Season of Creation – Isaiah 32:14-18
Today is the United Nations International day of peace, we are also this morning, as we journey through this season of Creation, focusing on this years theme, peace with creation.
In our reading from Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah portrays a desolate creation, devoid of peace due to injustice and the broken relationship between God and humankind. Devastated cities and wastelands reflect the destructive impact that human activities can have on earth. Animals readily move in and claim parts of what was once an exclusively human habitat, as if human settlement has deprived them of sufficient space. While the joy of a pasture for animals is undoubtedly a good thing in itself, it comes at the cost of human displacement due to conflict.
Though Gods plan for creation is rooted in justice and peace, human sins disrupts this, leaving creation in ruin – from wealthy palaces to poor farmlands, forests and oceans.
Isaiah vividly describes the results of human estrangement from creation.
But then in our reading, comes peace.
Peace, or Shalom, represents a far deeper concept – one that extends beyond the absence of conflict to the full restoration of broken relationships, as illustrated in Isaiah vision. This restoration encompasses our relationship with God, ourselves, the human family and the rest of creation.
Isaiah says ‘Then justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.’
There is hope for a peaceful earth.
Biblically, hope is active, it involves prayer, action and reconciling with creation and the creator through repentance and solidarity. Isaiah envisions a peaceful creation where God’s people live only when justice is achieved. Righteousness leads to peace and restores the lands fertility.
Creation is God’s sacred gift, entrusted to our care. Christians are called to protect and nurture creation in peace, working in partnership with others and passing this responsibility on to future generations.
As Christians:
We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth of all things visible and invisible. And in the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things were made. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.
This year, marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. Since 325, Christians everywhere have followed the Nicene call to confess their communion in faith and to witness their faith in the context of a troubled, unequal and divided world. The Nicene creed has become a bond of peace and communion between churches. Our work for peace with creation can draw on this old and strong ecumenical communion. It is an expression of the Nicene creed today.
The creed of Nicaea affirms that Christians believe in the triune God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we read Isaiah 32:14-18 on the basis of our faith in the triune God: we recognise the Holy Spirit in the healing spirit that Isaiah forsees being poured out over the wilderness. We recognise the son’s work of justification in Isaiah’s witness to God’s promise that ‘Justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.’
In our troubled, unequal and divided world, we are strengthened by the confession of faith and by the ecumenical communion established in Nicaea to follow Isaiah’s call and stand firm in our witness for God’s promise of peace for all creation. Therefore, in the face of strife, let us proclaim God’s promise ‘The effects of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.’
In Matthew 5:9 we are called to be peacemakers. We are called to live in peace, worship the creator and work for a just and sustainable community that aligns with God’s eternal plans. As co-workers with the creator we must embody peace with all of creation.
Isaiah prophesied ‘My people shall abide in a peaceful habitation’ – God’s peace is unconditional, rooted in justice and righteousness for all people and all creation. Peace cannot exist for only a few.
‘The fruitful field is deemed a forest’ – God declared all creation ‘good’. Biodiversity reflects generosity and abundance. Through Christ, God became human, calling us to learn from, respect and protect creation.
‘The populous city will be deserted’ – let us pray and respond to the cries of communities losing land and livelihoods due to war, climate change or land-grabbing, and those burdened by unstainable practices or debt.
‘Until a spirit from high is poured upon us’ – the spirit guides us to ecological conservation and a deeper understanding of our cosmic family. We need to change our mindset, embrace righteousness, and teach these values to future generations. The spirit-inspired outcome must be something greater and truly transformative – we are not merely seeking to restore the conditions that led to conflict in the first place.
Peace with creation requires proactive steps. Jesus taught repentance and restorative justice. We must repair broken relationships: between humans and earth, humans and other creatures, and humans and God.
While the challenges may seem overwhelming, Christ reminds us, “With God all things are possible.” Hope fuels action; through prayer, discernment and commitment, we can create a foundation for change.
God’s peace emerges when we work for justice, solidarity, reconciliation and harmony with creation. Transformation takes patience, understanding and trust.
Action can include advocacy, sustainability projects, cleaning campaigns, or education to show that caring for creation is central to our faith. We need to collaborate and build on diversity to achieve peace.
Isaiah prophesied that ‘The wilderness will become a fruitful field’ – there is always hope, there is always promise … God is the creator God and will restore all things.
If Jesus had presented his teachings in words only, rather than also in his behaviour and self-sacrifice, few people would have been impressed. ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ is a well known saying, sometimes attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. Similarly, Christian writers have pointed out that praying ‘In Jesus’ name’ means praying as he prayed. This means, not only speaking words, singing hymns, or meditating silently, but also offering ourselves – as he did – to be part of the answer to our own prayers.