Good Morning Friends,
If you read chapter 10 of Isaiah, you would read about Isaiah proclaiming the Lord’s judgment against Assyria and against Israel. Assyria was a great nation that one-day would destroy Israel and that would be the end of them. The Lord would punish them. They would no longer rise again to be a great nation. That was God’s judgment. For Israel it was the same thing–they too would face God’s judgment–defeated at the hands of their enemies. But there was more for Israel, wasn’t there? Now in chapter 11, we hear the Lord’s promise, a promise that from what is remaining in Israel a Savior would be born. We read the passage at Christmas Eve services that a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. Isaiah describes those humble beginnings. You can picture for yourself as the Lord is picturing for us a forest that has been cut down and all that is left are stumps. They aren’t of much use anymore. That was the remnant of Israel. That nation was not great anymore, and all that was left were stumps. Yet, from that stump we are told that a shoot will come, that a Righteous Branch will come out of the roots. That Righteous Branch from Jesse, from the house and line of David. As we begin the four weeks of Advent it is a good time to reflect on the meaning of the peace we find in Christ and the Christian joy, and the hope joy brings in our work of sharing the good news. It is a great time to contemplate our purposeful relationship with Jesus and what a gift our friendship has been and continues to be. It is a great time for us to experience the birth of Gospel joy… to proclaim Gospel joy… to learn to rejoice as we really begin to realize that God has come to be with us encouraging us to cultivate the fruit of Gospel joy and the peace this brings. We just need to say yes to the invitation to discover that Jesus, the great hope of mankind, is with us and we are his contemporary disciples. Today we explore the incarnational reality in which we are to share. Today we look at a great mystery of why of all the ways God could have come into this world, that the choice was one of humility. And so, we consider Jesus’ return and the mystery that His Kingdom has come and is coming and is still to come.So, Are You Willing To Wait Patiently For A Holy Spirit Proclamation Of Christ’s Joyful Tranquility And Rule?
Scripture: A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling 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 asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
Isaiah 11:1-10 (NRSV)
At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
Luke 10:21-24 (NRSV)
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7 (NRSV)
Message: Imagine what the world would be like if God, in the person of Jesus Christ, had never come to earth fully human and fully divine. That’s right…no Christmas. But that is just the beginning of what a pit we would be in without Jesus as an intermediary. Gone would be the amazing music of Bach, Beethoven, and Handel. So too for many of our universities and hospitals. This work would not have existed without people who had hearts inspired and filled with compassion in the hope of a better world all because of their experience of a joyous Jesus. We do not usually think of Jesus as joyous, but he was filled to overflowing with joy. The expectation was that the Chosen One would have the wisdom of Solomon, the charisma of David, the godliness of Moses, and the military genius of Joshua. Yet God came as a baby – just a baby. And so now is the time of year to experience the hope and joy of little children and the wonderful mystery of family. It is the season. And as we begin the four weeks of Advent it is a good time to reflect on the reality that a child can lead us, for children bring us joy. Today’s scripture fromIsaiah foretells it and in part may explain why Jesus came as a child like we came. The prophecy of a sprout out of the stump of Jesse… a promise of a time of justice… a time of grace…the hope of a new King who would excel in our every lack is exacted in a surprising way that took those who would stop him off guard. Maybe that is why we are drawn to a new life and the joy of little children. Maybe that is why we are drawn to the Prince of Peace in the hope of peace. Maybe that is why it is wise to seek a deeper Shalom in a relationship with Christ. It is wise to realize that Christ is the giver of peace. God’s righteousness has come to each and every one of us by grace. Jesse’s Branch, the Savior of the world and our personal Savior, brings righteousness. God’s righteousness, the righteousness of Christ, covers our sinfulness and us. Now when we look ahead, when we gaze into the future, we realize that heaven is ours because of what Christ has done for us. Christ who is this Shoot from the stump of Jesse, this Branch from the roots of the remnant of Israel. Jesse’s Branch brings us righteousness. We realize from the very humble beginnings in that town of Bethlehem, very miraculous results would come into the lives of believers in the entire world and the Jewish people as well.
And So, The Messiah and the future restoration of Israel might be thought of as only the continuation of an earthly dynasty, but that would be a mistake for the root is not just an earthly dynasty but its offshoot the Messiah and the Christian Faith that would grow out of the Jewish Faith in a Kingdom not of this world alone. For this passage from Isaiah when it was written was about a Davidic Messiah, and it is worth noting that in a sense all Good Kings were Messiahs during the passage’s writing. The oracle from Isaiah was likely related to the anointing of King Hezekiah. Who was a good king but not Jesus. We of course see the passage fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus our Lord. And have not yet experienced it in an earthly leader. Still, it is not necessarily an either-or situation but could be a both-and situation. It was only when the last of the Davidic Kings died in exile that faith in the divine character of the monarch was transferred to a Messiah who was not an earthly King in the traditional sense. Therefore, something is lost if we limit the application of this oracle to an earthly Jesus Christ alone. The figure which stands out in Isaiah’s oracle is not simply an ideal but a character and living embodiment of the qualities which are to be expected of one worthy to govern. Here we see the virtues which God requires in those set apart for leadership…humble beginnings with miraculous results. The Earthly King is to have wisdom and understanding, counsel and might with decisiveness in judgement and moral energy fueled with the gift of the Spirit and knowledge of a healthy fear of the Lord…all things that the world has yet to fully experience in its earthly leaders. Still Isaiah writes with such optimism reflected in today’s scripture. Maybe that is why oppressed people sing and not just cry out in lament. Maybe it is why we too should be joyous as a witness that Jesus reigns in heaven and in time on earth.
Pray that we rejoice in the hope of Jesus and in the promise of peace proclaimed. Pray we realize that peace is a gift of Christ. Pray we experience the hope of the Father revealed through the Son in the words we share.Pray this Advent season, that Jesus brings us nearer to his mystery and the way of love. Pray that the Lord gives us the meekness of a sprout in the hope of grace. Pray we experience the gift of a new day and a new life. Pray we realize that God has come to be with us encouraging us to cultivate the fruit of Gospel joy and the Word made flesh. Pray we see and hear what God is revealing to us this season. Pray we are persistent in seeking to experience the gift of a new day and a new life in Jesus. Pray we embrace the promised peace of Christ by becoming more Christlike in telling the story that changes us from the inside. Pray that we realize that peace is more than the absence of trouble. Pray we experience the quiet goodness of Christ in our hearts. Pray we realize that peace is both objective and subjective and has to do with our relationship to God and our experience of life…. It has to do with not being in rebellion against God…reconciled as one brought together in Christ. This is a peace that extends beyond cultural perspectives to something spiritual and eternal. Pray we realize that Jesus is the source and the giver of a peace that is unlike the peace the world gives. Pray therefore that we do not focus on the problems of life but on the promises of God. Pray that we realize that every good gift comes from above.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 