And a little child shall lead
04/12/24 02:57
Historians observe cycles in patterns of thinking that become evident when looking back over long periods of time. Certain ideas emerge over and over in the long story of humans. One of those cycles is the relationship between political distress and visions of peace and hope in the history of Israel. A pivotal moment in the Hebrew Scriptures is the Babylonian exile, also known as the Babylonian captivity. In 597 BCE King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem and King Jehoiachin and other Jewish leaders were deported to Babylon. This captivity lasted until after Persia conquered Babylon and Cyrus the Great allowed the captives to return to Jerusalem in 538. Many of the ideological themes surrounding the exile are expressed in the writings of the prophets. Those ideas include visions of peace and justice for the people.
The theological themes of the exile continue to emerge in cycles throughout the history of Israel. During the Hellenistic era from 363 to 323, visions of peace and justice show up in Jewish literature including the Books of Daniel and Enoch. Those themes play out again in the time of Jesus and the years afterward when Jewish leaders rose up and attempted revolt against Roman occupation of Israel.
The themes that are evident in Isaiah play a big role in the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus often quotes the prophet directly. This makes sense when the context of the writing of the gospel is considered. Most scholars date the Gospel of Luke around 80 to 90 AD. Some date it a bit earlier or a bit later, but the vast majority place the writing of the Gospel between the first failed revolt against Rome in 66-73 AD and the second failed revolt in 115-117. At the time when the New Testament books of Luke and Acts are being recorded the people of Israel are rising up in protest against Roman oppression. As they do so, they reach back into their history and draw upon ideas from the Babylonian exile.
As Christians we have inherited all of this history and we can see the cycles of history unfolding in the texts we read throughout the year. Advent begins with the lighting of the first of four candles which is sometimes called the prophet’s candle. It is our custom to read the words of the prophets on the first Sunday of Advent. One popular text comes from the vision of the Peaceable Kingdom outlined in Isaiah 11: “The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6 NRSVUE)
At this point in today’s journal entry, I need to pause to remind readers that I am frequently accused by family of going on way too long with elaborate setups for stories and even jokes. All of the obscure religious history in the opening of today’s journal post is simply to get us to the historical reference between the leadership of a child and the vision of peace. I really intend to write about another reference to children: La Niña events typically occur every three to five years and can affect weather across the globe. In Spanish, La Niña means a little girl. With its male companion, El Niño, Los Niños is the term for children. To avoid a further digression, I’ll leave the discussion of the role of gender in Spanish to another day.
Meteorologists report that La Niña events occur every three to five years as part of a temperature cycle in the Tropical Pacific. These weather cycles have far reaching effects on the weather. A La Niña year, as opposed to a El Niño year, generally brings gray and wet winters to the Pacific Northwest. Here in our part of Washington we are already known for gray and wet weather. When the forecasters call for cooler temperatures and more rain we have a tendency to hunker down and some of our neighbors head out for vacations in warmer parts of the world.
However, we’ve had three days of bright sunshine so far this week. Advent has begun with sunny skies and calm blue seas. The temperatures have been a bit cool, with frost in the mornings, but the bright sunshine lifts our spirits and the clear skies give us dramatic views of the mountains.
The folks at NOAA make seasonal predictions in three categories: above average, around average, and below average. For the next three months they have predicted above average precipitation for our region, which is welcome because below average rainfall as seen in some El Niño years can intensify the effects of wildfire in the region. Gray, rainy days may have effects on people’s moods, especially those who suffer from various seasonal affective disorders, but they don’t seem nearly as oppressive as gray, smoky skies which accompany drought years.
Climatologists remind us that human caused global warming is having dramatic effects on weather patterns, often exaggerating the extremes of cycles that are normally present. That means more intense storms and more flooding in some regions and more drought and more intense wildfires in other regions. While we all can make changes in our lifestyles that can help to was the climate crisis, we all will continue to experience greater intensity in the cycles of weather.
It seems to me that references to children, whether predicting the weather or dreaming of peace, are appropriate. Not long ago our two-year-old grandson threw himself onto the floor with a fit of crying because he was told that he couldn’t have ice cream. He can be quite dramatic when he doesn’t get his way. The tantrums, however, don’t last. As quickly as they arise, they go away when he sees that they don’t work to get him what he wants. Most of the time that we spend with him he is a happy and cheerful child.
I’m not sure if the sunny days we’ve been enjoying are a momentary tantrum, but we’ll take them as part of the joy of living in a world with children. And, a little child shall lead us.
The theological themes of the exile continue to emerge in cycles throughout the history of Israel. During the Hellenistic era from 363 to 323, visions of peace and justice show up in Jewish literature including the Books of Daniel and Enoch. Those themes play out again in the time of Jesus and the years afterward when Jewish leaders rose up and attempted revolt against Roman occupation of Israel.
The themes that are evident in Isaiah play a big role in the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus often quotes the prophet directly. This makes sense when the context of the writing of the gospel is considered. Most scholars date the Gospel of Luke around 80 to 90 AD. Some date it a bit earlier or a bit later, but the vast majority place the writing of the Gospel between the first failed revolt against Rome in 66-73 AD and the second failed revolt in 115-117. At the time when the New Testament books of Luke and Acts are being recorded the people of Israel are rising up in protest against Roman oppression. As they do so, they reach back into their history and draw upon ideas from the Babylonian exile.
As Christians we have inherited all of this history and we can see the cycles of history unfolding in the texts we read throughout the year. Advent begins with the lighting of the first of four candles which is sometimes called the prophet’s candle. It is our custom to read the words of the prophets on the first Sunday of Advent. One popular text comes from the vision of the Peaceable Kingdom outlined in Isaiah 11: “The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6 NRSVUE)
At this point in today’s journal entry, I need to pause to remind readers that I am frequently accused by family of going on way too long with elaborate setups for stories and even jokes. All of the obscure religious history in the opening of today’s journal post is simply to get us to the historical reference between the leadership of a child and the vision of peace. I really intend to write about another reference to children: La Niña events typically occur every three to five years and can affect weather across the globe. In Spanish, La Niña means a little girl. With its male companion, El Niño, Los Niños is the term for children. To avoid a further digression, I’ll leave the discussion of the role of gender in Spanish to another day.
Meteorologists report that La Niña events occur every three to five years as part of a temperature cycle in the Tropical Pacific. These weather cycles have far reaching effects on the weather. A La Niña year, as opposed to a El Niño year, generally brings gray and wet winters to the Pacific Northwest. Here in our part of Washington we are already known for gray and wet weather. When the forecasters call for cooler temperatures and more rain we have a tendency to hunker down and some of our neighbors head out for vacations in warmer parts of the world.
However, we’ve had three days of bright sunshine so far this week. Advent has begun with sunny skies and calm blue seas. The temperatures have been a bit cool, with frost in the mornings, but the bright sunshine lifts our spirits and the clear skies give us dramatic views of the mountains.
The folks at NOAA make seasonal predictions in three categories: above average, around average, and below average. For the next three months they have predicted above average precipitation for our region, which is welcome because below average rainfall as seen in some El Niño years can intensify the effects of wildfire in the region. Gray, rainy days may have effects on people’s moods, especially those who suffer from various seasonal affective disorders, but they don’t seem nearly as oppressive as gray, smoky skies which accompany drought years.
Climatologists remind us that human caused global warming is having dramatic effects on weather patterns, often exaggerating the extremes of cycles that are normally present. That means more intense storms and more flooding in some regions and more drought and more intense wildfires in other regions. While we all can make changes in our lifestyles that can help to was the climate crisis, we all will continue to experience greater intensity in the cycles of weather.
It seems to me that references to children, whether predicting the weather or dreaming of peace, are appropriate. Not long ago our two-year-old grandson threw himself onto the floor with a fit of crying because he was told that he couldn’t have ice cream. He can be quite dramatic when he doesn’t get his way. The tantrums, however, don’t last. As quickly as they arise, they go away when he sees that they don’t work to get him what he wants. Most of the time that we spend with him he is a happy and cheerful child.
I’m not sure if the sunny days we’ve been enjoying are a momentary tantrum, but we’ll take them as part of the joy of living in a world with children. And, a little child shall lead us.
