The Stem of Jesse: Advent Part 3

In the midst of darkness there is hope. Returning our focus to the king that entered the world with humble beginnings gives us an anticipation that...

The Stem of Jesse  Advent Part 3 O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel   O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny From depths of Hell Thy people save And give them victory o'er the grave Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel Surely, you can recall as a child counting down the days until Christmas, the anticipation of opening gifts that you had been waiting for all year, and the special time spent with family around the tree.  That anticipation can turn into anxiety if we lose sight of the true gift of Christmas, and allow ourselves to be pulled down by the pressure of preparing for the big day. Likely, this year preparations will be different, with gathering restrictions in place because of COVID-19, and many people spending the holidays with only immediate family, or alone. These changes can also cause anxiety and worry. This year, as we count down the days until Christmas, what if, instead of focusing on all the things that cause stress about the holiday, we have hope in anticipation of the Savior born in a manger?  Yes, He was born more than 2,000 years ago. So, how do we still find hope in the story of what took place in Bethlehem all those years ago? At the time Isaiah wrote his prophesy about the coming Savior, the people of Israel were waiting for a king—the Messiah—to emerge and sit on the throne of David. Judgment was upon Judah, and the nation had barely survived. Just when the lineage of Jesse and his son, David, seemed all but gone—cut down like the trees of Israel—this passage in Isaiah indicates that the Savior was yet to come out of a small shoot from the stump of Jesse.  "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,     and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit."  —Isaiah 11:1 [ESV] And for the people of Israel, where no hope seemed to be found, God used the smallest of beginnings to sprout up a lineage that led to the birth of our Savior Jesus.  Families often use a Jesse Tree instead of an Advent calendar to retell the stories of the Bible leading up to Jesus's birth and remind them of the promises of God. The whole history of God's people points to the coming Christ. Just like the Israelites, our hearts sing: "O come, O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny." Returning our focus to the king that entered the world with humble beginnings gives us an anticipation for what is yet to come. It reminds us that in the midst of darkness and valleys there is hope. So, as we celebrate, even with all of the changes and worries that go along with living through this particular point in history, we can trust in the amazing truth that God fulfilled His promise to send Jesus, and He will fulfill His promise that Jesus will come again.  The Son of God came to Earth in the flesh, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and was raised from the dead to give us hope—not just for an eternal future with Him—but for our lives here and now. His promises are true, and we can have confidence that the Lord will be with us in the difficulties of life. Scene from iBIBLE with Noah in front of the ark that God instructed him to build. iBIBLE will be the first visual interpretation of God's Divine narrative—the story that reveals God's sovereignty played out from Genesis to Revelation. This story tells us who we are and why we're here, and shows us our need for a Redeemer. With the potential to reach people speaking the 7,000+ living languages of the world with a visual interactive Bible, reaching the ends of the earth with God's Divine narrative is more possible now than it ever has been. iBIBLE will be completely free to all people, and is fully funded by the support of individuals and families that believe in our mission.  If you'd like to join our team, click the link below to find out more about iBIBLE. LEARN MORE ABOUT iBIBLE Copyright © 2020 RevelationMedia, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: RevelationMedia PO Box 518 McKinney, Texas 75070 Add us to your address book

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