Monday - Advent 2 - Stump of Jesse

Prayer: Lord our God,  we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ.  You are Emmanuel, the love of all peoples.  You are the wisdom that teaches and guides us when we have to stop and re-do something in our lives.  You are the Saviour of our hearts and let us extend our hand when others need help.  Lord God,  let your blessing come upon us as we read these Scripture portions and the Creeds.  May our understanding of these readings  be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation.  Come Lord Jesus Come.   Amen.

 

Read  Isaiah 11: 1- 10

And a shoot will come up out of the stump of Jesse.  Isaiah prophecies here that a new king will come up out of a family that isn’t all that healthy.    A shoot will come up out of the stump of Jesse…not a tree but a stump.  Any gardener will tell you that suckers that grow from the stump of a tree will not amount to a healthy tree.    Yet here is Isaiah saying that out of a stump will come something new and healthy and will grow.

Out of the family of Jesse will come a new king… a king who has the Spirit of the Lord rest upon him… a king who has the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,  of counsel and of power,  of knowledge and fear of the LORD. 

This new king will not judge by what he sees with his eyes nor decides by what he hears with his ears but with righteousness he will judge the needy and give decisions for the poor of the earth. 

This new king will reign with righteousness and faithfulness.   In fact his reign will be so amazing that the wolf will live with the lamb…  the predator will live in peace with the helpless and lowly.

Wow!  What a king!    What a leader!    What an example for us today.  God is in the small stuff! God helps the “shoot” (small stuff)   to come up out of the stump and become a healthy “tree”/leader.  

As we prepare our hearts for Advent,   what one healthy thing will grow from our Churches?  How will you support a new program or event from your Church?  Our Churches are the example in our communities of wisdom and understanding,  of counsel and of knowledge.  

What one thing will you do this week that will bring wisdom and understanding and righteousness from your Church family and into your community?

 

Prayer:  Amazing God,  You created life out of a dead stump and brought forth a whole nation.  Remind us anew Everlasting God that during this time of Advent,  when we get drained of energy and enthusiasm to instill within us Your Word of Good News and love.  Remind us each day that You are Emmanuel – God with us!  Amen.