Isaiah 11:1-10
I live in Sylvan Park, a beautiful old neighborhood primarily because of all its large trees. Across the alley from our parking spaces, there is a walnut tree. Each fall when the black walnuts fall to the ground, the squirrels hide them in the mulch to be retrieved later. Unfortunately, the squirrels don’t always find all the nuts they bury and tiny walnut trees often begin to grow in the spring. I find most of the saplings when they are small and easily removed. However, when I was still teaching full time and coping with my parents’ increasing infirmities, I didn’t find much time for yard work even during the summers. Several years later when my life settled down a bit, I found a sapling about 2 inches in diameter growing very close to the foundation at the side of the house. I thought I could kill it with consistent, diligent applications of Round-Up, but despite my vigilance, the tree just wouldn’t die. My brother cut it down, but later branches grew from the stump. Sometimes, at the end of a summer, I’m sure I have won the battle of the walnut tree, but each spring, the stump just generates new growth.
Jesus, who sprang from the stump of Jesse, is the one who teaches us about righteousness and faithfulness. It is by following Jesus’s teaching that we develop spirits of wisdom and understanding and knowledge of God’s plan for our lives. Like my indomitable walnut tree, God continues to provide invitation after invitation to grow and thrive in his service and by his grace. May you be keenly aware of God’s love and feel God’s presence as we anticipate new growth in our lives and in our church.
~ Linda Brandau