Bible Readings and Devotion for November 6 and 7, 2020

Here are the references for the readings.  Please look these up in your print Bible, your smartphone app Bible, or your online Bible.

November 6

Luke 17:20-37

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Psalm 18

Isaiah 11

November 7

Luke 18:1-8   

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Psalm 19-21

Isaiah 12

Devotion for November 6 and 7, 2020

By Pastor David Tinker

In the church I served in Ohio, prior to coming to Carmine, they had two art pieces in the sanctuary during Advent which relate to our reading from Isaiah chapter 11 for today.  These two were:

1. A Bible set up as a manger for the Jesus statue from their large nativity scene.
2. A Jesse Tree.

In Isaiah 11:1-3a, the prophet writes, “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.”

The shoot out of the stump of Jesse is a connection with the promise of a king in the family line of David for all time.  Jesse was the father of King David.  The use of the term, stump of Jesse, is poetic way to speak of King David.  As Jesus is a descendant of King David, he is also the fulfillment of this prophetic word of God.

1. The use of the Bible as the manger for Jesus was for this purpose. It symbolized that the Bible is the manger which presents Jesus to the world.  The Old Testament presents the prophetic word which points to the eventual ministry of Jesus.  The New Testament tells us about what he has done.  At the church in Ohio they would have the Bible open to a different Old Testament prophecy each week.  One of these was our passage from Isaiah 11.
2. The Jesse Tree was used to present various symbols which tell about the prophetic foundation of Jesus as well as about his life and ministry.  They brought a small tree, not a Christmas tree, into the sanctuary and decorated it with various symbolic ornaments depicting things about Jesus. See image above. Here is an extensive description of the symbols recommended for such a teaching decoration: Click This Link.

Prayer

Blessed are you, God of hope, for you promise to bring forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse who will bring justice to the poor, who will deliver the needy and crush the oppressor, who will stand as a signal of hope for all people. Turn our wills to bear the fruit of repentance, transform our hearts to live in justice and harmony with one another, and fix our eyes on the root of Jesse, Jesus Christ, the hope of all nations. Amen

Prayer adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Copyright © 2020 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.