O Root of Jesse

So we had a bad start to the morning....I am not sure why but the boys were all in a snippy mood bickering over little things.  I had to break this cycle quick or it was going to be a bad day...not the ideal for this Advent season...or any season for that matter!  I tried to send everyone to their rooms to clean in hopes that having Mary and Joseph in their room today would help motivate them.  NOPE!!!!  They seemed to be asking for a fight...so I needed to do something drastic!

I decided to make them walk a mile.  We have a nice wrap around porch and we once measured it off and found out that 25 times around the house is a mile.  So that is what I had them do...but the catch was...nobody could move unless they were all holding hands!  They had to work together...all four of them holding on to each other moving together WITHOUT FIGHTING!!!!  They had to work as a team.  It took about five times around the house for them to get settled down...every time they fussed, I made them stop and talk it out before they could move again.

Thankfully...by God's grace...the boys not only made it around the house a mile...but also managed to like it...the younger riding on the backs of the older ones to finish up the final laps.  They were calmer and nicer and ready to start the day.

Since they were already outside, I decided to have our Bible devotion outside this morning.  It is a nice crisp day...not too humid and just the right temp to be comfortable.  We read from the Gospel of Luke about Zechariah and Elizabeth finding out about John through the message of an angel (1:5-25).  Once again, the story is fresh and new in spite of the fact that we think we know it so well.

Zechariah, a righteous man...speaking to an angel before the altar in the Temple...doubts God's will.  But we have to look at him...an old man...his wife barren...it is not surprising to think that it might not be possible.  Is Zechariah punished for his disbelief?  YES!!!!  He is made "speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time."  So...here we have this righteous man who still makes a mistake and must be punished.

Just as a righteous man like Zechariah can make a mistake, so can we err in our judgment.  Imagine if we were struck mute every time this happened...the world would be a quieter place!  LOL!  But maybe we would be a little wiser also.  It makes me think back to Psalm 42..."Be still and know that I am God."  In Zechariah's time as a mute, he likely spent the time listening to God's will.  When we are reminded of our sinfulness, do we sit back in silence and listen to God's plans?

So fitting that our nativity scene had lambs added to it, and we are asked: "Strive to bring little lambs, meek and patient, to the nativity. Do not murmur or complain.  Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like Thine.  Amen."  With a humble and meek heart, we turn to God for guidance.  In His wisdom we choose the path that brings us to Him.


The Jesse Tree Ornament also reminds of the humility it takes to follow God's will.  The lily symbolizes life and Resurrection, which is our hope for the future.  This we find as we read the story of the incarnation in a new light....God's humble servant, Mary, says yes (Luke 1:26-38).


Later in the evening we prayed the antiphon for the day:

"Come to deliver us, and tarry not.  Root of Jesse, who stands for an ensign of the people, before whom kings shall keep silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: Come to deliver us, and tarry not.



"The flower which springs up from the root of Jesse is another figure of Christ. Isaiah prophesied that the Savior would be born from the root of Jesse, that He would sit upon the throne of David, and in Christ this prophecy is fulfilled.

Recommended Readings: Isaiah 11:1-12."

This brought to mind one of my favorite books to read during this time of year, Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl Buck.  I think this story fits because it shows the importance of respecting authority.  When we look back at the line of David...it is when God's Chosen People respect their authority and follow God's plan that they are blessed.  This starts at the top...from the leader down to the lowliest servant...we all have to look at God as our authority.  God is the ultimate authority figure....however, he has placed under authority here on earth as well.  By being respectful to this authority, we show that we have respect for God's authority.

I won't get into a big discussion about earthly authority today, but I think we can at least all agree that our parents and our pastors are obviously authorities here on earth.  And, even Paul discussed the need to be obedient to government authority (i.e. Hebrews 13:17).  With that said, I am glad that we have the guidance of our Church leaders to teach us about theological issues.  As we read Jesus of Nazareth, I am able to learn so much more about the details of the life of Jesus found in the Gospels.  Tonight, we learned the wise men.  Once again, I think I will save this information as we get closer to the feast day related in this part of the Bible.


One Christmas card came from one of our dear friends from the Young Eagles program...We are so blessed to know this kind couple who teaches our children about flying airplanes.  May Rick and Linda be blessed this holiday along with their precious family!

Today was a struggle...I spent most of the day putting out fires...I hope the boys can get a good night's rest and wake up in a better mood.  It really makes it difficult when we struggle like this for prolonged periods.  I have learned that the best option is to pull back and not do so much, but in this case we might need to add some activity to our day.  The boys must be getting restless from all of our inactivity.  I thought we would be baking by now but do to a situation in our house I have not been able to do that...hopefully you will be reading about our pre-Christmas baking tomorrow!