“O Root of Jesse” - (O Radix Jesse)
Friday’s Verses:
From Isaiah 11:1,10 ESV
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit…In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.
Isaiah’s description is a shocking image of Israel’s royal line as a stump. Jesse is cut down. His glory is gone. He is finished. Hopeless. It is easy for us to imagine God’s kingdom in its fullness. A proud tree with thick branches and green leaves. But that is not the picture Isaiah gives us. God often allows things to wither and rot. Human strength falls away. Power fades into dust. Greatness is reduced to almost nothing.
But then God acts.
The stump gives rise to a shoot. Life springs from death. Isaiah is pointing us to Christ, who comes into David’s house not in outward glory, but in humble faithfulness. He comes in weakness. He comes when the kingdom is finished looking strong, not when it is at the height of its power. Christ does not come when we look most like him. He comes when we look least like him. When we are on our knees. In our weakness.
This is good news for sinners. We know what it is to be cut down. To have our sin hold us down, to feel guilt or fear or disappointment. We look for life in ourselves and find weakness. But Christ does not grow out of our strength. He comes from God’s promise alone.
The Root of Jesse, says Isaiah, stands as a signal for the nations. Christ is lifted up for all people, not only Israel. He gathers the weary, the broken, and the far-off. His dwelling will be glorious not because of earthly power, but because in him we find forgiveness, peace, and rest with God.
In Advent, we wait not for something new, but for the fulfillment of what God has already promised. The shoot has come. The root still stands.
And he will come again.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
O Root of Jesse, come to us in our weakness. Give us faith to trust in your promises, hope in your coming, and rest in your saving work. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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