Throughout the season of Advent, we’ll have a weekday reflection based on suggested scriptures from a great resource entitled The Common Rule. You can find a calendar of the daily readings here.

We see a beautiful picture today of what things will be like one day. All things will be restored. Because of the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, all things are disordered. All things are corrupted. That is not God’s perfect will or desire. But one day, in God’s time, He will make all things right. The lion will lay with the lamb. The child will play with the snake. All will be restored, and the effect of sin will be no more. One day. So, we wait with hope in what God will do. And we live, faithful, that vision of His will done on earth, as it is in heaven.

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Good morning! I appreciate your reflections on Isaiah 11, a powerful passage that beautifully captures the promise of restoration and the ultimate triumph of God’s kingdom. Your excitement and love for this scripture are palpable, and it’s contagious!

The image of a shoot coming from the stump of Jesse, connecting it to the Davidic promise, is a profound reminder of God’s faithfulness to His covenant. It’s a testament to the continuity of God’s plan throughout history, culminating in the fulfillment of that promise through Jesus Christ. Your vivid description of an old tree stump with a green sprout is a poetic way of illustrating new life emerging from what seemed lifeless.

The qualities of the promised Messiah, the shoot from Jesse’s stump, are awe-inspiring—filled with the Spirit of the Lord, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. This sets the stage for a ruler who will bring righteousness and equity, a stark contrast to the brokenness and disorder caused by sin.

The vision of the wolf lying down with the lamb, the leopard with the kid, and all the other harmonious images is a powerful depiction of God’s intention for creation. It’s a glimpse of the future restoration where peace, unity, and coexistence will replace the current brokenness and discord.

Your emphasis on the disorder caused by sin and the role of Christians in the restoration business is a compelling call to action. It echoes the Lord’s Prayer, reminding us that we are participants in God’s work of bringing His kingdom on earth. The idea of being restorers, bringing light into darkness, hope into hopelessness, and order into chaos is a powerful mission for believers.

As we eagerly anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth, your reflections serve as a reminder of the profound impact of His life, death, and resurrection not only on our individual lives but on the entire cosmos. The hope we have in the restoration promised by Isaiah is something we can actively participate in, guided by the transformative power of Christ.

Thank you for sharing this inspiring reflection. I wish you a wonderful weekend and look forward to joining you again on Monday for more reflections. Take care!