Advent Daybook 19: O Root of Jesse, come!
This week we are adoring Jesus by praying the prophetic names of the O Antiphons. Read this post for an overview.
Pray: O Root of Jesse, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.
Look: Annunciation, Julia Stankova - source
Listen*: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, Sara Groves - Lyrics | Spotify | YouTube
Read: Isaiah 10:33-11:2a,10; Isaiah 52:13-15, Habakkuk 2:3, Romans 15:7-9,12, Luke 1:26-33, Revelation 5:5
"Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts will lop the boughs with terrifying power; the great in height will be hewn down, and the lofty will be brought low. He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe, and Lebanon with its majestic trees will fall.
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
... In that day the root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples; him shall the nations seek, and his dwellings shall be glorious.
... Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. As many were astonished at him— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men— so shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand."
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"For still the vision awaits its time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seem slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay."
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"Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
As it is written,
'Therefore I will praise thee among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name'
... and further Isaiah says,
'The root of Jesse shall come, he who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles hope.'"
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"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.'”
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"Then one of the elders said to me, 'Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.'"
Sing the third verse of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel as today's prayer:
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Do: Create more space for God throughout your day today (and maybe the remaining days of Advent!) by eliminating an unnecessary daily habit. Remove some or all internet access, news, music, email, or texts from your morning routine, your drive to work, during a lunch break, from dinner through bed or even throughout a whole day. Allow God to fill this new empty space.
Resist the temptation to fill the space with other distraction, and instead use the time to reflect on how this kind of fasting is affecting your openness to God.
Make space for the adoration of our God
You might also enjoy: O Radix, Malcolm Guite's sonnet for today's Advent antiphon. I highly recommend listening to the poet-priest read to you himself. Scroll toward the bottom of the post for the link and the recording!
For an introduction read this post: Advent Daybook Explained. You can see previous Advent daybook 2018 posts here.
* Listen to my entire playlist on Spotify: Advent 2019. Add it to your account by clicking ‘Follow.’
** Sunday Scripture readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary (Year A). Daily Scripture readings are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (Year 2).