DAY 18

"Dockey Wood Morning Light" by Damian Ward

Fig Trees

Jesse Tree Symbol: Shepherd's Staff

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A Greeting
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
(Psalm 9:1)

A Reading
A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
   make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
   and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
   and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
   and all people shall see it together,
   for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’
He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
   he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
   and gently lead the mother sheep.
(Isaiah 40:3-5;11)

Music


Meditative Verse
‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd
lays down his life for the sheep.'
(John 10:11)
 
A Reflection
Every good shepherd knows that his sheep knows him and he knows his own sheep. There is the mutual understanding and love between them. This mutual bond of love and intimacy is often compared to the mutual relationship between Jesus and his Father. The shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep acknowledges its shepherd. The good shepherd deeply desires that many other sheep should come to identify themselves with him. This in fact is the call of the kingdom of God that there may be one flock and one shepherd. In this sense an invitation for the universe to be united together with its God and Lord. The good shepherd wishes to lay down his life for the sheep. We have a God who is ready to die for others and Jesus emphasizes that, in giving his life for his sheep, he is doing so of his own will. His death is to be the living proof that “the greatest love a person can show is to give one’s life for one’s friends”.
- from "Sunday Reflections" by Father Eugene Lobo S.J.

Verse for the Day
For a child has been born for us,
   a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
   and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6)

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Jesse Tree image by Lorrin Noonan

The Isaiah 11 passage which foresees a 'root which will come out of the stump of Jesse' is the inspiration for the whole Jesse Tree tradition, but the prophet is also quoted in Advent for the Isaiah 9 prescription about the coming of the Prince of Peace. Today's page is focused Isaiah's image of the coming Messiah as 'the good shepherd.' In some ancient near-eastern traditions, the word "shepherd" was one of the very first words to describe "man". In both the Old and the New Testaments, the role of the 'Shepherd' builds on that deeply entrenched meaning. Isaiah crafts the image also to contrast the more typical way in which arrivals are announced: in a verse not included above, he commands a herald to climb a mountain and proclaim the news (v.9). This action was most often used in warning of imminent armies and danger. Instead, the herald is announcing the arrival of a protector and comforter. Isaiah lived in the mid-eighth century BCE, at exactly the same time as Micah, who as we saw on Day 15 foretold that the Messiah would originate in Bethlehem. Even though Jesus has lived and died since these times, Isaiah captures the longing we continue to have, for his return.

The fig tree's role in the biblical story offers a range of meaning, from curses and destructions to signs of new life and renewal. Adam and Eve clothe their nakedness with fig leaves, and the sense of this meaning is echoed in Song of Songs 2:13: "The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."  Jesus curses the fig tree (Mark 11) and James 3:12 asks "can a fig tree produce olives?" but Jesus also uses the fig tree as a sign that the kingdom of God is coming (Luke 21). One of the best fig tree images offers a model of a caring and loving relationship, not unlike Jesus the Shepherd and his sheep. Proverbs 27:18 tells us "Anyone who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and anyone who takes care of a master will be honored." Figs are also one of the seven crops of blessing mentioned in Deuteronomy 8.

"Wild Fig" by Sarangib

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LC† The Trees of Jesse is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto.
Join our Facebook page. Follow us @LuTConnect.

DAY 14

"Cedar Snow, Lebanon" by Leandra Fallis

Cedars of Lebanon
 
Jesse Tree Symbol: Solomon's Temple

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A Greeting
Bless the Lord, winter cold and summer heat;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
(Prayer of Azariah 1:45 )

A Reading
At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem.
It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of
Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah,
tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not
believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me.
(John 10:22-25)

Music


Meditative Verse
The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
(Psalm 104:16)

 
A Poem
And I came to the place where all the paths of Life meet,
There I fell a wounded prey before the face of despair
And it was there that I heard unseen great wings
moving about me,
And as I turned my eyes I saw Thee
Standing before me as the cedar of God on Lebanon -
I knew thee because the light was in thine eyes,
And the motherly smile on thine lips.
You blessed me with a touch,
and whispered to my soul these words -
" Follow me child, I am thy guide..."
Behind me contentment
Before me joy
Within me Love.
- from The Cedars of Lebanon by Khalil Gibran

Verse for the Day
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
(Psalm 118:24)

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Jesse Tree image by Eric Westra

It was the dream of King David to establish an elaborate temple in Jerusalem that would house the Ark of the Covenant. It fell to his son, Solomon, to complete that task. Like his father, Solomon was a writer: the biblical books of Proverbs, Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) and Ecclesiastes are attributed to him. The book known as the Wisdom of Solomon is pseudepigrapha; it was written much later in the 2nd century BCE but as if in the voice of Solomon. Solomon's great strength was his military fortitude and his innovations in trade. The wealth he amassed allowed him to begin work on the great temple, a project that took twenty of the forty years that he reigned. Despite his zeal to house God, Solomon fell away from his faith and began worshiping idols and building altars to them. In the wake of his fall from piety, and soon after his death, the United Kingdom fell apart and Judah and Israel were irrevocably separated. Solomon's story illustrates the underlying tension in the lives of the biblical kings: how to demonstrate the effects of power required of the era while remaining a model of righteousness. 

The cedars of Lebanon provided the foundation of many massive construction projects in the ancient world, including Solomon's Temple. These fragrant and woody trees were also known for their healing qualities: the bark was used for ritual cleansing in the recovery from leprosy. It is one of the most prolific trees of the bible, significant for assisting in establishing relationships of trade in communities. Today, the cedars of Lebanon are threatened by climate change (to read more go here) and deforestation.     

The festival of Dedication referred to in John 10 is Chanukah. When Jesus was walking in the portico of Solomon, the festival was still relatively new, commemorating events which had occurred less than 200 years before. The question about his identity as messiah, in a place where historically the 'light of the temple' had been extinguished, and then restored, is significant. In John, Jesus becomes the new temple: "‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’" 
 

"Here I Am" by McLara

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LC† The Trees of Jesse is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto.
Join our Facebook page. Follow us @LuTConnect.

DAY 13

"Morning Mist" by Steve Lacy

Terebinth Trees
 
Jesse Tree Symbol: a Crown and/or Slingshot

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A Greeting
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust;
I am not afraid.
(Psalm 56:4a)

A Reading
God is our refuge and strength,
   a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
   though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
   though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
   the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
   God will help it when the morning dawns.
The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
   he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Come, behold the works of the Lord;
   see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
   he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
   he burns the shields with fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God!
   I am exalted among the nations,
   I am exalted in the earth.’
The Lord of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our refuge.
(Psalm 46)

Pistachia terebeintha flowers by Abrahami

Music

 
Meditative Verse
Like a terebinth I spread out my branches,
and my branches are glorious and graceful.
(Sirach 24:16)
 
A Reflection
The celebrative psalms of thanksgiving and hymns powerfully express experiences of reorientation. The reorientation is always a surprise and a gift. It always comes to us just when we thought it not possible, when we could not see how it could be wrought in the present circumstance. The reorientation is not an achievement coming from us. It is not an automatic "next stage" ordained in our body, but it is something we receive when we did not expect it at all. Life falls into patterns of wholeness where we did not think it could happen precisely and only because God is at work.... Sometimes in a world where the circumstances are hopeless, then a promissory word is all that stands between us and the chaos. Then it is important to pray and speak and sing and share that word against all that data. For such a word stands like a barrier thrown up against a sea (see Jeremiah 5:22). And we do know that in our most precious friendships, sometimes there is only a word between us and misery, between us and death. But that word is not a fantasy. It is, rather, a precious gift on which we will stake everything. Thus as the psalms of complaint are acts of painful relinquishment, so celebrative psalms are acts of radical hope.
- from "Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the LIfe of the Spirit
by Walter Brueggemann

Verse for the Day
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.
The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
(Psalm 72:19-20)

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Jesse Tree image by Eric Westra

In Elah, where the young David famously fought the Philistine Goliath, the valley is filled with Terebinth trees. Elah, is a Hebrew word for 'terebinth'. Despite that there are separate Hebrew words for 'oak' ('alon') and 'terebinth' ('elah') modern translators often mistakenly name them interchangeably (the NRSV, most especially). The Tanakh and other Jewish translations are careful to distinguish them because the oak and the terebinth have distinct characteristics. (The terebinth, for instance, has small red blossoms.) In Judges 6, Gideon receives a visit from an angel under a terebinth and eventually builds an altar there. Because they were tall, both the oak and the terebinth were believed to possess divine power and strength: both trees have the word for God ('el') in them. As a result, both trees were used for idol worship and this is why Jacob buries the idols of Laban in Genesis 35, under a terebinth. Both trees when cut down, regenerate very quickly.

It was most likely from a terebinth tree that David, the youngest son of Jesse, fashioned a slingshot. The conquest begins the narrative of one of the most profound figures in the bible.
A king, a warrior, a lyricist and musician, the author of a substantial part of the book of Psalms, a very human and flawed man who nonetheless became an icon of righteous leadership, David became the inspiration for generations of Israelites. Falling at exactly the halfway point of Advent, the David symbol of the Jesse Tree begins the descent from Jesse himself, toward Jesus. Isaiah's prophecy that a shoot will come out from Jesse, marks the beginning of the House of David. Most importantly, David's kingship and his contribution to the psalms point us all toward God. "Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice." (Psalm 105:3)
 

"Pistacia Terebinthus" by Manuel M. Ramos

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LC† The Trees of Jesse is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto.
Join our Facebook page. Follow us @LuTConnect.

DAY 12

"One tree in a field of wheat" by Kerstin Hellstrom

Trees of the Field
 
Jesse Tree Symbol: Wheat

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A Greeting
Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; 
save your servant who trusts in you. 
You are my God.  
(Psalm 86:2)

A Reading
So [Naomi] said, ‘See, your sister-in-law 
has gone back to her people and to her gods; 
return after your sister-in-law.’ But Ruth said,
‘Do not press me to leave you
   or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
   where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
   and your God my God.
Where you die, I will die—
   there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me,
   and more as well,
if even death parts me from you!’
When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her,
she said no more to her.
(Ruth 1:15-18)

Music

 
Meditative Verse
You have devoted your life to wisdom, 
and called understanding your mother. 
(2nd Esdras 13:55)

A Reflection
Both Rahab and Ruth were not Jews.
These women could have been considered skeletons in Jesus' closet.
These women were honoured; they were not considered skeletons, they were honoured because of their faithfulness, their loyalty. They were embraced, brought into community so that they were no longer aliens in a foreign land. Today is the Sunday of Advent when we celebrate joy. How do these stories bring us joy? In many ways I think it depends on who we are and what's important to us. For instance, there may be times when any one of us feels like an outsider, an imposter. We claim to be Christian but we feel like if anyone really knew who we were, if they found out the truth, we would be totally exposed. We may feel like we are the skeleton or that we have skeletons that would embarrass us at best, if they were revealed. The stories of Rahab and Ruth remind us that all of those self-imposed or culturally-imposed standards are hogwash....You, are not a skeleton. I declare that. You are not a skeleton... The gift of Rahab and Ruth, being in the lineage of Jesus Christ, is that if we see ourselves as outsiders, then we can rest assured that there is a place for us. That gives me joy. No one is excluded from the lineage of Jesus based on their status, not then or not now... To that, I say 'joy to the world'.
- from "Women in the Lineage of Jesus: Rahab and Ruth",
a sermon by Rev. AnnMarie Kneebone

Verse for the Day
The mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, 
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
(Isaiah 55:12)

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Jesse Tree image by Eric Westra

Although scholars believe that there are some three hundred years and possibly eight generations historically between Rahab and Ruth, in the Matthew and Luke geneologies Rahab appears as Ruth's other mother-in-law, from her second marriage to Boaz. Again today, the selected reflection focuses on the question of being an 'outsider'. Whereas yesterday's homilist cautioned us against creating an 'us and them' culture in our faith communities, today's minister points out that if we are feeling like an outsider, then we are in great company! Ruth is a Moabite woman who was the devoted daughter-in-law to Naomi, a native of Bethlehem, who was forced to leave Judea because of a famine. When all the men have died, Naomi disperses her daughters-in-law and goes home, but out of loyalty and a desire to care for her, Ruth stays with her. The story of Ruth spans an approximately seven week period  from Passover to the festival of Shavuot, during which both the barley and the wheat harvests were made. Ruth gleans behind those harvesting and is noticed by the man who will eventually become her husband, Boaz. Ruth's trust in God rests in the understanding that God provides, and that the one guiding her (Naomi) has her own best interests at heart. Ruth offers herself to Boaz as a near-relation and someone who could 'redeem' them all. But Ruth and Naomi transform that custom by taking the initiative to seek out Boaz. Therefore the story offers a wonderful account of a deep trust in God by women who have little real power but enormous will to transform their lives. The Jesse Tree symbol for Ruth is wheat, representing the gleaned grain that brought Ruth and Boaz together.

In Leviticus 26, God promises that the 'trees of the field' shall yield fruit, and the rain will fall, as long as the Israelites remain faithful. The phrase appears often, signifying orchards that were planted to yield fruit as a crop.  But trees of the field are also trees that provide shade and fruit to those who plant and harvest and who, like Ruth, glean behind the others, and must work harder to find even scraps of food. These trees become oases, places of respite from harsh work. God's promise of abundance comes with the promise of a place and a time to rest from labour. 

"The lone tree Panoramic" by Martyn Smith

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LC† The Trees of Jesse is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto.
Join our Facebook page. Follow us @LuTConnect.