Second Sunday of Advent

Scripture Reading for Today:

Isaiah 11:1-10, Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19, Romans 15:4-13, Matthew 3:1-12

Isaiah 11:1-10

The Branch From Jesse

11:1 A 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.

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6 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.

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,

and 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.

Psalm 72:1-7;18-19

Of Solomon.

72:1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,

the royal son with your righteousness.

2 May he judge your people in righteousness,

your afflicted ones with justice.

3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,

the hills the fruit of righteousness.

4 May he defend the afflicted among the people

and save the children of the needy;

may he crush the oppressor.

5 May he endure as long as the sun,

as long as the moon, through all generations.

6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field,

like showers watering the earth.

7 In his days may the righteous flourish

and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

Then all nations will be blessed through him,

and they will call him blessed.

18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,

who alone does marvelous deeds.

19 Praise be to his glorious name forever;

may the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen and Amen.

Romans 15:4-13

15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. 5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.” 10 Again, it says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:1-12

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

3:1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him.’”

4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

A Peace So Deep

by Jared Siebert

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The vision that unfolds in Isaiah 11:1–10 is heart-stopping. We begin with a picture of new life, new possibilities springing from death: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” This isn’t just poetic language. It’s a promise that when all seems lost, God brings something new. The stump could be a kingdom cut down, a people broken by exile and despair. Yet from that hopeless and defeated starting point, God raises a new branch. It’s not a religious program. A new system of government. A new interpretive school. It is a person. A person who embodies restoration and peace.

The passage goes on to describe a peace so deep it’s like nothing we have ever seen before. This is no shallow calm or temporary truce. It is a peace so deep that it reshapes creation itself: wolves are lying down with lambs, leopards with goats, children playing safely near once-dangerous creatures. What is going on here? Everything is defying the natural order?! Predators and prey living together in harmony? It seems impossible. And that is exactly the point. The kind of peace that God has in mind is not limited by our imaginations. It is radical, transformative, and complete. It goes deeper than we even dreamed possible.

This vision challenges me to rethink what peace means in my own life. Too often, I settle for a fragile peace. I might settle for avoiding conflict. Or I might try and smooth things over and wait things out until circumstances improve. But Isaiah’s prophecy calls me to something deeper: a peace that grows from something deeper than my own human capacity. 

If I can’t even do a simple thing like ending poverty in my own city, how can I expect to end predation on earth? I can’t rewrite the rules of the world. I can barely manage peace in my own heart. The peace we are talking about here is so much deeper than the capacity of my own heart and soul. It is a peace that originates from a person who is altogether different than the one I have become. I just don’t have it in me. For a peace like this, we are going to need a Messiah.

 We need someone who will rewrite the rules entirely. Someone who will judge with fairness, defend the poor, and strike down oppression. Things I find myself complicit in despite my best intentions. True peace is not merely the absence of war or tension. In fact, it is not an absence at all. It is a presence. It is the presence of a person for whom equity, compassion, and truth come as naturally as breathing. It is someone who does more than just rule by force and compulsion and defeats their enemies. It is someone who is capable of transforming their enemies into allies. 

These qualities remind me that peace begins with God’s character, not human effort. I cannot manufacture this kind of harmony on my own. It flows from Christ, who reconciles all things. He reconciles people to God, people to one another, and even creation to itself. When I feel overwhelmed by division, injustice, or personal struggles, this passage invites me to anchor my hope in something deeper. 

The good news is we already have the stump. The earth feels no closer to realizing this vision than when it was first given to Isaiah. And through Jesus, we have a branch growing. A Branch where the sap is: wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord flow freely. 

This coming peace is not just a future hope. It is an invitation right here in the present. In Christ, the Branch has already begun His work. The Branch is not a distant dream; He has come. He is coming again to fulfill this vision completely. 

The real question is, will I let His peace take root in me? Will I allow His righteousness to shape my choices? I am called, and so is the church I belong to, to live as a sign of that coming kingdom. We can choose forgiveness over bitterness, generosity over greed, and courage over fear. Together we can walk patiently and confidently toward that day. The day when fear, violence, and hatred are replaced by trust, safety, and love. In small acts, empowered by the Spirit, we will echo the peace Isaiah describes. And one day, it will fill the earth like waters cover the sea. Just as oceans cannot be contained, God’s presence will saturate the world, leaving no corner untouched.

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