A Shoot Shall Come Forth

A shoot shall come forth out of Jesse,
And a bud shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of life shall be with him,
The spirit of wisdom and truth.

The prophet Isaiah was full of words of hope to a people who faced one crisis after another. Threatened by foreign invasion and weak leadership, they did not know which way to turn. Return to the Lord, Isaiah said, for he will raise up a new ruler for you from the descendants of King David, the son of Jesse. He will lead in wisdom and truth, and bring peace to the earth.

Then the lamb shall lie down with the leopard,
And the lion eat straw with the ox,
For the hand of a Child shall lead them,
To the peaceable kingdom of God.

Early Christians saw Isaiah’s prophecy of David’s descendant fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It was this Child who would usher in a new Eden, a place where animals would neither eat one another nor harm anyone. It’s like the painting of “The Peaceable Kingdom” by Edward Hicks, in which people and animals look out as though the viewer has disturbed their tranquility.

From out of the wells of salvation
Will he draw us the water of life;
His waist shall be girdled with justice,
The heart of his heart shall be Love.

My brother Richard Horn wrote these words many years ago and set them to music for a Christmas card. Words and music were subsequently published and have been sung during Advent ever since, especially on the second Sunday of Advent in liturgical Year A, when we hear the reading from Isaiah on which the text is based.

He’ll come from the end of his heaven,
And the earth shall be torn from its place;
Our lives shall be filled with his radiance
As floodwaters cover the sea.

In Advent we wait for the return of Christ, even as we prepare to celebrate that first appearance at Christmas. The Bible portrays the Second Coming in cosmic terms, as though the earth will be torn from its place. Our lives will be totally up-ended. And yet the One whose heart is Love will fill us with his radiance, with joy irresistibly flowing everywhere, like floodwaters covering the sea. God’s love will be all-encompassing.

Then the lamb shall lie down with the leopard,
And the lion eat straw with the ox,
For the hand of a Child shall lead them,
To the peaceable kingdom of God.

What wonderful yearning there is in Isaiah’s vision! This is not "pie in the sky by and by," but rather a hope and a promise that this life is not the end, that there is more than what we see now. A time will come when all things will be reconciled to God and to one another. That is the promise God gives us through Jesus Christ. Knowing that such a time will come, we can begin now, in all of our weak and broken humanity, to work for the coming of that peaceable kingdom. It will come in God's time, whether we like it or not, whether we believe it or not. Wouldn't it better to work with God for the coming of the kingdom, rather than simply wait?

Advent 2: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12.