Second Week of Advent: “The root of Jesse”

 A shoot shall sprout out

   from the root of Jesse… (Isaiah 11:1)

“Jesse begat David the king” (Mt 1:6). That’s how the “begats” go. King David is the sprout from the root of Jesse. From David comes the promise that his “kingdom will be established forever” (2Sam 7:14). It didn’t appear so. The immense empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece and now Rome seemed to put an end to the Promise. Yet, all along, God’s people continued to sing songs of “the sprout of David,” who would be “God’s Anointed One” (Ps 132). And the prophets spoke of a day when “the root of Jesse will arise” (Isa 11:10); and “a fresh shoot from the tree of David… will set things right” (Jer 33:15).

Just last week, Linda led me to the east corner of our front yard pointing out how yet another shoot had sprouted up from an old tree we cut down a few years back. We thought we had put an end to it. We paid big money for a landscaper to come with his heavy equipment to dig out the roots. That should do it. But, it didn’t—look at this shoot!

Daily Readings for Second Week of Advent: Love

        Monday:       Jeremiah 31:3-6   &  First John 4:7-9

        Tuesday:       Psalm 145:8-9      &  John 3:16-17

        Wednesday: Psalm 145:11-14 &  Romans 8:38-39

        Thursday:     Isaiah 11:1-2        &  Luke 1:34-38

        Friday:           Isaiah 7:14           &  Matthew 1:18-25

        Saturday:      Psalm 98:3            &  Second Corinthians 13:13