The Advent of New Life

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus uses images and metaphors that resonate with his audience. Often, he uses agrarian symbols to convey the in-breaking of the “Kingdom of God.” Thankfully for us in the Pacific Northwest, he also used forest imagery. We don’t have to go too far in Whatcom County to find a hiking trail or two. The forests in our midst are great teachers of the nature of new life. Nurse logs and nurse stumps abound along the Lake Padden Trail. On a recent trip there, I remember being amazed at the sheer volume of new trees growing out of old trees.

The prophet Isaiah writes about the coming of a “shoot” which will grow out of the stump of Jesse. It refers to the hope that a new king would one day arrive from the family of the great King David (Jesse was David’s father). As Christians, we celebrate that the sprout did indeed arrive with the birth of Jesus and a new reign of everlasting life began.

The image of new life sprouting from old stumps is powerful; it is a lasting image we must hang onto. It speaks to the way that God creates and recreates each day. Out of death, comes resurrection. Out of hopelessness, comes a great future. Whatever we name as the “stumps” of our lives (or in our communities), God arrives there. Theologian Walter Brueggeman writes, “Advent is our decision to trust the new wind against the hopeless stump of what has failed.” This Advent season is a time for us to trust together in the new wind. A time to trust that no matter how dead things might appear, resurrection is near.

See you in worship,

Pastor Joel

Join us for Worship Service
Sundays at 10:30 am