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Personal Devotion

December 15th

See Jesse Tree Link

Discover Scripture and Life

Introduction: 

Bible

Questions for Reflection

1. Growing up or in your house, what Advent devotional practices did you do? Advent Candles; Advent Calendars; Midweek Worship; Caroling? How did they help prepare for the deeper meaning of Christmas?

2. Imagine a shoot out of a stump. When have you ever been surprised at new life growing out of what seemed dead and gone?

3. Within Isaiah’s own life or view, he imagined a new King that would be different from the Kings of Judah. Each line in Isaiah might be a critique of what had been experienced. Read again vs 2-10 and imagine the critique of the actual kings.

4. Which line stays with you most as a critique and a hope for something better?

5. What does vs 3-4 mean? About not judging by what you see/hear, but in fear of God? What does it mean to judge the poor?

6. What does it mean for the opposites to co-exist in vs 6-8? Which of them is most striking to you?

7. Christians believe that the fulfillment of this prophecy takes place in Jesus, the Messiah (anointed one.). How is Jesus a fulfillment of these verses (in an actual, literal way)

8. Why do we include Vs 2, the seven gifts of the Spirit in the service of Baptism and the prayer of blessing? We give you thanks, O God, that through water and the Holy Spirit you give your daughters and sons new birth, cleanse them from sin, and raise them to eternal life. Sustain name with the gift of your Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever. How does this describe how a Christian is to live a different kind of life?

9. The Jesse tree points to a repeated pattern of how God works. We sin, we suffer, God comes to save, we are restored. Do you see that pattern in your own life? Or does it seem not to apply to you?

Discover More about the Message

Reflect on the message you heard in person or on-line. You can listen to the message online here.

https://firstlutherancr.org/resources/sermons

1. What is something you heard that was interesting or engaging?

2. Is there anything that raised a question or needed more explanation?

3. What is one thing you take with you? It may be something to do, something to trust, or a wisdom of insight to have.

Together with God in Prayer

OPTION 1—ONE WORD. Take time to reflect about your day, your concerns, and how God may be speaking to you. As you reflect about your day, what is one word that summarizes how you are feeling? What might God be saying to you in this word?

OPTION 2: Reflect on the past 24 hours

Step 1: Ask God to calm your self and help you see your life from God’s perspective.

Step 2: Review the last 24 hours. What happened? What stands out? What captures your attention? What is a High and Low of this time? When did you experience God’s presence? When did you feel apart or distant from God?

Step 3: Give your day to God your day. Ask for forgiveness where needed. Give thanks.

Step 4: Look forward. How might you be more loving this day? What is God calling you to do?

Prayer—Who or What can you pray for today?

Close in the Lord’s Prayer—Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

Five Minutes With God

(Optional)

INTRODUCTION: 

O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem, unto your own and rescue them!

From depths of hell your people save,

and give them victory o'er the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to you, O Israel.

We know our grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and siblings, and parents. Some of these people are or were what we politely call “colorful characters.” Others we remember fondly. Then there are those we’d rather not mention. The Jesse Tree, that we will be reflecting on this Advent, is a family tree. Actually, it’s OUR family tree of faith. During Advent we will hear stories of people not so different from our relatives. They too are colorful, warmly remembered, and sadly remembered. All of them are descendent upon descendent upon descendent until we finally come to Jesus, the Heart of the Jesse Tree, the Branch of Jesse’s stem.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: The above stanza is from the Advent hymn, O Come, O Come Emmanuel. As you reflect on the Jesse Tree, our family tree, this Advent, keep these words close by. Maybe sing them! Let them be a reminder of Jesus, the Heart of the Jesse Tree and the one who will be nailed to a tree to answer the hymn’s cry for rescue and life.

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Small Group

Week Of December 15th

See Jesse Tree Link

Five Minutes With God

(Optional)

INTRODUCTION: 

O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,

unto your own and rescue them!

From depths of hell your people save,

and give them victory o'er the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to you, O Israel.

We know our grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and siblings, and parents. Some of these people are or were what we politely call “colorful characters.” Others we remember fondly. Then there are those we’d rather not mention. The Jesse Tree, that we will be reflecting on this Advent, is a family tree. Actually, it’s OUR family tree of faith. During Advent we will hear stories of people not so different from our relatives. They too are colorful, warmly remembered, and sadly remembered. All of them are descendent upon descendent upon descendent until we finally come to Jesus, the Heart of the Jesse Tree, the Branch of Jesse’s stem.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: The above stanza is from the Advent hymn, O Come, O Come Emmanuel. As you reflect on the Jesse Tree, our family tree, this Advent, keep these words close by. Maybe sing them! Let them be a reminder of Jesus, the Heart of the Jesse Tree and the one who will be nailed to a tree to answer the hymn’s cry for rescue and life.

Discover Scripture and Life

Introduction: The Jesse Tree is an Advent Devotional set of Scriptures that looks to the many stories of God’s saving work that meet us in our deepest need. Isaiah 11 offers the image of a shoot coming form the stump of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David, and the Davidic line of kings ended with the fall of Jerusalem. Isaiah promised a beginning of hope where people only saw the end in failure.

Bible

Isaiah 11:1-10

1A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

2The 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.

3His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide by what his ears hear;

4but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

5Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

6The wolf shall live with the lamb,

the leopard shall lie down with the kid,

the calf and the lion and the fatling together,

and a little child shall lead them.

7The cow and the bear shall graze,

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.

9They will not hurt or destroy

on all my holy mountain;

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

10On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Opening Discovery

1. Growing up or in your house, what Advent devotional practices did you do? Advent Candles; Advent Calendars; Midweek Worship; Caroling? How did they help prepare for the deeper meaning of Christmas? 

More about the Scripture

1. Imagine a shoot out of a stump. When have you ever been surprised at new life growing out of what seemed dead and gone?

2. Within Isaiah’s own life or view, he imagined a new King that would be different from the Kings of Judah. Each line in Isaiah might be a critique of what had been experienced. Read again vs 2-10 and imagine the critique of the actual kings.

3. Which line stays with you most as a critique and a hope for something better?

4. What does vs 3-4 mean? About not judging by what you see/hear, but in fear of God? What does it mean to judge the poor?

5. What does it mean for the opposites to co-exist in vs 6-8? Which of them is most striking to you?

6. Christians believe that the fulfillment of this prophecy takes place in Jesus, the Messiah (anointed one.). How is Jesus a fulfillment of these verses (in an actual, literal way)

More about Life

1. Why do we include Vs 2, the seven gifts of the Spirit in the service of Baptism and the prayer of blessing? We give you thanks, O God, that through water and the Holy Spirit you give your daughters and sons new birth, cleanse them from sin, and raise them to eternal life. Sustain name with the gift of your Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever. How does this describe how a Christian is to live a different kind of life?

2. The Jesse tree points to a repeated pattern of how God works. We sin, we suffer, God comes to save, we are restored. Do you see that pattern in your own life? Or does it seem not to apply to you?

Together in Prayer

1. As you look to the coming week, what is one word that summarizes how you are feeling.

2. Do you have any prayer concern that you would like to share? What is it?

Closing Prayer

Pray for the concerns shared in the group. Close in the Lord’s Prayer.

You may also use this prayer.

O God, we thank you for this time we have shared. We bring before you the joys and concerns of our heart. We pray especially for….. Grant us your healing and peace, in Jesus name. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

Lord remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

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Team Devotions

Week of December 15th

See Jesse Tree Link

Together in Community

If there is a new person, welcome them and introduce group members.

Discover Scripture and Life

Introduction- The Jesse Tree is an Advent Devotional set of Scriptures that looks to the many stories of God’s saving work that meet us in our deepest need. Isaiah 11 offers the image of a shoot coming form the stump of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David, and the Davidic line of kings ended with the fall of Jerusalem. Isaiah promised a beginning of hope where people only saw the end in failure. 

Bible

Isaiah 11:1-10

1A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

2The 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.

3His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide by what his ears hear;

4but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

5Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

6The wolf shall live with the lamb,

the leopard shall lie down with the kid,

the calf and the lion and the fatling together,

and a little child shall lead them.

7The cow and the bear shall graze,

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.

9They will not hurt or destroy

on all my holy mountain;

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

10On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Question—Choose 1 (If there are 6 or more in the group, breakout in groups of 2 or 3.)

1. Growing up or in your house, what Advent devotional practices did you do? Advent Candles; Advent Calendars; Midweek Worship; Caroling? How did they help prepare for the deeper meaning of Christmas?

2. Imagine a shoot out of a stump. When have you ever been surprised at new life growing out of what seemed dead and gone?

3. Within Isaiah’s own life or view, he imagined a new King that would be different from the Kings of Judah. Each line in Isaiah might be a critique of what had been experienced. Read again vs 2-10 and imagine the critique of the actual kings.

4. Which line stays with you most as a critique and a hope for something better?

5. What does vs 3-4 mean? About not judging by what you see/hear, but in fear of God? What does it mean to judge the poor?

6. What does it mean for the opposites to co-exist in vs 6-8? Which of them is most striking to you?

7. Christians believe that the fulfillment of this prophecy takes place in Jesus, the Messiah (anointed one.). How is Jesus a fulfillment of these verses (in an actual, literal way)

8. Why do we include Vs 2, the seven gifts of the Spirit in the service of Baptism and the prayer of blessing? We give you thanks, O God, that through water and the Holy Spirit you give your daughters and sons new birth, cleanse them from sin, and raise them to eternal life. Sustain name with the gift of your Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever. How does this describe how a Christian is to live a different kind of life?

9. The Jesse tree points to a repeated pattern of how God works. We sin, we suffer, God comes to save, we are restored. Do you see that pattern in your own life? Or does it seem not to apply to you?

Together in Prayer

Connect with one another before prayer. Choose one of these options.

Option 1: One word—As you reflect about your day, what is one word that summarizes how you are feeling.

Option 2: Share High’s and Low’s

(If there are 6 or more in the group, then share high’s and low’s in small groups of 2 or 3.)

Prayer—We thank you God for bringing us together. We give thanks and praise for the good gifts you have given us. For the concerns and challenges we experience, help us to give them to you in the confidence of your loving care for us. In our sharing and listening, open us to your presence. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer—Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

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Five Minutes with God

February 2

INTRODUCTION: Last week, Jesus announced some of the wonderful blessings he came into the world to give us: good news to the poor, freedom to the captive and oppressed, sight to the blind, and God’s favor for all. But sometimes we really don’t know what to do with good news. Sometimes we aren’t really sure we want healing and freedom, especially when the one announcing it to us isn’t very credible in our eyes. Sometimes we would rather reject the gifts as well as the one who offers the gift. This was the response Jesus received from those in his hometown. They would rather throw Jesus off a cliff than believe that God is offering them gifts through him.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE:  When do you reject help, even much needed help, because of the WHO that is offering it to you? Spend some time with God reflecting on this, especially why you do so. Then reflect on the times you could offer some help to someone else, but refuse to do so because of WHO they are? Do you see any connections between these WHO’S? What might Jesus want to share with you about your WHO’S?