I stumbled upon it). I just shared it on twitter with the comment: “after having spent half of a century feeling like one, this is a beautiful read.” I’ll leave it at that, and again, thank you for this gift during this season of light. Brightest blessings.
You remind of that we were all outsiders. I think of the provision God made for the outsiders and outcasts long before the cross. They could live amongst the people of Israel and follow God is Israel. Even them they followed the way as best they could, but what I love most about this constant weaving through the old testament is that God desired no one to be separated from Him. He made a way for inclusion of all people. That is Christmas – a God who loves without condition and provided access for all to come.
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