March 19: The Way of the Peaceable Kingdom
♫ Music:
Saturday, March 19
Scripture: Isaiah 11:6-8, 30:29, Psalm 16:11
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. And you shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. In your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
THE WAY OF THE PEACEABLE KINGDOM
Isaiah presents an evocative image of peace that radiates forth upon the arrival of Jesus. Invoking the imagery of animals dwelling together, lying beside each other, and even a nursing child playing by the cobra’s den, Isaiah paints a picture of total harmony in God’s world. It is as if an equilibrium had been discovered by the presence of this “shoot of Jesse,” a harmony founded upon the spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and strength, and of knowledge and fear that rests upon him (Is. 11:2). Maybe most importantly, the coming One is marked by delight in the fear of the Lord, will not judge based upon what his eyes see, nor what his ears hear, but is the One who judges in righteousness (Is. 11:3-4). Bracketing the moving imagery of the lion and the lamb are declarations of knowledge. To know the Lord is to understand the kind of harmony he desires, just as it entails embracing the nature of the harmony he is calling us into. This mini-section of Isaiah closes with a comment about the nations seeking this harmony. This one, the one who brings peace, will be sought out by the world because of the nature of the peace he offers.
Attending to these themes, Fritz Eichenberg carved “The Peaceable Kingdom,” not as bare exposition, but as a prophetic declaration of the way of Jesus. In the foreground we are confronted with peace and the harmony of the created order. Animals rest upon one another, natural predators sit comfortably in each other's presence, and a young child cradles a rabbit with a snake close by. But the scene is never comfortable. The world around them is foreign to their order, and the harmony they experience is discordant with the way of the world. The discussion of the nations from Isaiah reminds us of this reality, and the city on the horizon of the woodcut highlights that the peace they share is prophetic in nature. The scene in the foreground is witnessing to the coming way of God in a world that has not yet accepted it.
Eichenberg points us to the calling within Isaiah’s prophecy. This is the “path of life” that the Psalmist declares (Ps. 16:11), the path that Jesus illumines and embodies in his own life. This path, the path of the cross we meditate upon in Lent, is foolishness to the world (1 Cor. 1:18). Its power lies in its weakness rather than its ability to dominate, control, or defeat. It is a prophetic witness against an order that destroys itself – it is the embodiment of Jesus’s declaration that those who seek to save their lives will lose them (Lk. 17:33). Eichenberg’s call is for courage in the face of the evil of the world; not simply courage to stand against the world, but courage to stand against the world by adopting the harmony of peace and love against domination. Eichenberg calls us to have the courage to carry our cross in weakness in a world that calls us to embrace strength in power for domination.
PRAYER
Father, grant us courage to follow in your way of weakness, even when our hearts long for power to control and dominate. Help us to stand firm against the evils of this world by walking in your way, and not giving in to the temptations of the world. Lead us in the way of the cross.
Amen.
Kyle Strobel, Assistant Professor of Spiritual Theology and Formation
The Peaceable Kingdom
Fritz Eichenberg
White-line woodblock print
About the Artist and Art
Fritz Eichenberg (1901-1990) was a visual artist and illustrator known for his white-line woodblock prints. He illustrated some of the greatest novels in the canon of western literature. Eichenberg was an artist of faith, who described art in sacramental terms as the “outward sign of inward grace.” A German Jew converted to Quakerism, Eichenberg contributed over 100 illustrations to Dorothy Day’s publication, The Catholic Worker, merging his poignant images with a deeply moving social consciousness. An eagle in the tree surveys the Christ child holding a dove and sitting on a lion, while a bear and other animals gather in a joyful tranquility.
About the Music #1
“The Peaceable Kingdom: Ye Shall Have a Song”
Lyrics
Have ye not known?
Have ye not heard?
Has is not been told you from the beginning?
Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Ye shall have a song,
As in the night when a holy solemnity is kept;
And gladness of heart,
As when one goeth with a pipe
To come into the mountain of the Lord.
About the Composer
Randall Thompson (1899-1984) was a composer of great popularity in the United States, notable for his choral music. He taught at universities and colleges including: the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia; Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey; and eventually Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Thompson’s compositions combine traditional forms of American music with 20th-century styles. He wrote three symphonies, a one-act opera and an oratorio. His eight movement “The Peaceable Kingdom” was one of Thompson’s early masterpieces. “Ye Shall Have a Song” concludes the entire cycle. The text is taken from Isaiah 30:29. Music critic Steve Schwartz writes, “The song alternates between the women’s and men’s sections. The women’s timbre conjures up for me yearning and hope, the men’s the mystery of God’s promise.”
About the Performers
Boston Trinity Church Choir is a renowned choir that sings a repertoire from the broad canon of sacred choral literature. The choir has performed throughout Europe and was featured at the 2014 American Guild of Organists National Convention, which was held in Boston. In addition, the choir has released several award-winning recordings.
trinitychurchboston.org
About the Music #2
“Joy To The World”
Lyrics
Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
About the Composer
English hymn writer Isaac Watts (1674-1748) known as “The Father of Hymns,” wrote over 750 hymns of praise to God during his life. Watts based many of his hymns on particular psalms since in the Church of England only hymns from the Psalter were allowed. “Joy to the World” is based on Psalm 98. Although today it is one of the most popular and beloved Christmas carols, it was originally written not as a carol, but as a hymn about the second coming of Christ. The joy and anticipation reflected in the song is really describing Christ’s Peaceable Kingdom. Although the composer of the music is uncertain, many believe it was skillfully taken from various Handel passages and woven into an exuberant melody.
About the Performers
Future of Forestry is a melodic ambient rock alternative band from Southern California. Eric Owyoung, lead singer and songwriter, started the band Something Like Silas in 2000. After playing at Hume Lake for 3 years and planting Flood Church in San Diego, the band signed with Sparrow Records. In 2006, Something Like Silas changed to Future of Forestry and shifted into the Credential Recordings division of EMI. The name Future of Forestry is taken from a poem by famed British author C. S. Lewis of the same title.
www.futureofforestry.com