Pastor Tom Grieb begins our new series "Signs."

We are always looking for signs of God’s good work in everyday life.  While the evidence of that work is all around us, we don’t always notice it.  That is particularly true during Advent and Christmas.  There is so much that vies for our attention this season of the year that we are all too easily drawn to other things.  Nevertheless, we’d do well to look for signs of God’s good work and not let the swirl of the things around us divert our attention.   

All along God has provided signs that have pointed his people to the very things he wanted to accomplish.  Often those signs were delivered by his prophets, including Isaiah.  Isaiah was quick to look ahead and envision a day when God would act in a powerful way by sending the Messiah into the life of the world.  Isaiah, of all the prophets, was clear about God’s every desire to send his Son, the Prince of Peace.

As we move into Advent, we will be taking a close look at selected passages from Isaiah that have for centuries been recognized as pointing to the coming Messiah and have been understood as signs of God’s will for his creation.   This week we will be studying one of those passages, Isaiah 2:1-5.  It very clearly offers a vision of God’s Kingdom under the rule of the Messiah and how that rule will be one of peace.