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Morning Devotion for the Season of Advent
December 23, 2024
Reading: Isaiah 11:1-9
A shoot shall come out from the stock 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.
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
I have found the Old Testament passages during this Advent season to be most hopeful, faithful and strengthening; and, at the same time, offering insight, without apology, into humanity. It is refreshing and bracing.
Take hold of the claim that new life will spring forth from an injured stump: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” In some fashion all of humanity is injured, yet that shall not prevent the possibility of a new, dare we hope, stronger branch for humankind. Grasp firmly in these last hours of Advent the immense possibility coming into being shortly! Imagine a new beginning and a hopeful future. God’s spirit will alight on one who will bring justice for the poor and lowly of the land, together with a fundamental reordering of creation’s priorities. Life emerges from death. This is the way of God.
Whom should the people expect? What will this new ruler be like? The fundamental expression of this new future centers on a ruler on whom the spirit will rest. Promise is realized in Israel in the form of a person — a human king who embodies the best of Israel’s traditions: He is wise and understanding, powerful and effective in war, able to judge for the benefit of the poor, and obedient to God. This king rules the world in such a way that the poor are treated righteously, the meek are given a fair hearing, and the wicked are killed. So glorious is this reign that he is literally clothed in righteousness and faithfulness.
That such a king should rule indicates that the king’s righteous reign would result in nothing short of the reordering of creation in profound ways. What a remarkable reordered creation is envisioned. Harmony is embraced by groups who were formerly in deathly opposition. Predators dwell in harmony with their prey, carnivorous instincts are transformed, and the most vulnerable humans in society (children) are free to play with venomous snakes. Violence among and between all species effectively comes to an end and harmony ensues. Think about what this says concerning the current political upheaval in South Korea, Germany, Canada and France. Think what this might portend for our own nation now so divided.
Nowhere in this passage is the title “King” employed.This anointed and hoped for one now reigns Our close hearing Isaiah causes us to strip away accumulated layers of false messianic expectations,, including those of a timid Jesus who doesn’t get too political for our comfort zone.
The prophecy vividly points to the effect of reinstating a ruler who is open to God’s Spirit. The whole earth will be covered with knowledge of God. We need to be mindful of our limitations that render us incapable of claiming such knowledge, without falling prey to our unreasonable and harmful godlike fantasies. Once all of creation knows, remembers and receives God’s counsel, there is unheard of security in the natural world.
Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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