The Jesse Tree: How a Dead Stump Kindles Hope
Advent 2021 – The Jesse Tree
This is a series of reflections on daily readings designed for families during the season of Advent.
A little more than 10 years ago, our family took on the practice of daily reflection on scripture during the season of Advent. We did not come to this practice because we were looking for something nice to do together. We came because to this practice with our hopes in tatters, our emotions raw, and mad at God.
We experienced both violation and injustice. Our cries for justice and compassion were met with racialized scorn. We felt abandoned and betrayed by God.
I suppose this isn’t the way one is supposed to discover a spiritual discipline. Yet, out of our desperation we discovered a practice that has deepened our life with God. In this series, you’re invited to join us. I sincerely hope that you are not in a season of anguish, but even if you are, I trust that these reflections will inspire your life with God.
Day One – Isaiah 11:1-2
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 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.
The key image in this passage is the of a fruitful shoot coming out of a stump. This image is meaningful when considered in context. In chapter 6 the image of the stump is used as an image of the people of Israel ravaged and destroyed by their enemies. The prophet declares Israel’s demise, “Even if a tenth part remain in it, (a tenth of the people) it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains standing when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.”
This image of a burned and devastated stump is a troubling image for the people of God. But, if we’re honest, I suspect it’s descriptive of how we sometimes feel. God seems to have abandoned us. Loss and grief pile on. Recently, after hurricane Ida, a friend experienced not only the loss created by damage to his home, but 10 years of collected photos, resources, and tools for ministry as well. (You can read his reflections about his experience here.).
If we are able / willing to admit our grief, we are better able to receive these later words from Isaiah as a gift. Desolation, judgment, exile, loss, and grief are not the end of the story. Instead, the story leans forward to hope. Hope is coming in the form of one who will bring wisdom, justice, and the presence of the Lord.
How have you experienced grief / disappointment in your life with God?
How might these words rekindle hope?