“one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again." ~Isaiah 2:4 We are in the first week of Advent, an exciting time when we anticipate the birth of Christ. The first candle of the Advent wreath is the purple candle sometimes called the "Prophecy Candle" to represent Isaiah's prophecy of Christ along with all of the Old Testament promises fulfilled. This candle represents Hope. The hope of the Jewish people was fulfilled in the birth of the Messiah, but notice Isaiah's scripture for the Sunday reading speaks of "all nations" "streaming towards the mountain of the Lord." In fact, people from every nation will be united by the instruction of the Lord's ways and walk in His paths (3). As we can see in the world around us this is still happening. Our Hope is not finished; we are continually placing our Hope in the Lord to renew the world each day. Despite wars going on across the world, we know that someday war will come to an end and no matter language, skin color, height, intelligence, or disability, all barriers will be torn down because we will be fully united through the life of Jesus. That transformation is occurring right now in people's lives, but it is up to us not to sit idly by but each day to work towards the Kingdom. Always improve the present moment.
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