Mosaic (Dec 5)
- Amber Thiessen
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
One of our Christmas traditions is reading an Advent devotional—often Ann Voskamp’s The Greatest Gift or a Jesse Tree guide—and hanging the corresponding ornaments on the tree. The Jesse Tree traces the story of Scripture, showing how, from the very beginning, God was making a way for us. A way for His Son to come. A way for the Savior to arrive.
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse” (Is. 11:1).
Before Isaiah speaks of a shoot, he shows us a forest leveled by judgment:“Look, the Lord God of Hosts will chop off the branches with terrifying power, and the tall trees will be cut down, the high trees felled” (Is. 10:33).
Imagine what remains after a forest fire — the blackened stumps, the soot, the silence. It’s a vivid picture for me after a summer of forest fires surrounding our lake. What was once lush and thriving now lies in ash. Isaiah wants us to feel the starkness of that scene, because hope is most striking against ruin.
This is exactly where Judah stood. Their northern brothers, Israel, had already fallen to Assyria, and Judah’s fear was palpable. If Israel fell, what chance did they have? Could they trust their kings? Would Assyria come for them next?
Though the people had sinned, God would not abandon them. They would face consequences, yes — but not forsakenness. In the terror of an approaching enemy, God remained near.
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” (Isa.11: 1)
Isaiah looks ahead and sees a tender sprout breaking through the devastation — a Messiah rising from David’s line. From what seemed like a dead stump, God promised life. Assyria looked undefeatable, but Isaiah’s vision lifts our eyes to a better King, one whose reign is righteous, enduring, and deeply good.
Like the first green shoots after a wildfire, His kingdom signals renewal and hope.
When we step back, we recognize the same pattern in our own hearts. Sin scorches our lives. The payment of sin is death. Standing before a holy God reveals our inadequacy — we cannot save ourselves or earn our way back to Him.
But redemption would come.
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
From the ashes of judgment, God brings the life we could never grow on our own.
We know what it is to walk through seasons that feel scorched — hardship that leaves us barren, consequences of our own sin, or the simple ache of living in a broken world. Our situations can feel as undefeatable as Assyria.
And yet, God brings life where we only see loss. In Christ, even the stump becomes a place of promise.
The Assyrian empire would fall, but another kingdom would rise — not by human hands, but by a shoot from Jesse’s line. This branch would bear fruit, fulfilling the covenant God made with David. His reign would be righteous, His peace unshakable.
Where we see only stumps, God sees the beginning of new life. And in Christ, that life is already growing.
What is one small way you can look for signs of God’s renewing work in your everyday life this week?
On The Blog
In Articles
We know the feeling, that soul sinking, head bowing, angsty frustration of disappointment. From anything and everything, a package delayed after the holidays, family broken apart and not together for the season, to all the unmet expectations laong the way. Hope. For eternity. In his presence.
"Like that old well, if we aren’t careful about what we put into our hearts and minds, we might find that our well is contaminated. Contaminated water is as useless as having no water at all. Likewise, our spiritual outpouring is useless if it is mixed with worldliness or falsehood. Thus, we must be diligent, discerning, and intentional about how we refresh ourselves when running low." Particularly in this busy December may these truths come to the forefront as we guard our hearts with a watchful eye.
We know the feeling—that soul-sinking, shoulders-dropping ache of disappointment. From delayed packages to strained family dynamics to unmet hopes we carried into the season, the weight can be real. Jana points us to the one hope that will not fail: the eternal presence of Christ.
Have you really thought about how the gospel transforms your work life—not just what you do, but how you do it? Integrity, relationships, rest: each becomes a quiet witness to God’s grace. Maren shows how Christ’s light reaches into even the most ordinary corners of our workdays.
As I've been looking for a study for our winter session, I came across Colleen's Meet Me in the Bible series. In her December newsletter, she invites us to slow down and ponder like Mary by providing some journaling prompts for the season. She's also doing a Meet Me In the Nativity series on Instagram.
Comments