I continue in my series of sermons from the prophet Isaiah in this time of Advent. The focus for Sunday's worship will be Isaiah 11:1-10.
Here is the opening part of the text: "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." Is. 11:1-3 NRSV
We get connected to the ancestry of Jesus, going back to David's father Jesse. Out of this family a special king shall arise. We are told that when David was anointed king, the spirit of the Lord came upon him. It is the spirit who will also come upon an ideal king of the future.
Note in the verse following: "He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,..." How often do we like to judge just on appearances! Imagine now someone coming who will use a different standard - you might think completely objective - let's just say it will be according to how God's sees folks. That is just it. Jesus comes and we find him using a different lens from what the world uses in seeing others.
I believe we also can be those who look upon others through the person of Jesus Christ. It will profoundly change our perception of others. In what ways do you think our perception changes? Please feel free to leave a comment as input for Sunday's message.
You might want to meditate on these words of Scripture as you prepare for worship this Sunday. May God's blessing be upon your study and worship.
Discipleship Questions for Reflection
How might poor judgments have been made by seeing through human eyes only?
Can you imagine yourself being endowed by with the same gifts of the spirit (think baptism and confirmation blessings) and how they get played out in your life?
Here is the opening part of the text: "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." Is. 11:1-3 NRSV
We get connected to the ancestry of Jesus, going back to David's father Jesse. Out of this family a special king shall arise. We are told that when David was anointed king, the spirit of the Lord came upon him. It is the spirit who will also come upon an ideal king of the future.
Note in the verse following: "He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,..." How often do we like to judge just on appearances! Imagine now someone coming who will use a different standard - you might think completely objective - let's just say it will be according to how God's sees folks. That is just it. Jesus comes and we find him using a different lens from what the world uses in seeing others.
I believe we also can be those who look upon others through the person of Jesus Christ. It will profoundly change our perception of others. In what ways do you think our perception changes? Please feel free to leave a comment as input for Sunday's message.
You might want to meditate on these words of Scripture as you prepare for worship this Sunday. May God's blessing be upon your study and worship.
Discipleship Questions for Reflection
How might poor judgments have been made by seeing through human eyes only?
Can you imagine yourself being endowed by with the same gifts of the spirit (think baptism and confirmation blessings) and how they get played out in your life?
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