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'r to save,
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
The beautiful prose of this passage of 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, ultimately
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 un-shy voice of John the Baptist.
This is the first appearance of John, cousin to Jesus, with his prophesying 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 a
serious 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
possible unquenchable fire will only be for those who deem any
form of remorse as unnecessary in their
lives. 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 and root of Love itself. 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… [Isaiah 11:6]
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… add your own petitions
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… add your own petitions
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… add your own petitions
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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