Give. Grow. Renew.

A Reflection on the First Reading for December 8th, 2019:
​Second Sunday of Advent

​Isaiah 11.1-10

On that day:
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.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but 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.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The 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.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They 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.

On 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.

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Have you ever felt burnt out? That feeling of exhaustion and negativity and even hopelessness can really shape your daily attitude and perspective. It can engulf you in the idea that what you are doing is not enough and that who you are is not good enough. It is the voice that tells you that even though you are giving all of yourself, it is just not enough.


This experience reminds me of my favourite book as a child, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. The story is about a beautiful, tall apple tree and a boy. Throughout the story, the boy continuously asks the tree for its resources. And the tree always gives. It gives its apples, its branches, and its trunk. Eventually, all the tree has left is a stump. It is no longer tall and beautiful. It has given everything and has nothing left to give. The tree is like Jesus. He gave and gave until He sacrificed it all. But it was clear that even after He seemingly gave everything, He still had a purpose to fulfill and He still had more blessings to pour out.

"[E]ven after He seemingly gave everything, He still had a purpose to fulfill and He still had more blessings to pour out." 

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At the end of The Giving Tree, the boy comes back as an old man. The tree feels that it can’t do any more for the boy, but all he wants is a place to rest, and a stump is a perfect place to rest. We never stop having a purpose. We can always serve God and others, even if our gifts present themselves in different ways. 


This scripture is the prophecy of Jesus coming. The coming of Jesus fosters a sense of great hope and promise. Isaiah said that “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Jesus wants to renew us and help us to grow and flourish in His purpose and love. He desires to pour out His wisdom and understanding to fuel that growth. 


If you feel burnt out, remember this promise. Remember that you have worth and the capability to share your gifts. Jesus wants to help grow your branches to reach those around you. Remember to ask Him to help you to do that. He will always help you to do that. I pray that we may turn to Him in our times of self doubt and be open to the growth that He desires for us. Amen. ​


Megan Noye

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