Many Peoples Shall Come

     While up in Thunder Bay, we went to see "The Man from La Mancha" on Friday night. I have never seen this play, Kileen saw it about 30-40 years ago with her brother, Steve, as the lead character, Don Quixote. 

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest to follow that star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell for a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest

In this play and song, I heard echoes of Isaiah, who watches his nation, Israel, descend slowly into chaos, greed, and threats from abroad. And yet, there is a vision of something better, a hope that they cannot shake, that won't leave them alone, that propels them forward to hope, to hope and believe and act for something better, something purer, and something more peaceful and just. 

As our Bible study group last year was slogging through the 66 chapters of this book, there were lots of violent imagery of what the peoples were doing to each other and what God was going to do with them out of vengeance, punishment, and wrath. What was easy to forget is that Isaiah was written over a period of 200 years, contending with the threats of first Assyria, and then Babylon which conquered the kingdom of Judah, the people were exiled into the diaspora, and then were called back to return home once Babylon itself was conquered. A common theme of Isaiah was that is wasn't military might that was going to save them from these threats, but it was the proper worship of God that lead to just deeds taking care of the poor, the widow, the orphan, and welcoming the stranger. It is in this that Isaiah places his hope. 

It is little strange of a phrase, "many peoples shall come." Why didn't Isaiah say, "Many people shall come"? I believe that he wanted to make the point that it is just wasn't the children of Abraham, the twelve tribes of Israel, who were invited to Jerusalem on Mount Zion. 'Many peoples' is very inclusive that those of different languages, customs, and even religions would be invited and respond. Enemies and adversaries would show up and judgement would be given and reconciliation would take place, and there would be no more violence and no more war. It is more than a little hard to imagine seven billion people showing up to Israel, just as it is hard to imagine in our own country that mass shootings are someday going to be a thing of the past or that nation will no longer wage war upon nation. But, however, nonetheless, here is the impossible dream that weapons will made into farming and gardening tools so all will have enough to eat. 

More than ever in the history of our world, we have options and choices and too many things to do. In our county we have over 140 non-profits in which we can give our time, our hearts, and our resources. And each and every one of them has a good cause and good people and a dream of a better world. So as we continue our stewardship drive, let me say thank you for all the time and energy and resources and heart, mind, body, and soul that you pour into our church. We maybe don't believe that Isaiah's impossible dream will be accomplished in our lifetime, but we have hope that it may, at least, come closer in our grandchildren's lifetime. Walking in the light of the LORD even as we slog through the messiness, the violence, and seeming hopelessness of our world is what we are invited to do, so a future generation may know peace and our current world may continue to hope. Amen.