Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-10
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Event/Theme: The Coming of the Messiah, Jesus, prophesied as coming forth from the root of Jesse
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Symbol we use: Today we set up our bare Jesse tree, which will become our Christmas tree. I put the lights on the tree since it's easier now while the tree is completely undecorated, but we don't begin turning them on until Thursday when we read about Abraham.
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Meditation: Jesse's stump seemed completely barren. Israel was scattered; Judah's destruction was a real possibility. By the time this passage was fulfilled in Jesus, the descendants of Jacob were ruled by Gentiles, not by their own king. The man who ruled directly over them, King Herod, was only half Jewish, and not a rightful inheritor of David's throne. Yet the Lord, God of the impossible, promises that the barren stump will produce a king blessed with the Holy Spirit, capable of working miraculous feats of justice and peace, and bringing lost people back to the Lord from the far reaches of the Earth.
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When you are faced with an impossible situation and the Lord promises victory, do you trust Him to make that victory a reality? Do you hold onto hope because you know the Messiah born of a barren stump or do you give in to despair at the apparent reality of the situation? Are you willing to take a step of faith today and pray expectantly for the impossible to become reality and miracles to transform lives even now?
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When you are faced with an impossible situation and the Lord promises victory, do you trust Him to make that victory a reality? Do you hold onto hope because you know the Messiah born of a barren stump or do you give in to despair at the apparent reality of the situation? Are you willing to take a step of faith today and pray expectantly for the impossible to become reality and miracles to transform lives even now?
Jesse Tree Week 1: The Patriarchs
Sunday: Root of Jesse
Monday: Creation
Tuesday: Fall of Mankind
Wednesday: Noah
Thursday: Abraham
Friday: Isaac
Saturday: Jacob
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