Together

Here's this week's Bible Study blog entry for i.ucc.org

This week’s Bible reading from Isaiah 65:17-25 makes me think and dream of peace.

Six years ago, Ken Medema played music and was the keynote speaker at the Fox Valley Association, Illinois Conference, United Church of Christ fall meeting (did I do the title right?) at St. Matthew United Church of Christ in Wheaton, Illinois. The theme of the meeting (where we also installed Rev. Cheryl Burke as Fox Valley Association minister) was “Unity in Diversity.”

The meeting wasn’t so much about trying to bring about unity in the United Church of Christ, (though it recognized that we needed it then as we need it now,) but rather Ken focused on words to help all to remember that we (everyone!) can come together on issues we agree about.

• People should have enough to eat.
• People should have places to live.
• People should have access to medical care.
• All People should be treated with the same decency and respect.
  

And in that kind of unity I hear the last line of our Bible reading this week:

“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent--its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD."

And then I think of those I might think of as the wolves, lambs, lions and oxen and I know that we all can find common ground to serve God together.

And then I think about serpents and I hope that instead of looking at anyone as evil, I can look at hate for others as the serpent that will only get to eat dust.

I see this reading as one that looks forward to at time of peace on earth.

What does this week's Bible reading make you think of?