Christian Reflection and Prayer

Read Isaiah 11:6-10.
They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain; for the
earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters
cover the sea. Isaiah 11:9

I love the smell of fresh cut Christmas trees, but I'm not crazy
about their sting. I was never a fan of those sharp needles. Your
each in to string some lights or attach an ornament and ouch!

That's one of the reasons my wife and I decided to go with an
artificial tree when we started our own family Christmas traditions.
You can reach in there all you want and know nothing will prick
you.

Wouldn't it be nice if the world was like that, especially this time
of year? How wonderful it would be to go shopping and know
people would be patient and polite. How refreshing it would be if
you knew people wouldn't cut you off to have that parking space
or wrestle you over those "must-have" presents this Christmas?

I imagine most of us would like our homes to be oases of
respect, safety, and peace. But here too the pressures of the
season can cause tempers to be short, words to be sharp, and
patience to wear thin.

Even in your church congregation there is undoubtedly stress
and strife. Slights and insults are exchanged like Christmas
cards; pessimism and doubt leads to discouragement and
apathy; selfish pride leads to deep divisions that splinter us.

But that is why Jesus Christ -- our brother and King -- is here
with us. He guides us in humility and meekness and teaches
us to treat one another in the same way. He who came to this
world as a little baby shared our humanity, our sorrows, and
our disappointments. He suffered from the cruelty and
murderous hatred of His own people. He wore a crown of
thorns and died on the cross for all the sins we committed
against our God and against one another. But now, risen from
the dead, He works to bring healing, peace, and harmony to us
and each one of our broken relationships.

Showing us the depth of His love in His holy Word He fosters
love within our hearts toward one another. Forgiving our sins in
our Baptism, He empowers us to forgive those who sin against
us. Reminding us of the price He gladly paid for our salvation,
He softens our hearts as He gives us His own body and blood
to eat and to drink so that we gladly sacrifice ourselves for each
other.

In Jesus Christ, God's Word through Isaiah is fulfilled: "The earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD," and nothing will hurt
or destroy us on His holy mountain.

THE PRAYER:

Holy Lord, tame our wild impulses, forgive our sins, and change
our rebel hearts so that we may no longer cause any hurt or harm
in Your holy house. We pray this in Jesus' Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

In recent weeks, we’ve seen firsthand that our justice system
treats some people like they don’t matter. Grand juries in
Missouri and Staten Island both decided that the deaths of
unarmed black men were not worth further investigation by
declining to call for a trial of the police officers who killed them.

This isn’t just a problem in Ferguson, not just something that
happens in New York. We hear over and over again that our
society is treating our black sisters and brothers as though
their lives don’t matter.

How do you change a culture that systematically devalues
our black brothers and sisters? Start locally. A letter in your
local paper calling for justice is a powerful way to reach your
friends, neighbors, and community with the message that
ALL people are made in the image of God.

Your voice is critical. If we are ever going to change our
culture that disregards the worth of black lives, Christians
need to speak out.

We need all Christians to speak out against the injustice
we’ve seen toward our black sisters and brothers. The work
of the church is reconciliation – now let’s get to it!

In faith,
Janelle and the rest of the Sojourners team

"A Dead Stump"

Read Isaiah 11:1-5.
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and
a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.  Isaiah 11:1

We were so excited when we brought the Christmas tree home,
but it never went into the house until the next day. My Dad
knew the tree would never last unless it soaked up plenty of
sugar water. So he cut a few inches off the bottom and soaked
it in sugar water until the next night. I still recall holding in my
hands that piece of dead stump he had cut off. It was only an
inch or two high, but it was definitely dead. Today's reading
speaks about a dead tree stump, "There shall come forth a
shoot from the stump of Jesse."

Jesse was the father of King David and all his descendants who
ruled over Judah-the Southern Kingdom. When those kings
turned away from God to lead their people in the worship of false
idols, the Lord cut off their kingship and sent His people into
exile. The strong family tree was cut off and only a dead stump
remained. For centuries not a single king rose from that stump to
rule on their throne. All that could be seen was the dead stump
of the line of David.

But in the fullness of time a shoot began to grow out of that stump.
That shoot was Jesus Christ. He was born a baby and laid to
sleep in Bethlehem's manger. He didn't come to claim any earthly
kingdom as His own. Instead, he came as our King to battle our
enemies: Satan, sin, death, and hell.

Though He Himself was cut down on the cross, and His lifeless
body was laid in the tomb, Christ rose again from the grave with
power and great glory. Through Baptism He makes us alive to God
though we were dead in our sins. Through His Word He makes us
wise in the ways of His salvation, and in Holy Communion He gives
us His body and blood by which He paid for our sins and won our
redemption. Now He lives to guide us on our journey to our
heavenly home.

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son as a tender
shoot out of a dead tree stump. He has saved us from our sins
and opened the Kingdom of heaven to us. Help us tell the whole
world of His wonderful salvation. In Jesus' Name.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)