Isaiah 65:17-25

Easter - Year C
Proper 28 (33) - Year C

Isaiah 65:17-25 or Acts 10:34-43

G*D shows no partiality. Period.

Wolves and lambs, sheep and goats, lions and oxen, serpents with apples and with dust, you and me, there shall be no hurt.

Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed.

We are witnesses of this new way of doing business in Judea and Jerusalem and Gentilia.

And so the last two verses of Acts sum it up: Witness, Feast Together, Forgive. Each of these draw folks closer together and build new relationships. Each adds a bridge across the gaps caused by partiality and restore wholeness.

On the mountain and on the plains Peaceable Living [missing url] is available.

http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2004/april2004.html

 

 

Isaiah 65:17-25 or Malachi 4:1-2a

Promises of what G*D is about to do throws into stark relief the experiences of our present. Why would we need such grand promises of things were so iffy right now?

Are these promises still active or have they been fulfilled in Jesus? How about both active and fulfilled?

Behind every picture (no matter how projected?) lies its doppelganger.

America's (SuperPower Extraordinaire) claiming its state-of-the-art health system has some hard time measuring up in quality-of-life areas or even having some areas show up in the morality conversations of so-called "pro-lifers".

For instance infant mortality. Look at this ranking that puts America 35th in the world. Note which countries are above and below that, and by how much. What will it take to have the "anti-abortion" group plan with the "health care" group?

Another chart compares infant mortality with life expectancy. Note how the lower the infant mortality the longer the life expectancy. The two seem to be related in just that way.

Picking up on that correlation, look at the hullabaloo we are having about Social Security and the pressure longer-living has upon our economy. Imagine keeping our same idolatry of a particular instance of economic theory and experiencing the exception to the rule being that everyone breaks the 100-year mark. No wonder we are not questioning infant mortality. Think again if you think we have a political/economic problem today and in the nearer future — there is worse on the way because we have lost track of the picture, the dream, the promise and keep stalling the changes needed and avoiding the choices/decisions that would move us toward a needed quantum leap beyond what is to what will be — all manner of things will be well.

From this simplistic look, we are as far from a peaceful mountain as we are from all the other "now and then" formulations. So what to do?

Might as well live today as we expect to live tomorrow — better, or, more strongly, wonderfully. I will listen to hear about your going about your life leaping like a calf from the stall.

Enough stalling, let's get on with life.

http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2004/november2004.html

 

 

Isaiah 65:17-25 or Acts 10:34-43

On some mountains vineyards are planted. On some feasts are thrown. Here no hurt is done, even with wolves and lambs together.

Given the way people injure creation, it is a miracle that anything still grows. Gaia is not pleased. Given the way people injure one another, it is a miracle that any feasts are possible. Feuds persist. Given the way people hold on to the past, it is a miracle that new relationship can bridge old enmities.

Sometimes a wolf and sometimes a lamb, all too often an individualist and despoiler of earth, there is a time for confession that in each manifestation I face a stuckness I am not able to get past. My wolf is ravenous. My lamb, a perpetual victim. My self is far more central to life than yours. My gluttonous rape of resources, an unreconstructed pity.

The need for Isaiah's imagery is as real as it is seemingly so far off. No amount of betrayal will interrupt the promise. No amount of expectation will prepare us for a breakthrough of vision into reality - it still comes as a surprise, a vision resurrected is transformative.

- - -

I'm about to create
yep, just about to create
any moment now, I'll create

create a new heaven
come to create a new earth
and it is almost here

create a new earth
pushing on to a new heaven
standby is about to fly

former things won't get in the way
nor will ideals set loose
its all about to come to pass

hold your breath or don't
be on plain or mountain
when it comes it'll come

yes it will be glorious
rejoicing will abound
I am about to create

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html

 

Isaiah 65:17-25 or Malachi 4:1-2a

Hearken back to a conversation G*D was having with whatever heavenly hosts are. Way back at a time of a creation - a creation or two ago.

In such a yesteryear G*D announces, to whomever, an intention for a next creation of heaven and earth, version x.c. In this version, new or renewed features will be featured. Key among them are issues of joy and time and meaning and healthy relationships.

Among the questions before us is whether we are at the end of version x.c and a new healing needs to rise - x.d.

There is still some time to go before we get to version y and z and whatever might be beyond our current ways of measuring. What is not in doubt, though, is a progression that will keep coming to our attention as free-will and gracious love bounce off one another loosing untold additional particles of life that will need to be taken into account with a new version of what we are doing with the process of creation, experience, re-creation.

- - -

hearkening anticipates
a new tonal relationship
surprising
an expected next note
with a variation
beckoning beyond

not hearkening
traps us in an echo chamber
turning a first harmony
into dissonance beyond hurtful
with its predictable
degradation

hearken anew
newly harken
hark
angels sing
creation begins
worlds go on again

[Try to listen to Jean Redpath sing The Song of the Seals in its entirety.]

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html

 

 

For what purpose was creation begun? Because G*D said so? To have people have dominion? That all might fall in order for a hero to redeem some of them ("believers")? Even G*D needs a Galatea?

Note that a creation of new heavens and a new earth is all wrapped up in the creation of Jerusalem as a joy.

One might surmise that where joy is present new heavens (plural) and earth (singular) pop into being. Joy may be one thing that religion has a most difficult time with because of its obsession with G*D or ultimate authority. Religion needs great seriousness to approach such.

Joy here is defined as justice implemented.

So, as we close off the joy of a surprise at Pentecost, we might ask whether our joy quotient is higher than it was a year ago. If it is, we are building in a creative direction. If it is not, we are tearing something down. If we let things like an economy or wedge issue raise our anger, but not our joy, we have missed an important learning. G*D is about to create joy and invites us to be glad and rejoice sufficiently to join G*D in so creating.

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2010/11/isaiah-6517-25.html