Friday, December 13

 

 

 

“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.”
(Isaiah 11:1-2, NIV)

My husband doesn’t garden very often, but when he does, his tool of choice is a hacksaw.

We had been married about five years when I first experienced his gardening panache. A long-established wisteria vine graced our Cambridge England back door with its lush and fragrant purple flowers. Much to my husband’s displeasure, the flowers gracefully dangled a bit too low for his 6-foot-4-inch frame, and they grazed his head each time he went into the back garden to play with our boys. In his view, something needed to be done.

So early one Saturday, he announced his plans to prune the wisteria and headed outside. Thirty minutes later, he came in triumphant. When I happily went outside to witness his handiwork, I could hardly believe my eyes. What was left can only be described as complete desolation. The vine that was once adorned with hundreds of flowers was now pruned down to a nub.

In Isaiah 10:34, the prophet paints a grim picture of a forest thicket that had itself been reduced to next to nothing. What was once a thriving forest now lay barren, left only with jagged stumps.

We all know that regular pruning helps plants to thrive. We rid our trees and vines of dead, weak or thin wood in order to encourage new growth. It’s not a pretty process, but it is necessary to ensure growth and to produce high yields for years to come.

And that is exactly where Isaiah 11 picks up. Out of this barren and lifeless forest, hope springs forth from the stump of Jesse. With great anticipation, Isaiah points forward to our Savior, Jesus the Branch, the son of David, the King who was to come from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

This King will usher in a new ecology: one where justice, righteousness, faithfulness and peace reign supreme.

Now that’s the kind of “new growth” I desire in my life. So this Christmas season, what do you need to prune out of your life to ensure the life-giving hope of Jesus takes root?

Prayer of St Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is discord, union.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.

 

 

Jill Hardin
Director of Children and Families at North Stuart Baptist Church
Wife of Dr. Justin Hardin, Assistant Dean of School of Ministry