Rally to the Branch

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 might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord- and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. -Isaiah 11:1-3 (NIV)

As I finished this morning's suggested scripture readings, I was reminded of an old folktale (later retold by Angela Elwell Hunt and available on amazon.com). The tale is of three trees talking about their futures. The first tree said it wanted to be made into a cradle, so that it might go on living as a support for the new fragile life of a baby. The second tree wanted to be made into a ship so that it might carry important cargo and see new lands. The third tree longed to stay right where it was, existing only as a tree, but growing taller and pointing towards heaven as a reminder that there is a God who loves all of creation.

One day, woodcutters came to cut down these trees, and apparently also their dreams. The first tree was not made into a cradle but into a feeding trough, a manger for animals. But this manger was sold to a family in Bethlehem, and on the night that Jesus was born, this simple feed box became the cradle of the newborn Jesus. The second tree was built into a water vessel, but only a tiny simple fishing boat. But a man named Simon Peter bought the boat, and on one warm afternoon when the crowds pressed in, Jesus climbed aboard this small craft so that he might preach. The third tree was not only deprived of its dream to remain standing, but its wood was fashioned into a horrible instrument of torture, a cross. But it was on this cross that Jesus was crucified, transforming that symbol of cruelty into an eternal reminder of God's eternal love for all of us.

Isaiah prophecies that from a tree chopped down to a stump will grow a branch (a Messiah) that will be stronger than any tree before it. This tree will bear much fruit and the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon this Branch. This Messiah will have wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of God. This Messiah will not judge by what he sees with his own eyes, or decide by what he hears from his own ears. Nations will rally to this Messiah and his resting place will be glorious (11:10).

May God grant you the grace to rally to this Branch today and find glorious rest.

Tomorrow's readings: Isaiah 15-18 and Hebrews 10.