Isaiah 11:1-10 | Luke 2:52 & 3:21-22
Reading through Isaiah during Advent: Isaiah 11-15
It’s such a great image - the old tree stump, bent in and rotting from years of existence. If you think long enough about it, you can imagine the tree’s glory days, reaching to the sky with thousands of leaves, majestic branches turned heavenward.
Now it’s just a stump.
But if you look closer, there’s a new tree, just a small sapling, about 3-4 inches, growing certainly in the middle of the stump. A whole life to come, rooted into and out of the former glory of the old tree.
What will come of this sprout?
Isaiah 11:1-10
A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse;
a branch will sprout from his roots.
The Lord’s spirit will rest upon him,
a spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a spirit of planning and strength,
a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.
He will delight in fearing the Lord.
He won’t judge by appearances,
nor decide by hearsay.
He will judge the needy with righteousness,
and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land.
He will strike the violent with the rod of his mouth;
by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.
Righteousness will be the belt around his hips,
and faithfulness the belt around his waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the young goat;
the calf and the young lion will feed together,
and a little child will lead them.
The cow and the bear will graze.
Their young will lie down together,
and a lion will eat straw like an ox.
A nursing child will play over the snake’s hole;
toddlers will reach right over the serpent’s den.
They won’t harm or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain.
The earth will surely be filled with the knowledge of the Lord,
just as the water covers the sea.
On that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a signal to the peoples. The nations will seek him out, and his dwelling will be glorious.
Luke 2:52 & 3:21-22
Jesus matured in wisdom and years, and in favor with God and with people.
…
When everyone was being baptized, Jesus also was baptized. While he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit came down on him in bodily form like a dove. And there was a voice from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I find happiness.”
Prayer
God,
Maturity and spirit. That sounds nice - we could use more of each these days. One comes with time and the other can appear without notice. Let’s have them both, Lord.
Give me patience enough for the growth of wisdom and openness toward the appearance of the spirit.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.