Wednesday, December 5

Isaiah 11:1-4a (NIV)

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

My father learned how to count as a toddler sitting on his grandfather’s knee. His grandfather came to America from Germany when he was 19, German was his first language. Because of this, my father learned to count in German before he learned English.

In addition to the German, my father learned to count by turning the pages in the family’s German hymnal. They would stop here and there to sing a verse or two of the hymns they came across. Among some of the hymns my father holds dear, is “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen,” or “Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming.”

This hymn was written in Germany during the 16th century. It was initially referring to Mary as the rose springing from the lineage of Jesse, but with the protestant reformation, the hymn was adapted to shift focus from Mary to Jesus, citing Isaiah 11:1 and interpreting the prophet’s words as Messianic prophecy.

The hymn has been a favorite for many generations, and for good reason. The ethereal melody and beautiful imagery draw us into a holy moment.

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming,
as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright,
amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.
Isaiah ’twas foretold it,
the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it,
the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright,
she bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.
This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True Man, yet very God,
from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.

Pray: Jesus, true man, yet very God, from sin and death you have saved us and lighten every load. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Tuesday, December 4

Revelation22: 5a (NIV)

There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.

It’s never easy. Navigating through the long succession of holidays beginning with Thanksgiving and ending with New Year’s Day is never easy when you are grieving a loss or simply spending these days alone. Every channel on television portrays sweater-clad families warming by the fire, happy, in love, and together. It’s even in the commercials, on the billboards, in the magazines and newspapers. While the world seems aglow in light and merriment, we feel that we have been left in darkness.

Today’s scripture verse speaks of Christ’s coming. “There will be no more night,” it says, there will be no more darkness. No wonder Christians from the very beginning have looked toward Christ’s coming with great anticipation. When Christ comes, our lives will no longer be consumed with the darkness created by loneliness and grief.

Pray: Great light of the world, as you came to earth so many years ago to bring comfort and peace. Come now into our hearts to do the same. Light us from within, so that we may be your light to the world until you return. Amen.

Monday, December 3

Jeremiah 33: 14-16 (New Century Version)

The Lord says, "The time is coming when I will do the good thing I promised to the people of Israel and Judah. In those days and at that time, I will make a good branch sprout from David's family. He will do what is fair and right in the land. At that time Judah will be saved, and the people of Jerusalem will live in safety. The branch will be named: “The Lord Does What Is Right."

I do not have a green thumb. In fact, my thumb is sort of like the grim reaper. Everything it touches dies. No matter how hard I work, how closely I follow directions, my plants never survive!

For Valentine’s day, my husband gave me a Bonsai tree. It was supposed to be foolproof. Well, my foolish horticultural abilities even killed the foolproof Bonsai!

It is for this very reason that I marvel at the idea of God making a good branch sprout from a tree that is thousands of years old! Of course, I know this is just a metaphor, but still, God’s thumb is perfectly green, is it not? This new branch, our scripture mentions, is sprouting from the family tree.

Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, was a descendant of King David. He was part of David’s family tree, and Jesus was a brand-new branch that took the tree in a whole know direction!

From the line of the beloved of King David came the one true King. The king who would deliver all His people from the enemy. THIS is a king worthy of our worship and praise!

Pray: Lord, because Jesus was new branch in David’s tree, we Too are a knew part of the family, of YOUR family. Thank you for bringing us our beloved King Jesus, and help us to live as worthy princes and princesses of your kingdom. Amen