Love, the Rose

Week 2: People Look East

ISAIAH 11:1-5

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 for the poor
    and decide with equity for the oppressed 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.

REFLECTION

Love, the rose is on the way. These lyrics call to mind another beloved carol—”Lo, how a rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung; from Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.” In both carols, the coming of Christ is likened to a rose blooming where no rose could possibly grow. In “People Look East,” the rose blooms in the dead of winter, when the earth is dead and bare. In “Lo, How a Rose,” the rose blooms from the stump of Jesse’s lineage—a reference to King David’s father, and an image of the devastation that the prophet Isaiah warned that Israel and Judah would experience at the hands of the Assyrians and later, the Babylonians. 

Defeated by foreign powers, the last Kings from the line of David were killed or carried away into captivity. It is hard to overstate the people’s desolation; these were not just political defeats, they were a crushing blow to the people’s faith, for it seemed that God had utterly abandoned them. What had happened to the promises God had made to Abraham, to establish his descendants in the Promised Land? And how could it be that they were ruled by foreign powers, rather than a King from the line of David, whose throne God had promised to establish forever? The image of the stump of Jesse vividly conveys the people’s sense that their future had been cut down. They had become nothing more than a dry and withered stump. And yet, Isaiah’s words offered hope that the dark days ahead would not last forever. A day of renewal would come, when, “a shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” All hope was not lost. A new king from David’s line would arise, one whose rule will never fail, because he will bring justice and liberation for all the oppressed. 

Centuries later, the writer of “Lo, How A Rose” looked back at Isaiah’s words and saw in them an image of the coming of Christ as an ever-blooming rose—a branch from Jesse’s lineage that shall never fade away, and one that brings with it the sweet fragrance of justice and love. It is this rose that “People Look East” greets in the middle of winter. The love of God makes renewal possible, even when it seems impossible, both for the people of ancient Israel, and for us. So, hold on to hope. Furrows, be glad, though earth is bare; one more seed is planted there. Love, the rose, is on the way.

REFLECTION QUESTION(S):

Have you ever experienced something that deeply shook your faith? What helped you to hold onto hope?

“Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming”, by Faye Hall

WRITTEN BY

Lucy Baum