A Sprout From a Stump
Pastor Jason Scripture Study for Sunday Morning Small Group
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.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
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.On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
The vision is a symbolic one that offers possibilities of how lands might be governed with peace and justice. At the time of writing, it would have been common for leaders to come across animals such as lions and other predators. Kings were also portrayed as ones who would fight and kill those lions; such actions were considered to show that the king was fit for governance. It was not common for a king to be described as peacefully abiding among lions. In this context, Isaiah’s vision of having lions and lambs together is about leaders fundamentally doing things differently and living in peace among peoples.
This section of the book of Isaiah was written during a time of war and destruction in Assyria; peace would not have been heard as an abstract concept. The image of a shoot emerging from a remnant is a symbol of promise and hope. The next ruler, after Ahaz, will be faithful to the way of God, and a descendant of David (Jesse was the father of King David).
A final more modern reference can be made between this text and the vision for intercultural and racially just communities. The text refers to the lion intentionally giving up its power, making space for the more vulnerable and marginalized in shared community.
The path to the peaceable kin-dom recognizes the profound truth that we all are predators and we are all prey; we carry the capacity for both. We all carry precarious powers and potential for peace. Attending to our inner warfare – the power-hungry lions within us that tear into our insecure inner lambs – is the hardest work of all. However, in this way, we join God in imagining our worlds, inner and outer, present and future in hopeful reconciliation. The vision pictures a different kind of community where power dynamics have shifted, where space is intentionally made for one another, where leaders come from unexpected places, and where there is beauty, peace, justice, and equity in what God has created.
– from Seasons of the Spirit, Advent 2019 (December 8, 2019) – copyright Woodlake Publishing Company
Other Resources to prepare for Sunday Morning Small Group:
Advent Calendar
Download What Can’t Wait Advent Calendar 2019
Holiday Turkeys and Food Boxes
Last year, we began serving Holiday Food Boxes through the Dunn United Ministerial Association Food Pantry in order to partner with other churches in our community. While we used to do food boxes on our own, working with other churches enables us to (1) provide more food boxes to more people, (2) work in unity with other Christians, and (3) support DUMA!
Todd Snyder, our DUMA Food Pantry Director, has asked for our support again. This year, in an effort to better serve folks, we will be able to offer several options with the Food Boxes: Turkey OR Ham OR Pork Loin. As most of us have options when we go to the grocery store, we will now be able to empower those in need by offering them some choice that can best meet their family and health needs!
So, I am asking for you to contribute monetarily this year. Why money instead of actual food? Well, because we can buy more with less by partnering financially with the Food Pantry. Buying from the Food Bank allows us to buy far more food than if we simply purchased from the grocery store. So, by donating financially we can feed more people as we work together with other Christians!
To contribute to our Holiday Food Boxes, you can:
- Give Online (select Holiday Food Boxes in the Fund List)
- Check via mail or in Sunday offering (write Holiday Food Boxes in the memo)
- Cash via mail or Sunday offering (place in an envelop marked Holiday Food Boxes)
Did you Miss Hood’s Thanksgiving Message?
Read or Listen to Gratitude: Discipling Your Mind
This Week:
Wednesday, December 4 – 1:30pm – Prayer & Inspiration
Wednesday, December 4 – 6:30pm – Choir Practice
Thursday, December 5 – 1:00pm-3:00pm – Drop-In Coffee & Conversation Pastor Jason at Inspirational Grounds (1208 N. Ellis Ave.)
Thursday, December 5 – 3:00pm – Ladles of Love Meal Preparation & Delivery
Sunday, December 8 – 9:00am – Church Cabinet Meeting
Sunday, December 8 – 11:00 am – Advent Worship
Sunday, December 8 – 3:00 pm- Children’s Ugly Sweater Christmas Party!
Upcoming Events:
Sunday, December 15 – 11:00 am- Christmas Choir Cantata
Sunday, December 15 – 12 noon – Church-Wide Christmas Party Luncheon