First Tuesday of Advent - December 3, 2019

Isaiah 11:1-10


A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—

and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;

but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.


**Isaiah's prophecy is full of vivid images for the kingdom of God: roots, stumps, shoots, and branches . . . animals who are natural enemies co-existing. Notice which of the images you are drawn to consider, then choose that images for your meditation. You may want to consider the image from this chapter graphically, creating a collage or by using various colors to sketch a scene. As you create, don't become fixated on the final product. Simply see where the creative process takes you with the image you have chosen.


**The Spirit of the Lord, Isaiah says, includes the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, counsel and strength, knowledge and the holy awe of God. Consider these qualities in your own life. Which ones are manifested within you? Where and how are they displayed in your daily living? And which ones are your growing edge, not yet well-developed within you?