Tanilba Bay Baptist Church
Worship

      • Isaiah 11:1–10ANGLNIV2011

  • Introduction

    Today, we’re going to be doing something a little bit different.
    I’m going to give a much shorter reflection which will lead directly into our time of communion.
    So today we’re at the second Sunday in Advent.
    Last week, the theme was hope - we looked at the situation we find our world is currently in and we said - we want hope. We found hope in knowing that Jesus is coming back… that he hasn’t forgotten us.
    As we move into week 2, we’re going to dig a little deeper.
    We might have this hope, but what’s it look like? That is to say, what’s the end product look like.
    It’s like when you order something, but you’re not really sure what it’s going to look like.
    I’m sure you’ve all done this at a restaraunt before. You look at the menu but you’re not really sure what’s going to be put in front of you.
    So, we’re in this situation, we know things aren’t quite right in the world, we have the hope that Jesus will return, but what’s going to happen when he comes back?
    Well, in this reflection, my focus isn’t going to be on the events surrounding the actual return of Jesus - that’s a topic for another day. Rather I want to allow us some time to think about how things will be after this event. And in particular, the focus is going to be on our relationship with one another.

    Isaiah context

    For those who were here last week, we went back to the time of Isaiah. What we saw, was that even though the specifics of their situation was very different to ours, there was this similarity. We find progress, but yet we keep going backwards.
    In the midst of this, Isaiah gave them a vision of a mountain in which all nations stream to, where they will find justice and peace. That was back in the second chapter.
    But it’s not long before we realise just how far from peace they are. In the seventh chapter, a very real conflict is upon them.
    Two nations from the north have joined together in an alliance to take on Jerusalem.
    Now, I’m trying to keep my reflections brief this morning, so we don’t have time to go through all of the tension between the various people groups and nations at the time.
    But let’s put it this way - between different people groups, there were tensions everywhere. Even when there was an absense of fighting, you were always worried that the slightest provocation would escalate things quickly.
    Well, last week, in the midst of a hopeless situation, Isaiah gave us a vision of hope.
    Today, in the midst of significant tension, we get a vision of peace.

    A shoot from a stump

    Well last week the vision was of a mountain… this week, the vision is of a shoot coming up from a stump.
    If you imagine a tree that’s been cut down, it’s like it’s as good as dead. But then a tiny shoot appears.
    At first that shoot seems so vulnerable.
    But suddenly, in this vision, the shoot becomes a branch.
    This branch is going to make a difference.
    The Spirit of the Lord is on this branch. It’s a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, and it is going to make all of the difference.
    Now let’s just look what happens when this branch takes charge…

    The Wolf and Lamb

    And I’m down in verse 6 of chapter 11...
    The wolf and the lamb start living happily together.
    The leopard and goat will lie down with each other.
    We get the calf and the lion and the yearling together.
    And what’s more, a little child is leading them.
    The cow and bear eat with each other, as will the lion and the ox.
    The infant plays near the cobra’s den and the child puts their hand into the vipers nest.
    This picture is absurd. It goes against nature as we understand it.
    The categories of predator and prey are thrown out the window.
    Remember, this image is given in the context of a deep deep conflict.
    While this might go against nature as we know it, could it be, this is a return to the way nature was meant to be.
    What if, two natural enemies, who hostilities run very deep, not only come up with a cease fire, but actually become friends. Is this even possible?
    When the Spirit of the Lord is involved, the answer is yes!

    Wakulda

    Well, into this reflection, I want to bring a Gathang word that I’ve only recently learnt.
    It’s the word wakulda.
    It was the word that was used for the recent Worimi cultural festival.
    Does anyone whose last name is not Lilley know what wakulda means?

    At one

    It means “at one” - and I think the theme this word brings is a great example of what we see in Isaiah’s vision.
    We should all by now know the history of the relationship between Aboriginal people who have lived on these lands for thousands of years, and those who have entered the land some 237 years ago.
    If you don’t know the history - take the time and learn it. I’m not going to describe it in detail now, but the summary is, there was policy after policy where the Aboriginal people were treated horrendously.
    We might be at a point where the worst of the policies are behind us, but the reality is, the image Isaiah has given us is far from a reality.
    The wolf and the lamb are still scared of each other.
    The leopard doesn’t lie with the goat because they are too suspicious of each other.
    One looks at the other and think the problem is of their own making.
    On the flip side, perhaps they assume the other only care about clinging to their own power and wealth that they have accumulated for themselves.
    We often kid ourselves that things are good now, until news of the next death in custody comes up, and that underlying tension rears its head.
    But yet, the lamb says to the wolf: wakulda! Let’s be ‘at one’.
    What does the wolf do?
    Well, wolves do what wolves do, right?
    Is wakulda possible?
    Or is it just a dream? Perhaps some kind of nice idea in theory.

    Advent

    This is why we need advent. The reality is, without advent, wakulda will only be partially possible, if at all.
    We might be able to have wonderful festivals on the sand dunes, which really was an amazing time of people all around coming together in peace. But, off that sand dune, there’s a different reality. Perhaps there is movement towards a better future, and I pray that is true, but wakulda will only truly happen when that shoot that came up from the stump of Jesse, and from which we get the branch that bears fruit… when he comes fully, then wakulda will be fully known.
    That branch is Jesus. He came 2000 years ago. The Spirit of the Lord rested on him.
    The change he has made changed the course of history.
    While the evil one was still allowed a foothold in this world, because Jesus came, we got glimpses of people working together.
    In churches, we see people from all walks of life worshipping God together.
    But when Jesus comes again, that is when this picture will be known fully. We will be at one - wakulda.
    When we enter the age after Jesus returns, any barrier that has ever existed between Aboriginal and non-aboriginal will vanish. Not because the past doesn’t matter, but because Jesus changes everything.

    Prepaing ourselves

    Although wakulda will only be fully known when Jesus returns, we should be striving towards it even now.
    We should be like John the Baptist who cried - “prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him”.
    John the Baptist was preparing people for the coming of Jesus, and we too, should be preparing people for when Jesus returns.
    So when the Aboriginal community invites as to be at one - wakulda, we should be saying, yes, this is the direction we should be having.
    Where other divisions exist in your life, we should be breaking down the barriers that are put in front of us.
    In Jesus, we can find a peace unlike anything in this world - even something as absurd as a wolf and lamb living together.

    Communion

    And it is with this idea, that I want to turn our attention to the communion table.
    When I reflect on the word wakulda, it seems a perfect word that reflects the outcome of this table.
    At this table, we have Jesus saying, I’m providing you the opportunity to live at one - wakulda.
    At this table we find the bread and the cup, representing the body and the blood of Jesus. It points to the cross where Jesus died for us, breaking the very barrier that is at the heart of every division.
    If it wasn’t for the work of Jesus on the cross, our selfish desires are always going to mean the division we have will only get worse.
    But he did die and he did rise again, breaking the power of death.
    Because of this power, the wolf really can live with the lamb. The cow and the bear can share the same feeding trough.
    Two enemies can really sit down and eat at the same table.
    So during this period of advent, I invite you to partake in this practice, as we break bread together.
    This is open for anyone who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour… for those who have said, yes, they want to know the peace that Jesus brings.
Tanilba Bay Baptist Church
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