For Sunday, December
8, 2019 ~ Readings: Isaiah
11:1-10, Psalm 72: 1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13, Matthew 3:1-12
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. [Isaiah 11:1-2]
Give
the King your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the King’s son…to
defend the needy…[and] rescue the poor. [Psalm 72:1, 4]
May
the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with
one another...May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. [Romans
15:5a, 13]
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the
wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has
come near." This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight...He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire.'" [Matthew 3:1-3, 11b]
Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'are to save,
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'are to save,
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Isaiah begins this
week's readings with: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a
branch shall grow out of his roots.” Having not grown up with a
"Jesse Tree" tradition, the reading would usually zip through my ears
with no particular impact until I decided to look deeper into this hint of
family history.
There's been a
serious uptick in the field of genealogy over the last decade or so with online
access to family records and DNA kits that allow one to explore both lineage and geographical
heritage. Discovering the branches of one's family tree is
fascinating, even addicting, and can also be frustrating when one limb is
missing or the records stop short of fully revealing the information sought.
Yet even the smallest detail can add depth and connectedness to the
relationship with those who have gone before us. And so it is with the family
tree of Jesus.
Jesse was the
grandson of Ruth (of “whither thou goest, I will go”) and her
husband, Boaz. We first hear of Jesse in the Book of Ruth [Ruth 4:13-18] as
the son of their son, Obed. Jesse grows to be a farmer with eight sons [1
Samuel 16], the youngest of which is David who becomes King of the Israelites.
It is through Jesse’s family tree that this root, this Branch, flowers into
Jesus. The coming of Jesus is the reason we contemplate in Advent, celebrate at Christmas, and rejuvenate in Lent.
The secular
spectacle of christmas [intentional lower "c"] has,
for so many, replaced the spiritual celebration and worship in Christ's Mass
with the frenzy of over-shopping, garish outdoor decorating with clashing
colors of lights, and inflated cartoon characters on lawns that go flat in
the morning in a metaphorical anti-climax.
Yet even in this
environment Isaiah tells us that this ...root of Jesse shall stand as a
signal to the peoples...Paul wants us to abound in hope, and the Gospel of
Matthew brings us the very direct and not shy voice of John the Baptist.
This is the first appearance of John, cousin to Jesus, and prophesied voice
in the wilderness. In his own time, he was unconventional in many ways and
then, as now, his message is at once compelling and disturbing. Nonetheless, it
is John who ushers in the public ministry of Jesus and takes the Pharisees and
Sadducees to task for their faithless presumptions of self-importance. Calling
them vipers was more than just name-calling, it was quite a slur! Likening
people to animals in those times was akin to calling them heathens or pagans – that
is, having no accepted/biblically-based religion. While his warnings are dire, our
hopeful understanding is that the unquenchable fire will be for those
who intentionally/knowingly/deliberately break God’s law. Our merciful God of steadfastness
and encouragement knows our hearts and gives us every opportunity to adjust
our intentions to bear fruit worthy of repentance however well we
accomplish or fail in our life’s mission.
And so we light the second candle of Advent, the candle of Love. New
Testament scholar, theologian, and author Marcus Borg tells us that Advent…is
a season of anticipation, yearning and longing for a different kind of life and
a different kind of world. In this second week of Advent, one way to
prepare the way of the Lord is by contemplating: What kind of life, what
kind of world am I longing for? Where is God, where is Jesus, in my family
tree? Am I too far out on a limb or can I decorate my branch with hope, peace,
joyful anticipation, and, of course, unending Divine Love? Jesus is indeed
the reason for the season; the reason for our Christ-mas - our act
of worship of the One we call Messiah, the Anointed Son of God, the very
embodiment of Love itself.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Blessed Lord God,
we restlessly await the branch that shall come again from the roots of Jesse. Open
us to hear and heed the wilderness voice, as we prepare the way within ourselves,
bearing fruit worthy of repentance.
Present and Coming Christ
RESPONSE:
Bind us together in peace
~ Blessed Lord God,
impose justice and righteousness on the hearts of all who govern in this World,
this Nation, and this Community, that they may decide with equity for the meek,
defend the needy, and rescue the poor, and us all, from oppression and evil. We
pray especially for: add your own petitions
Present
and Coming Christ
Bind
us together in peace
~ Blessed Lord God, relieve
pain and distress from all who are ill or downhearted, and strengthen all who give
needed care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…
Present
and Coming Christ
Bind
us together in peace
~ Blessed Lord God, help
us to be calmly present with those who mourn even as we rejoice with all who
now live again in Your Eternal Glory. We pray especially for…
Present
and Coming Christ
Bind
us together in peace
~ Blessed Lord God, we pause
in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…
Present
and Coming Christ
Bind
us together in peace
~ Blessed
Lord God, enfold and guide those
who lead Your Church as they walk in faith with us, into uncertain,
ever-changing tides and times. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Present
and Coming Christ
Bind
us together in peace
The Celebrant adds: Steadfast, Encouraging God, grant us harmony and hope and turn
us toward You again, to follow the Way of Truth and Mercy. Fill us with all the
joy and peace of believing in the glory that is and is to come. We ask through Jesus,
our Living Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, the Fire of our Faith; who together
with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.
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