Revd Sarah Haslam, who is on placement with us, shared her reflection at Communion in these verses from the Prophet Isaiah:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the\u00a0Lord\u00a0shall rest on him,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the spirit of counsel and might,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the\u00a0Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the\u00a0Lord.<\/p>He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and faithfulness the belt around his loins.<\/p>The wolf shall live with the lamb,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0their young shall lie down together;
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder\u2019s den.
They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the\u00a0Lord
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0as the waters cover the sea.<\/p>Isaiah 11.1-9<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nI wonder how you are feeling today? I wonder what you need to hear? Our passage today from the prophet Isaiah begins with the words: A shoot will come\u2026 The prophet Isaiah here uses what would have been – in around 700BC – rich, comforting and familiar imagery to speak of the king coming from the stump of Jesse, the father of the much-beloved king David. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It strikes me that Isaiah couldn\u2019t speak more highly of this king: the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him; wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and fear of the Lord \u2013 through the blessing of the Spirit, the coming king will be known for each of these characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isaiah then announces his rule \u2013 one of righteousness and faithfulness\u2026 For the people of that time, who had seen their country ravaged and defeated by their enemies the Assyrians, and then the Babylonians, and who knew that it was all because they had not been faithful to their God\u2026 how marvellous to hear that this king would, however, be righteous and faithful to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These were the words the people then, needed to hear. And what of now, today? Are we any different? The vocabulary may be slightly different, but the essence is indeed the same because God\u2019s truth is timeless. As we approach Christmas, children are perhaps writing their letters (or perhaps emails) to Father Christmas: \u2018Dear Santa, this year I would like\u2026\u2019 But what we truly long for, what we need hasn\u2019t changed; it is Immanuel: God with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m conscious of how easy it would be for me to gloss over the verse perfectly poised at the midway point. It punctures this picture in the way broken glass might damage Simon\u2019s bicycle wheel. Right in the middle of these 9 verses we read: \u201che shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor us, here, this causes perhaps inner conflict, but for many of our brothers and sisters, people who are with broken hearts and lives longing for,<\/em> crying out for justice \u2013<\/em> and for the planet, God\u2019s creation, no less \u2013 this promise perhaps decrees the most powerful hope and comfort still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isaiah declares peace at last: that under His<\/em> governance, the kingdom would be one where \u2018natural enemies\u2019 shall live together in perfect accord and, ultimately, the influence and significance of God\u2019s messianic king will ripple out across the whole world: the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. This is a beautiful passage; it depicts no less than the Kingdom of God. What hope, what comfort, what joy! It\u2019s truly wonderful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sodo we read this passage from Isaiah in terms of the past \u2013 the coming of the king they desperately hoped for \u2013 or indeed do we excitedly fast-forward to the future \u2013 when Christ will come again. No timeframe is given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And, in this curious season of Advent more than ever, we know that we are called to look back and look forward, and to the here and now – this very point in time. This King, our Saviour Jesus Christ is for all of eternity, including now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so as we read this passage today, we are called to pause, to be still, to look at the now, to look at ourselves. I asked how you are feeling. Today, whatever our circumstances, the Holy Spirit invites us to respond to God\u2019s word this morning must with a resounding Amen! Not just with our lips, but to proclaim, pray for and to live<\/em> our Amen. This king, Christ, has come and as his followers now, the Spirit of the Lord rests upon each one of us: we are his citizens, bearers, of his Kingdom. Today we need to more fully be<\/em> people of this \u2018peaceful kingdom\u2019 now, here, today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At this time of year, when many accelerate their rushing around, with all the stress, distractions, busy-ness, preparations and plans, let\u2019s determine not to lose sight of the Kingdom. Of peace. Of rest. Of wholeness, of perfect union with our God & with one another. Let\u2019s fix our eyes on our king, and with Isaiah proclaim: come, Lord Jesus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take some time in silence to simply stop and invite God\u2019s Holy Spirit to rest on you, to meet you where you are and to lead you, so you might more fully enter into the kingdom full of peace. Come, Lord Jesus\u2026<\/p>
Loving Father, we pray for wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and fear of the lord. We pray for righteousness and faithfulness. We pray for peace. This we pray for ourselves, for our families and friends, for our communities, and for all nations, through Jesus Christ our saviour, your Son our Lord. Amen.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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