“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.”
(Isaiah 11:1-10)
Prayer:
Light a candle (or two candles on your Advent wreath), take a deep breath, and pray
O Come Creator of celestial light and shine on all creation. Shine like the sun on a cold, crisp winter's day when the light bounces off freshly fallen snow. Shine the compassion, mercy, and grace of Christ into our hearts so that we might radiate and reflect Christ into this day. Shine into our community so that we might seek that which is pleasing in your sight and live in a way that imitates your Divine love for all creation. Through the Resurrected Body of Christ, Amen.
Copyrighted 2019. Walt Lichtenberger. Permission granted to share with family and friends