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A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

Sometimes those determined little shoots are called suckers. The tree or bush has been chopped down, pruned to nothing and lo, there appears this branch of its former self. What is it? Resiliency? Stubbornness? A never say die DNA?

Frederick Buechner puts it this way: There were banks of candles flickering in the distance and clouds of incense thickening the air with holiness and stinging his eyes, and high above him, as if it had always been there but was only now seen for what it was (like a face in the leaves of a tree or a bear among the stars), there was the Mystery Itself whose gown was the incense and the candles a dusting of gold at the hem. There were winged creatures shouting back and forth the way excited children shout to each other when dusk calls them home, and the whole vast, reeking place started to shake beneath his feet like a wagon going over cobbles, and he cried out, “O God, I am done for! I am foul of mouth and the member of a foul-mouthed race. With my own two eyes I have seen him. I’m a goner and sunk.” Then one of the winged things touched his mouth with fire and said, “There, it will be all right now,” and the Mystery said “GO.”

Mystery said, “Go give the deaf hell till you’re blue in the face and go show the blind heaven till you drop in your tracks because they’d sooner eat ground glass than swallow the bitter pill that puts roses in the cheeks and a gleam in the eye. Go do it.”

Isaiah said, “Do it till when?”

Mystery said, “Till hell freezes over.” Mystery said, “Do it till the cows come home.”

And that is what a prophet does for a living and, starting from the year that King Uzziah died when he saw and heard all these things, Isaiah went and did it. (Is.6)

Isaiah had a job to do. He was part of the upper-class but championed the needs of the poor. He could be loyal to the king (he lived during the reign of 4 different kings) yet he could also strongly disagree with kingly decisions and attitudes. Isaiah lived in the country of Judah, home of the holy city, Jerusalem. Wars between various countries ebbed and flowed throughout the timeline comprising the hefty Book of Isaiah. Nation building was on the minds of many a ruler.

A major theme of Isaiah is the connection between worship and ethical behavior. Isaiah, listening to God’s lead, had little tolerance for those participating in ritual while also treating others unjustly. This theme permeates our scripture, in both the old and new testaments. God expects us to love our neighbor and care for the stranger. Don’t be going to church for appearances. It doesn’t fool God. In fact, it ticks God off.

Related to this is the human inclination to worship persons and things other than God. Isaiah and other prophets consistently chastise those who do not trust the one true God. In the times of Isaiah there were several gods, local and national, which would be called upon to aid the armies of the worshippers. The concern of these gods was the protection of their own particular nations. Isaiah’s God is conceived as the only true god, and the God of all people, not just Israel. And this one true God longs to establish a just and peaceful kingdom on earth. How? A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might.

This morning’s Isaiah reading paints a picture of a stump which is Israel. The country has seemingly been defeated by its enemies. Because of their lack of trust in God, God took to clear cutting. In the midst of this political and emotional upheaval, Isaiah speaks about hope and a vision of peace.

The prophet promises that God will send a leader who will rule with justice toward all and mercy toward the most vulnerable in society. The little ones, the defenseless ones, the innocent ones will be protected and cared for. Isaiah urges the people to remember who they are as the people of God. Our life is blessed through goodness not greed.

I love the image of the lion and lamb lying side by side. How about Bin Laden and an Amish farmer walking together down the street?  Oh what powerful contrasts we need to draw into this picture!

When that just, wise, humble leader comes, war will be no more. As we learn in our peace camp each summer, that leader is each one of us. Peacemakers know it is okay to be angry and it’s not okay to be mean. We first stop whatever it is we are doing that is creating a problem. We then remind ourselves to be loving in our attitude, or at least more tolerant. We share with each other what we think the problem is and together we think of several solutions. Someone can help us do this. We decide on the best solution and make a deal. We move forward with a new plan. And we know that whenever another problem happens, we have a peace table or peace blanket or peace room to enter in order to make war no more.

Christians read Isaiah’s foretelling of a coming ruler to be Jesus Christ. Jews understand Isaiah to be speaking of an awesome human king. In this presidential election season I find it particularly fascinating to draw parallels between Isaiah’s vision of a shoot growing from the stump of Jesse and the candidates stump speeches. Stump speeches are speeches designed to quickly and simply present a case for voting in a particular direction. Are there shoots of hope growing out of America’s roots? What are the “would be kings/queen” saying? What are the visions and dreams for our nation and world?

Here are some anonymous excerpts:

“We are in a defining moment in our history. Our nation is at war. The planet is in peril. The dream that so many generations fought for feels as if it’s slowly slipping away. We are working harder for less. It’s harder to save and it’s harder to retire. And most of all, we’ve lost faith that our leaders can or will do anything about it.”

“I took over an entire city with high crime rates and long social welfare rolls. I held down spending and improved security. I kept most of my promises. The ones I didn’t, I tried. When I promise things, I back them up with things I’ve done before.”

“My deep religious faith defines me.”

“I believe it is a betrayal not to speak out against the escalation of the war our nation is engaged in today in Iraq.”

“Here’s the reality of it – we’re at war. We are at war because they’re at war with us. They want to come here and kill us so we’ve got to put Iraq in the context of a much broader picture than just Iraq.”

“This is in fact WWIII. Unlike any other world war we’ve ever fought, this one is one we cannot afford to lose.”

“We cannot exert pressure on these countries until we take meaningful action to limit greenhouse gas emissions here at home.”

“I support energy independence. It’s a matter of national security.”

“It’s the old Boy Scout rule – You leave a campsite in as good or better shape than you found it. It’s a spiritual issue [the earth] belongs to God.”

“We shouldn’t have amnesty where we just say, fine, everybody’s good. We’re going to let it go. We should have a process where people pay penalties, step up and accept responsibility for not being here legally.”

“What do you do with the 11 million people already here? Make them earn citizenship because they have broken our laws. My friends, that’s not amnesty. Amnesty is forgiveness. We’re not forgiving anything.”

John the Baptizer had his own stump speech. Repent! For the kingdom of heaven has come near. Prepare the way of the Lord! Come to terms with your sins. Change your ways. John was a prophet in a long line of prophets. Isaiah alluded to his coming as one crying out in the wilderness. John summons us to renewed ways of righteousness. New ways of walking with our God – trusting our lives to Yahweh. John alerts us to follow Jesus however and whenever we encounter him.

Advent is a season of being awakened and staying awake. It is a season to make ready the kingdom of God. It is a season of hope and of longing for peace.

We cannot just long for peace. We must allow God to mold us into peacemakers. Most of the following was taken from a must have book, The Peace Book, 108 simple ways to create a more peaceful world, by Louise Diamond.

We must shape our interior lives to reflect peace. Seek inner peace, discovering your wonder-filled self. Nourish your spirit with meaning. We must practice peace within our relationships. Learn peaceful conflict resolution skills. Teach children and teenagers through your example. Encourage honesty and compassion. Honor diversity and teamwork in the workplace. See work as a service and a ministry. Build a bridge with an enemy. Seek common ground. Pay attention to needs rather than positions. Move from debate to dialogue. See yourself as the other. Tell your story. Express regrets. Forgive. Get involved in your community. Become a human rights advocate. Take a personal privilege inventory. Be patient and persistent. Lay down your sword. Become a non-violent warrior. Take an interest in world affairs. Let your heart break with the suffering. Pour love into the wounds. Gather often with a supportive community. Pray. Laugh.

And God the Great Mystery said, GO. Get the attention of those that aren’t listening. Teach ways of peace. Build my realm here on earth as it is in heaven. Go do it.

Do it until when?

Mystery said, Until hell freezes over. Until the cows come home.

And that is what a prophet does and so must we.

Amen.

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