In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,…

…they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

Based on Isaiah 2:1-5 (NRSV)

The RCA Victor company used to have as its emblem a picture of a dog standing beside a record player with his head cocked toward the speaker.  Underneath were the words, “His Master’s Voice,” indicating what was commanding the dog’s attention.  As we turn the page from ordinary time into the season of Advent, I would offer that it is time for us to shift our spiritual frequencies toward the voices of the prophets in our midst – both those speaking to us from scripture and the prophets among us.

It is no accident that our fore-parents in the faith realized the power of the prophets as a point of focus for us in this season!   As the hours of daylight dwindle to their shortest duration, the days grow colder, and the vegetation around us is dormant, it can become more of a challenge to see abundant life from what is apparent.  And when the same dynamic that we see in nature is mirrored by darker, colder days in our family or civic lives, getting out of bed can be a challenge – not to mention the challenge of proclaiming lives of joy.

The gift the prophets provide us in these days of Advent is their ability to give voice to the reality of God’s faithfulness to us in the past and the trustworthiness of God’s promises for the future.  In the Isaiah passage that launches us into the season, the prophet writes the vision of a Jerusalem or a world that was not the reality of the day of its first hearers.  In fact, things would get worse before they would get better!  And yet, the assurance of the prophet’s proclamation of what will be provided the ability of the faithful then and now not only to get out of bed, but also to stand and be empowered to move toward the day when God’s vision becomes our reality.

The invitation of the prophets this and every Advent is for us to keep our ears focused on God’s voice as it speaks through them:  Does violence seem to have the upper hand in our streets and among the nations?  It might for today, but God’s peace will prevail!  Does injustice and inequality seem to be intractable?  It might for today, but God has already set into motion the conditions for justice to reign and rough places being made plain.  Do you feel outcast and powerless to make a difference?  You might today, and yet God has a plan to include you in the cornerstone of what-will-be!

Such were the voices of the prophets that urged our spiritual ancestors to make their way to the manger.  My prayer for us this Advent is that the voices of the prophets would bolster our faith so that we might be inspired to keep marching to meet the new incarnations of Christ’s presence among us for a time such as this!