No Longer "Stumped"
December/02/2010 09:40 AM
Isaiah 11:1-10
A shoot shall come out from the stock 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.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
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.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples;
the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
A Work in Progress -- Sermon Thoughts
The "Stump" of Jesse is what most of us are used to reading in this passage from Isaiah. In the first line, the word "stock" has the same meaning, i.e., the trunk or stump of a tree left standing. "Stock" is also a word that has the meaning of "a line of descent: a tribe, race, or ethnic group," which may make it a more precise communication of Isaiah's intent.
Isaiah's words address the spiritual experience of the people of Judah during their Babylonian exile in the sixth century BCE. Jesse had been the father of King David, whose "house" had been established and blessed by God -- those were the days. What they were feeling now was the loss of that past glory. They grieved that they had become the victims of a "clear-cutting" operation, as they believed God was punishing their drifting away from the covenantal, ethical requirements expected of them as God's people. They felt hopeless, because the lineage and continuation of the reign of the House of David had been cut down, cut off. They lamented that all that was left of their nation, their culture, and their faith was a stump. Their "family tree" was ended. They had no future. They were "stumped."
So many people seem "stumped" today. Feelings of desperation, of alienation and resentment, of hopelessness, of fear have become visibly apparent in expressions of destructive anger, divisive mistrust, and often retributive politics. Many of us are feeling a troubling tension among friends and neighbors struggling, without much success, to find a way to make some kind of "peace" with the obvious differences in our perspectives and priorities about the way we will live together, and how we will manage the affairs of our country and communities. We don't seem to know what to do to fix it, change it, make it right for all. We are "stumped."
In the midst of "politics as usual" in the sixth century BCE, Isaiah proposes that this is not the way life has to be for us -- it is not the way God wants life to be for us. The stump is not dead, as you may think. Be patient, and watch. A shoot will come forth from the stump. The stock of Jesse is not ended. There will be new growth, a new ruler is coming, and you will be restored, to the glorious relationship you knew with God. That is the promised future, a future marked by the peace of God.
And it will look like this: "natural" enemies will not harm one another. All will live in harmony again. The only catch is that you have to trust that it can happen. God will be God. God has blessed, and God will bless again. Do you think it is possible that this could happen in our land, despite our significant disagreements, especially considering the challenges we face in simply talking to one another? Can we make peace with those on "the other side of the aisle"? What will it take for us -- all of us -- to allow the transforming presence of the one who is coming (again and again), to grow in our hearts, and unite us with a peace that none will refuse, and by which all are blessed with healing. Advent asks such questions of us.
Advent also presumes the answer is readily available to us -- that we need to wake up to the truth as it appears again and again. May we be attentive to the Advent, the coming, of the One who has taught us all we need to know about making peace. May there be growth from the stump of our stubbornness, nourished by the roots of our heritage of holiness. Let's pay attention to what the Bible has to tell us about how to make peace. There are serious, successful strategies revealed in these stories.
Let's also pay attention to the ways God is even now working among us to stimulate growth and Shalom -- the wholeness we long for, and that God promises will be our future. There are faithful practitioners of a better way to address the conflicts among us. There are worthy witnesses to lead in creating a "kingdom" in which there are no more predators, and no more prey, a place where all can live in harmony, and all will have enough, and all will know peace. May we take notice of those persons around us who are like fresh shoots from a "dead" stump, signs of new life, new possibilities, and signs of God's power to renew and restore. May we allow the Spirit to stir such growth in us, that we too may reclaim our place on that Family Tree of God's people. "A shoot shall come forth from the stock/stump of Jesse...."
A shoot shall come out from the stock 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.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
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.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples;
the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
A Work in Progress -- Sermon Thoughts
The "Stump" of Jesse is what most of us are used to reading in this passage from Isaiah. In the first line, the word "stock" has the same meaning, i.e., the trunk or stump of a tree left standing. "Stock" is also a word that has the meaning of "a line of descent: a tribe, race, or ethnic group," which may make it a more precise communication of Isaiah's intent.
Isaiah's words address the spiritual experience of the people of Judah during their Babylonian exile in the sixth century BCE. Jesse had been the father of King David, whose "house" had been established and blessed by God -- those were the days. What they were feeling now was the loss of that past glory. They grieved that they had become the victims of a "clear-cutting" operation, as they believed God was punishing their drifting away from the covenantal, ethical requirements expected of them as God's people. They felt hopeless, because the lineage and continuation of the reign of the House of David had been cut down, cut off. They lamented that all that was left of their nation, their culture, and their faith was a stump. Their "family tree" was ended. They had no future. They were "stumped."
So many people seem "stumped" today. Feelings of desperation, of alienation and resentment, of hopelessness, of fear have become visibly apparent in expressions of destructive anger, divisive mistrust, and often retributive politics. Many of us are feeling a troubling tension among friends and neighbors struggling, without much success, to find a way to make some kind of "peace" with the obvious differences in our perspectives and priorities about the way we will live together, and how we will manage the affairs of our country and communities. We don't seem to know what to do to fix it, change it, make it right for all. We are "stumped."
In the midst of "politics as usual" in the sixth century BCE, Isaiah proposes that this is not the way life has to be for us -- it is not the way God wants life to be for us. The stump is not dead, as you may think. Be patient, and watch. A shoot will come forth from the stump. The stock of Jesse is not ended. There will be new growth, a new ruler is coming, and you will be restored, to the glorious relationship you knew with God. That is the promised future, a future marked by the peace of God.
And it will look like this: "natural" enemies will not harm one another. All will live in harmony again. The only catch is that you have to trust that it can happen. God will be God. God has blessed, and God will bless again. Do you think it is possible that this could happen in our land, despite our significant disagreements, especially considering the challenges we face in simply talking to one another? Can we make peace with those on "the other side of the aisle"? What will it take for us -- all of us -- to allow the transforming presence of the one who is coming (again and again), to grow in our hearts, and unite us with a peace that none will refuse, and by which all are blessed with healing. Advent asks such questions of us.
Advent also presumes the answer is readily available to us -- that we need to wake up to the truth as it appears again and again. May we be attentive to the Advent, the coming, of the One who has taught us all we need to know about making peace. May there be growth from the stump of our stubbornness, nourished by the roots of our heritage of holiness. Let's pay attention to what the Bible has to tell us about how to make peace. There are serious, successful strategies revealed in these stories.
Let's also pay attention to the ways God is even now working among us to stimulate growth and Shalom -- the wholeness we long for, and that God promises will be our future. There are faithful practitioners of a better way to address the conflicts among us. There are worthy witnesses to lead in creating a "kingdom" in which there are no more predators, and no more prey, a place where all can live in harmony, and all will have enough, and all will know peace. May we take notice of those persons around us who are like fresh shoots from a "dead" stump, signs of new life, new possibilities, and signs of God's power to renew and restore. May we allow the Spirit to stir such growth in us, that we too may reclaim our place on that Family Tree of God's people. "A shoot shall come forth from the stock/stump of Jesse...."