“A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse; a branch will sprout from his roots” (Is. 11:1 CEB).

     The prophet Jeremiah utters a strange proclamation to the people of Israel. He boldly tells them that “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse.” A stump is dead, so how can anything come to life out of its being? There is no hope that anything can come out of something that no longer has life.

     As I reflect, I realize I have forgotten the Holy One’s power to bring hope. Through divine power, life can emerge even from death’s seeming finality, reminding us that with God, all things are possible and renewal is always within reach.

     I think of the subtle messages that try to drown out hope. When others’ voices weigh us down, and expectations overwhelm us, we hear the damaging voices that say nothing can grow in our hearts, leaving us in despair and doubt.

     Who could imagine anything growing from the stump of utter chaos? I often find myself in places where hope seems cut off, where loss and despair deaden my heart, making it hard to believe in new beginnings.

     We sit in our sorrow, unable to move, and then realize an amazing thing. God is with us, and step by step, inch by inch, we witness a miracle. Those things that hold us in bondage no longer have us as captured. Suddenly, we experience the beginning of life, as it awakens our hearts and reminds us of the gift of God’s presence, offering comfort in our struggles.

     God comes to us at this Advent time and invites us to move beyond the valley of death and instead, sit beside streams of living water. We may still want to sit on the stump for a while, but God will sit with us until we see a green shoot growing out of a dead stump. We persevere and rejoice in the presence of our deliverer, trusting that God’s Power will restore and renew us, even in dark times.