Seeing Differently, through God’s Eyes

When I was in forestry school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,  I recall skiing one winter morning through a birch grove as the sun rose. The white birch bark glowed pink in the snow, reflecting the sunrise. Around me, trees had fallen, some had been chopped up for firewood. Yet each of the ancient trees had stump sprouts rising from  its base. (That is the nature of birch trees.) In three years, young trees  had grown fifteen feet. How so tall? They didn’t have to start from  scratch; the saplings were fed by the root systems of the older trees. 

Our Christian faith is like a stump sprout that rises from our  Jewish roots. We share a common vision: that peace will reign and  justice will thrive. Isaiah envisions a king who will make creation flourish in solidarity: even a cobra will be so tame that a baby can handle it. Together we are rooted in God’s vision, a hope for a more  glowing future.

At the same time, John the Baptist bursts in wielding an axe with rough words for the Pharisees—repent! Cut down every tree that  does not bear good fruit! Yet he too sees a radiant vision: One who is coming after him who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire! 

We are rooted in God’s vision of what can be. The courage of  Advent is this faith in the future. We await Christmas. We await  eternity. Earthly life will be cut down and pass away, yet we live on  the brink of a blessed and infinite future. That mode of seeing can fill  the way that we live our lives today. Like the fiery glow in the birch  forest, as people of Advent we live within the sunrise of a new day. 

Consider/Discuss 

• Isaiah tells us that a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse. None of us  start from scratch either. Our faith is rooted in the faith of those who have  gone before us. Our faith is now supported by those who travel with us.  We hope that our faith will bear fruit in those who arise from our roots.  What do each of those roots look like—past, present, and future? 
• In this season of preparation for the coming of Jesus, as God sees into our  hearts, what is one thing that we could chop off or prune in order to bear  stronger fruit? 

Living and Praying with the Word 

God of the future, thank you for your vision. Open our eyes to  see you as you surround and enfold us on this journey. Help us to  see this sunrise in which we live. We want to walk with you more  robustly. We give ourselves to you this day, for you are the source of  our hope. Fill us with the fullness of your peace forever. Thank you  and thank you again for your goodness to us.