But we don't really believe it. When the Soviet Union collapse late in the 20th Century, some people talked about a "peace dividend." If the Soviets were no longer our enemies, if we no longer needed to engage in a never ending arms race, surely our defense costs would plummet. But the peace dividend never materialized. There is always some new threat for those whose security is found in weapons and armies. There is never a point where you have enough weapons or good enough weapons for every possible threat.
But for some reason, the prophet imagines a time when this will not be so. In that time all people will be drawn to God and will learn to walk in God's ways. And God "shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples." The peace dividend will finally materialize when God steps in to settle disputes. But of course that will never happen in our lifetimes. One cannot make plans, set policies, or calculate defense budgets on such fantasies.
Sometimes I think that the curse of our time is our practical realism paired with a dearth of imagination. We cannot see beyond the facts, and so we cannot hope beyond the facts. The kindest things we will say about those few who can imagine and dream of an end to war or poverty is that they are "idealistic" or "naive." If we are feeling charitable we may smile at them and nod. But we pay them no attention.
Prophets have vivid imaginations. They see possibilities that the "facts on the ground" do not support. And the biblical prophets are so bold as to claim that their imaginations are rooted in God's hopes and dreams for the world. The world generally dismisses such prophets, but still they call us to latch on to their imaginings, their visions of something new and wonderful.
Perhaps an appropriate Advent prayer would be asking God to restore our imaginations. Then we might be able to hope for, and begin to live toward, the new thing God imagines.
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