The Hope of the World: Day 1

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Theme:
The prophet Isaiah foretells the coming of the Christ, who will defend the afflicted and crush the oppressor. In light of the Savior's arrival, John the Baptist calls us to repentance. We praise God for his marvelous deeds. Because of Christ, the root of Jesse, we have hope for the future through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Opening Prayer:
"O God, who did look on humanity when they had fallen down into death and resolve to redeem them by the advent of your only-begotten Son, grant, we ask you, that they who confess his glorious incarnation may also be admitted to the fellowship of him their Redeemer; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen" Ambrose.


OT Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10
1A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 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—
3 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;
4 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.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 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.
10 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.

Reflections from the Church Fathers: Bede

"The prophet Isaiah testified that it was necessary that our Redeemer be conceived in Nazareth when he said, 'There will come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a nazareus will go up from his root.' Nazareus can be translated either as 'flower' or 'pure.' The Son of God who was made flesh for us can rightly be called by these names because he assumed a human nature which was pure of every vice and because he is the font and source of spiritual fruit for all who believe in him, to whom he also both showed an example and granted the gift of righteous and blessed living. Homilies on the Gospels 1.6 

For Further Reflection and Prayer:

1. Re-read verses 2-5. How have you tangibly, in your life, seen Jesus be true to these prophecies about him?

2. Take time to thank Him who He is and what He has done in your life.

3. In verse 10 it says "the nations will rally to him."  Pray now for your friends, brothers and sisters that they would be a part of the peoples who rally to Jesus.