Sunday Message
March 14, 2004
Richard L Sheffield
Text: Isaiah 11:1-3, 6-9; Revelation 21:1-4

Dennis Kratzer asked me to do two things in the sermon this morning. One, introduce the wonderful piece of music we will hear in a few minutes called "The Peaceable Kingdom;" and two, keep it short. Hopefully, Dennis, you will be happy with one out of two! And I'm not saying which one.

The Lessons read this morning, from the prophet Isaiah, and the book called The Revelation, are neither one in the music we will hear. The text of the music is from other parts of Isaiah, but not the part I read. And the lesson Tom read from The Revelation is not to be found in the music at all. But they are both visions, Isaiah's and John's, of what "The Peaceable Kingdom" would look like.

It certainly wouldn't look like this past week. With continuing reports of death in Iraq, turmoil in Haiti, and terrorist attacks killing 200 people and wounding 1,500, in what is being called Spain's 9/11 we can hardly claim to live in a "Peaceable Kingdom," or even in a world at peace. In Spain, as millions took to the streets in a steady rain to protest the violence, Jorge Mendez, a 20-year-old student told a reporter, "It is not raining, Madrid is crying." Well it might.

That movie that I don't like and I don't recommend does remind us of one thing. That the peace of the world in Jesus' day, the Roman peace, the pax Romana, was anything but peaceable. Dead people are peaceable people. And under Roman rule thousands ended up dead. What happened to Jesus was politics as usual under the Roman "peace."

Jesus did not live, we do not live, in a peaceful world. But Scriptures hold out a vision of such a world, a world to come, where the words of Jesus' prayer, "Our Father in heaven hallowed by your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven," ¹ will come true.

"The Peaceable Kingdom" is what Jesus called the "kingdom of God," ² the "kingdom of Heaven," ³ the place where God is king. A place, where the text of the music to come in a moment, says, "Ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace." ⁴

What strikes me is how different is Isaiah's take on what such a place would look like, from John's vision of the same place. They are as different as the cornfields of Allen County, Ohio, and the canyon streets of New York City. Having lived both places I'm an expert. Take my word for it. Allen County, Ohio, and New York City are different! And so are these two Biblical visions of "The Peaceable Kingdom."

Isaiah's vision was rural and pastoral. For him "The Peaceable Kingdom" is a place where, "[6]The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, (and not do lunch) the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. [7] The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. [8] The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. [9] They will neither harm nor destroy on all [God's] holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." ⁵

That would be quite a place. A place of peace. And also a place very different from the place described by John in his Revelation. And by the way, just to be picky, it is Revelation, singular, not Revelation(s), plural. John had many visions but only one revelation. What John saw was what Isaiah saw. John just saw it differently.

John saw a "Peaceable Kingdom," too. He says, [2] I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. [4] He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." ⁶

There will be peace. Not just "Peace in the valley" but peace in the city someday.

Whenever I read that, I must admit that the picture that comes to mind is flying down the length of Manhattan on a clear night just after sunset when New York City is still all lit up and twinkling like stars come "down out of heaven." ⁷ From the plane, at least, it looks to be at peace.

We know differently, of course. Whether you are in the rural Midwest, or the urban East, TV pictures of bombed out commuter trains, and newspaper reports of crime that takes place within a short commute of where we are right now says we do not live in "The Peaceable Kingdom" of song or Scripture. But, say the prophets and Jesus, we will.

When we do I think we'll be surprised to see what Isaiah, with his vision of peace in "green pastures," ⁸ and John, with his vision of peace in great cities like "Jerusalem," have in common. It is that "The Peaceable Kingdom" will be here. Not "somewhere over the rainbow," not "beyond the sunset," but here, in the cornfields and canyon streets, of Allen County, Ohio and New York City. In the lives of people in Ada, and in Madrid.

That's what Jesus said pray for, after all. Not that "In the sweet bye and bye, we shall meet on that beautiful shore," somewhere else.

But, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Here, and now, and forever. AMEN

1. The Lord's Prayer (Ecumenical).
2. Matthew 19:24.
3. Matthew 5:3.
4. "The Peaceable Kingdom," VI, Randall Thompson.
5. Isaiah 11:6-9 TNIV.
6. Revelation 21:2-4 TNIV.
7. Revelation 21:2 TNIV.
8. Psalm 23 NRSV.