December 4th

December 4: Isaiah 11:1-10

Isaiah 11:1-10  (NIV)

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 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.

Reflection

God’s plan for the world is that it would be such a safe and welcoming place that our children could play without fear of getting hurt by any of a number of predators. God’s plan for this world is that we could all live like children, playing in the streets.

God didn’t just come to earth as a baby on accident. It was on purpose. God chose to enter the world through the eyes of a child. For even the Prophet Isaiah declared that this new Kingdom would be brought in by a child. When he grew up, Jesus was even bold enough to say that it’s only those receive God’s kingdom like a child who will enter it.

How many of us wish we could receive the Christmas season with the kind of wonder of a little child? What if this longing for wonder and mystery wasn’t just a feeling of nostalgia, but a part of God’s hope for our lives?

How can you receive Christmas more like a little child?

Prayer

God, the One who entered the world as a child, help me to enter this Christmas with the wonder and awe of a child too.