Reflection: "New from Old"Have you noticed how often the writers of the New Testament make reference to the Old Testament scriptures?
It’s not surprising, as they were all good Jews, who would have studied those readings at the synagogue. Their heritage didn’t disappear just because they had decided to follow Jesus. Jesus himself quoted the old scriptures, often to show the people that what had been written, was now becoming reality, both in and through his birth, his ministry and later, his death and resurrection. Today, we encounter a strange image for the coming Messiah in our reading from Isaiah 11, where it says that: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” I want you to picture what this looks like - and I’m sure you’ve seen it before - a tree gets chopped down to a stump and a short time later, a small shoot starts growing out of it. Most people view this as an unwanted eyesore. These little shoots that grow out of stumps, are actually known by the unflattering name of “suckers,” and there are all kinds of remedies for how to seal off a stump and prevent it from giving out new shoots of life. Israel’s enemies had tried every way they knew to seal off the stump of Jesse - the root of the throne of David. War, slavery, imprisonment, starvation – the ancestors of Jesus suffered all this - and more. There had not been a viable king on the throne of Israel for generations. Yet, somehow, there was still life stirring in this burnt-out old stump. Now, in this season of Advent, is when we see the tiny little shoot begin to sprout. It’s so fragile and one wrong move could see it die – maybe too much, or too little water, the wrong amount of sunlight or wind, even a tiny bug could come along and destroy it - and it’s totally defenceless. When you think about it, it’s an odd image for the writer of Isaiah to use to describe the coming King of Israel - a fragile shoot growing out of an unsightly old stump. Not a very triumphant or powerful image, but that’s what Advent is all about. It’s about coming to terms with the profound knowledge that God chose to come to Earth in such a vulnerable state: as a defenceless human baby, called Jesus, son of Joseph and Mary. Neither a baby, nor a tiny branch growing out of stump, is likely to last long against its enemies. The angel says to the shepherds, “Don’t be afraid” and that’s what lies behind God’s courage to let Jesus be born as a helpless baby, the little shoot out of the stump that could be cut down at any moment. But that’s also part of how we should reorient our mindset during Advent. The truth is that we’ve entered into a new era of peace and God’s kingdom has arrived. Isaiah paints a picture of what that kingdom is like: “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.” Peace and wholeness, the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven, as Matthew prefers to call it, have arrived. We’re in a safe place and it’s ok to be vulnerable, to reach out, to stretch out and grow. The interesting thing about branches on trees, is that they grow right on the edge. None of the growth of a tree branch happens internally, down in the trunk. New cells are produced right at the very edge and build outward – fragile, but brave. What are the parts of your life that you feel are unfinished and vulnerable, stopping you from growing new shoots? To find out, we must read again the message of the angels of peace, hearing and responding to the command “Don’t be afraid”, in order to let that new growth within ourselves have a fighting chance. The new life and new growth that Jesus brings, don’t always arrive in the obvious places. We need to look for birth and growth within ourselves and our neighbours in all places, even in the cold, forgotten, frosty and inhospitable places, as well as in the bright, springlike times. And the storms that we experience are important to our new growth. In America in the 1990s, there was a project called Biodome - an effort to create a totally self-contained biological environment - a mini-Earth - sealed away from the outside world. Some of it was successful, but one of the most baffling disappointments, was the trees. They had the sunlight and water and all the nutrients they needed, but as they grew, they couldn’t stand up straight. They flopped over on the ground, weak and limp. The scientists finally realized that there was one vital ingredient of the outside world they had forgotten - wind. In nature, the wind blows and causes tiny micro-cracks in the trunk and branches of trees. Trees rely on this trauma for their growth. Standing straight to the wind, breaking a little, but rebuilding at the same time, is what helps them grow stronger. Did you ever think that you might actually “need” the storms that are in your life? That they might be as pivotal to your growth as the good days of sunshine? John the Baptist descends like a furious storm in our gospel today, arriving with locusts and vipers and axes and fire. How does his warlike message of wrath harmonise with the promised peace of the wolf lying down with the lamb? Remember the image of the shoot growing up out of the stump? Take a step back and consider how that environment was created. A tree had to be chopped down to a stump in order for the new shoot to grow up out of it. John the Baptist says, “Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees.” He is the very personification of that message and he’s arrived to shock us out of our complacency, to call us to chop down and root out all the old habits of greed and shame and selfishness, that have grown up within our souls. Advent is the start of a new church year, and it’s time to begin with a fresh slate. We’re told by John the Baptist to “bear fruit worthy of repentance”, but what does that mean? I believe it to mean that all the old condemnations of ourselves and others need to be chopped down and thrown away, making room for the new shoot of Jesus to grow up within us – that’s how we prepare the way of the Lord. John the Baptist isn’t preaching a message of condemnation, but rather one of liberation, of freedom, from the thick, choking overgrowth of sin that’s trapped us in misery and hopelessness. And for all the ferocious strength of his message, which we must take seriously to heart, what action does he preach? Repentance. And from what act does he take his name, John the Baptist? Baptising people, of course. Even as he pours down the fire of his words, he also pours out the gentle stream of water on the heads of the repent-ers at the River Jordan, blessing them with the cleansing stream that foretells the Living Water. He waters the potential of the believers - that a new shoot of life might have the chance to blossom and grow. So, too, is the season of Advent our own opportunity to test the edge of the waters of Jordan, gathering our courage to let the Holy Spirit of baptism – with the fierce fire that burns away the brambles of sin and the gentle water that nurtures the fragile growth of new life – once again cleanse our souls as we prepare for the coming of Christ. In the season of Advent, the season of expectation and possibility, the spirit of the coming Christ is looking for fertile ground in which to grow up, a new shoot out of the old stump. Isaiah proclaims that “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.” You might feel that you’re a bit like that old stump - cut down and useless, but we can make ourselves into that dwelling place, made glorious and new, by Christ’s presence in our life. Let’s dedicate ourselves to hosting the coming Christ within us, and we’ll find ourselves displaying grace in completely new ways that we never expected, newborn shoots of life growing up to bear good fruit. Let’s be like Jesus, and branch out into the world - preparing for his second coming. May many Advent blessings be upon you……….Pastor Rick
1 Comment
Lena Beryl Blok
6/12/2022 04:23:25 pm
Rick, Thank you for your message for Advent. A time to reflect on the coming of the Christ Child.
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