Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Isaiah 11:1-2, 9 – 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. … 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. (NRSV)

You probably already know that the special ornaments that adorn the Christmas tree in our Sanctuary are called Chrismons.  The gold balls and the doves are just gold balls and doves, but pretty much all the rest of them are traditional symbols for Christ, different kinds of crosses from throughout history and around the world, plus crowns, and sometimes even fish!  Sanctuaries all over use these symbols on trees in worship spaces, to help us center the birth of the Christ Child in our celebrations.

What you might not know is that a tree decorated with Chrismons is also sometimes called a “Jesse Tree,” and this scripture from Isaiah 11 is likely the reason why.  Jesse, as you may recall, is King David’s father, so when Isaiah speaks of the “stump of Jesse,” he is talking about what Luke 2:4 calls “the house and family of David.”  I guess we should be glad we decorate Christmas trees, instead of Christmas stumps!

The passage in Isaiah goes on to describe the coming Messiah, and then turns to the peaceable kingdom imagery that tells us about the impact of the presence of the Messiah.  This final verse about the peace of the “holy mountain” sums it all up.  It’s good to take a moment and imagine a world so full of the knowledge of the Lord that no one hurts or destroys anything or anyone anymore.

We can all have moments of frustration or anger when we might feel like smashing something or lashing out at someone.  The season of Advent reminds us that preparing our hearts to welcome the Christ Child is also like opening our hearts to the reconciling Peace of Christ.  When the full knowledge of God abides in our hearts, those difficult moments can be overcome.  Christ’s peace might be just a small shoot in our hearts, but with prayer and intention, it can grow into a beautiful tree, showing Christ to all the world!