This is the first Sunday of Advent. This morning our pastor used Isaiah 2:1-5 as his scripture passage. However, he really started from Isaiah chapter 1. In chapter one, Isaiah talks about how God is fed up with the people of Israel’s sinful ways. Isaiah tells them that their religious rituals are sinful and false. Their leaders did not defend the cause of orphans nor fight for the rights of widows. The hands of the people were covered with the blood of innocents. Their leaders took bribes and looked for payoffs. They were a sinful people. Those who sought to follow God were few and they were oppressed. I do not want to go too far with this, but as I look around me I see the same thing today. Rather than seeking to do what is righteous, seeking to help the orphan, the widow and the needy, people strive to gather wealth so that they can spend it on their own pleasure. People are on the look out for what they can get for themselves.
     Isaiah told them that God was going to act. He was going to send out His Spirit upon the world and lift up His Holy Place. People would turn to God and desire to worship Him. We are waiting for God to teach us His ways so that we can walk in His paths. The day is coming when God will judge the nations and people will turn weapons of war into tools of prosperity, nations will not go to war any longer. What a glorious day that will be. Isaiah was looking forward to the day that Jesus would come, but this prophecy looks forward even further to when Jesus returns.
     As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ this year, we remember the prophecies that God gave of His coming, but we also look forward to His return. As we are waiting for God to act, for Christ to return, we are told to act. We are to give up our evil ways and learn to do good instead. We are to seek justice and help the oppressed. We need to turn from our sins and obey God. Let us be an example to those around us of what God is bringing. How will people learn of the joy in worshiping God if we do not show them? We are waiting for God to act, but God is asking us to show the world what it means to live in the belief that He is going to act. Jesus has come and taught us His ways. Now we must walk in His paths. We are waiting for God to act, but now is the time for us to act, now is the time for us to show that we believe. We say that we love one another. If we love one another, then when we see someone in need we will give from our plenty (or perhaps like the widow with two mites, even more than from our plenty) to help.