Nov. 13  Is. 65, Is. 12 Lk. 21:5-19

New heaven and new earth-start from scratch-transform the world? This sounds to be a nature transformed.Apocalyptic material is about the revealing of God’s work, now and in the future. Our passage from Luke is an example of the dark side of the end times vision, but they do not end that way.For a dispirited people, it is an antidote to despair. It is a powerful act to imagine that the future is not consigned to be a repetition of the past. To see god intervening when we feel powerless or even hopeless is a valuable religious resource. Trend lines can change.At this time 8 years ago, we were racing toward a global financial collapse (use garden image from Brown)-

Fretheim creative significance of events but they also burst forth into new realms, especially violence-a new improved Eden?possibly a worldwide Eden-an expansive vision of not a garden within a piece of the world, but the whole world a garden (Hiebert)\ Moltmann sees God on the move toward a future yet unfinished. So the kingdom of his righteousness does not merely embrace poor human beings. He brings peace to the whole of creation, peace between man and beast, and peace among the beasts themselves “Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.” ― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Carvalho-Isaiah’s  poem points to the reality behind worship, and creates a picture of what that virtual world looks like. God creates a new reality;creation is God’s on-going activity. That ideal world is being created “new” every day. God’s creative work turns the profane world of the city into holy space, God’s territory. Divine blessings radiate out into the steppe and the wilderness, the abode of wild and dangerous creatures. Every day, God recreates this cosmos: a world of harmony, prosperity and joy.

Is 12,Nobel prize winner Bob Dylan sees his lyrics as fluid sometimes. Like some other writers he makes songs by using fragments of notes and material and putting them together in new ways. It is possible that our little song from Isaiah does the same thing, as its words are sprinkled throughout other OT songs of prayer.

Webb -The wells of salvation, the water of God’s gracious presence, are bottomless, endless. These are the waters that give life, restoring vibrancy to a world that is dying of thirst, and seeking wholeness for those overwhelmed by the floods of destruction.The water of forgiveness, of liberation from all that holds us in captivity, of refreshment of souls that are parched for grace, .This is god’s vision for life: for life, for blessed life, for a rich and full life to be shared by all.One of the religious crimes of the newer churches is their  denial of this basic idea. Instead o they harp on the negative forces with undisguised glee.

Edward Hicks was a Pennsylvanian Quaker. He devoted much time  in making version after version of a painting, The Peaceable Kingdom.We have around sixty versions. Greg told me of an artist Hible   Look at the picture on the bulletin. It has Penn’s treaty with the Indians in the corner, but the scene from Isaiah dominates. Look at how the lighting makes the lion almost look as if an angel's wing is on it. Look at the sated sleepy cat in the corner. And the sleepy wolf next to the lamb. For Hicks it was a future vision and a glimpse into history. As agents of peace, we help form a peaceable kingdom, a life at peace.