WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE SHOOT “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” Isaiah 11:1 What Child is This? - The Shoot

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE SHOOT Christmas Tree Capers and the Legend of St. Boniface

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE SHOOT See, the Lord, the L ORD Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low. He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax; Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One. A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the L ORD 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 L ORD — and he will delight in the fear of the L ORD. 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.

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE SHOOT 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 L ORD 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. - Isaiah 10:33 – 11:10

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE SHOOT A Strange Beginning God like some out of control lumberjack clear cuts the one mighty trees of Israel’s enemies, reducing them to stumps. This is a prophecy that the enemy nations that encircle Israel will fall victim to God’s judgement, leaving none standing. Israel will suffer a similar fate – humiliation at the hands of the Assyrians for their disobedience. I believe this helps us to see just how seriously God takes the reality of sin. It will not go excused or unaddressed.

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE SHOOT Hope amongst the Rubble Despite the continual disobedience and denial of Him, God will not abandon His people completely; from amongst the rubble of Israel, hope will spring forth. Who was Jesse? Jesse is the father of King David, a very unpretentious man, a simple farmer and sheep breeder. By the time of Isaiah, the lineage of David had produced one disobedient and self-serving king after another. Hope of a righteous king from David’s line was waning.

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE SHOOT “The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land …” (Jeremiah 33:14-15) Promise from amidst hopelessness. One of the signs of the Messiah is that He would come from humble beginnings and that there would be nothing spectacular about his appearance; He would appear very, very ordinary.

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE SHOOT Jesus’ earthly father is a simple carpenter, His mother a suspected adulteress; His family is not one of either prestige, rank or nobility. He is from Nazareth, a nondescript place; nothing more than a suburb of the urban centre of Sepphoris. People are consistently amazed at Jesus’ teaching and cannot quite connect this with his obscure origins. “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him”. (Luke 4:14-15) “The Spirit of the L ORD 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 L ORD - and he will delight in the fear of the L ORD ”. (Isaiah 11:2-3)

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE SHOOT It is the presence of the Spirit that transforms ordinary, non-descript beginnings into amazing greatness. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:18-21) Jesus claims these words from Isaiah as descriptive of His ministry – the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him. At Christ’s baptism, upon coming out of the water, “heaven [is] opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove”. What child is this? He is one upon whom the Spirit of the Lord rests.

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE SHOOT Because the Spirit rests upon this child, certain outcomes are to be delivered. First, good news and righteous judgement will be delivered to the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized by the one upon whom the Spirit rests. His rule will be characterized by justice and a judgment upon wickedness. The truth is that if justice and freedom is what you desire, you must look no further than the child in the manger. All other attempts to obtain justice – real, lasting and authentic justice – will invariably fall short.

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE SHOOT The peace Christ establishes will be so pervasive it will invade all aspects of earthly life. Petting the Lion If only our world would look to the child in the manger … in Him, we would find peace! What child is this? He is the one through whom peace and justice are made available to all.

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE SHOOT Just as the Spirit of the Lord was given to rest upon Jesus, so too does Jesus give us the Spirit to rest upon us. “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14:26-27) What child is this? He is the one upon whom the Spirit of the Lord rests, the one who will govern with peace and justice, and the one who has given us the Holy Spirit to allow us to experience His peace. All of this is made available through faith in Jesus.