All of us are in rebellion against God in one way or another. As C. S. Lewis wrote, “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.”5 Saint Paul makes this very clear in his letters to his churches. We must be disarmed by God. That’s the theme of Advent. God is on the move to disarm us all—as Isaiah tells us in today’s first lesson: They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. (Isa. 2:4)
