God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you.
My sermon today is entitled Stump Growth, and my focus is Isaiah (chapter 11, with a
special emphasis on verse 1: “A shoot will come up from the stump of
Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”). Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within
your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit
enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we
pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
Have you ever
coppiced? Some of us have coppiced, but are afraid to admit it. People who know
how to coppice can make a good living at it. Before you get the wrong idea – to
coppice means to cut back in order to regrow.
A traditional method
of woodland management, coppicing enables new growth from the stump or roots if
cut down. You cut the tree stems to about ground level so that new shoots can
grow. Then the coppiced tree is ready to be harvested, and the cycle begins
again.
Willow trees are the
most popular because of their rapid regeneration. When I lived in
Oklahoma, I had a lot of unwanted coppiced trees in my back yard. Some of you may
have them here. You cut the tree down to a stump, and shoots sprout from the
roots. If you want to get rid of unwanted coppiced trees, drill holes in the
stump, pour in potassium nitrate and burn them, or call a professional
landscaper.
Stump growth was quite
familiar to Israelites. Therefore, it is quite logical that when prophesying
about the Messiah that Isaiah’s prophecy would use a familiar image. Shoots
sprout from stumps and roots bear fruit. However, before examining the
prophet’s message, we explore how John the Baptist practiced coppicing along
the Jordan River 700 years later.
John called people
to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” He
echoed Isaiah’s words: “Prepare the way for the Lord.” Repentant
sinners prepared through baptism. Those too proud for repentance and baptism
faced the ax and fire. As the homeowner of wooded property, I know exactly the
meaning of John’s words, “The ax is already at the root of the
trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and
thrown into the fire.” Unlike John, I use a chainsaw before I throw
dead trees and rotten stumps into the fire.
Coppicing or cutting
down makes room for new growth in forest or field, in ministry or the military.
Being cut down or just being cut down to size is humbling and even humiliating.
The problem of the Pharisees and Sadducees chastised by John was that they
lacked humility, and would not repent. John cut down unrepentant sinners who
produced no fruit. His message was much like Isaiah who cried, “The
eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord
alone will be exalted.”
Like John, Isaiah called
people to prepare for the Day of the Lord. And so, we return to Isaiah to see
how stump growth is related to messianic prophecy. When God called Isaiah to be
a prophet, an angel flew to him with a live coal from the altar. The angel
touched the prophet’s mouth and said, “See, this has touched your
lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah
then heard the voice of God reveal how His people would be captured and His
land wasted. Yet, God promised, “But as the terebinth
and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy
seed will be the stump in the land.”
The holy seed will be
the stump in the land. … Isaiah maintains this divinely inspired stump growth
image throughout his preaching. In today’s opening verse, he states, “A
shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear
fruit.” Jesse, the father of King David, is an ancestor of Jesus.
“Son of David” is a biblical term that refers to the Messiah. Thus, the shoot
that grows out of the stump of Jesse is the Lord Jesus.
Isaiah prophesied the
Spirit will rest on the Christ, the Messiah. He then describes some aspects of
this Promised Messiah. The Spirit will endow Him with wisdom and power, and
other gifts; and the poor and needy, He will judge with righteousness. …
You say, “That’s
all quite nice, but what does a 2,700 year-old messianic prophecy have to do
with Christian living in 21st century America? What message do
Isaiah and John leave for us today?” Two words: WAKE
UP!!!
Following Christ today
is more arduous than clearing a wooded lot, more humbling than basic training
in God’s Army. For the mature Christian, following Christ means humiliation,
death and new growth. In other words, Christian discipleship involves constant
wakeup calls.
An example. 17 years
ago this month, my friend, Doctor William Katz, Clinical Director of Echocardiography
at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Heart and Vascular Institute,
informed me that my mother had between two months and two years to live. At the
time, I was serving as a pastor and hospital chaplain in Eureka, California. I
asked Bill, “Do you think I should come back?” His
one-sentence wakeup call was, “If it were my mother, I would.” Sometimes,
following Christ involves not only moving, but also moving out of your comfort
zone. Moving from Northwestern California to Southwestern Pennsylvania changed
my lifestyle and added new responsibilities. Being mom’s primary caregiver
changed me, but left me with no regrets.
A more compelling
example is from Congressman Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania. I met Mike, a member of
Word of God Church in Swissvale, when I served as a pastor there in the
mid-90’s. One Sunday morning when he spoke to our men’s group, a member of the
church asked Mike how his life changed since he was elected to Congress. Mike
response was this.
“As a congressman, you
receive a lot of invitations to speak to people. In the first six months, I
accepted every request. During the week, I lived and worked in Washington. On
weekends, I spoke to groups throughout the district. Then, one Saturday morning
I was sitting at the kitchen table with my wife, drinking
coffee and reading the paper, when she asked, “How
long are you going to do this congress thing?” Putting down the paper,
I responded, “What do you mean?” My wife said, “I want
to know how long you’re going to do this because I want to know when I’m going
to get my husband back, when the kids will get their father back, and when we
will be a family again.”
Mike said, “It
was like getting smacked between the eyes with a 2x4.” He
continued. “I informed my staff that I would take no more Saturday
requests.” Mike, who will retire from office in January 2023, who attended
church faithfully and participated in a congressional prayer group, learned
that the mature Christian sometimes needs a humble smack between the eyes with
the proverbial 2x4 in order to make necessary changes to save his marriage and
family, to be coppiced in order to enable new growth.
Advent is that
sobering time when Christians eagerly anticipate the coming of Christ – as an
infant on December 25th and as glorious Lord and Judge on a
date yet unknown. As that Day of the Lord nears, we have to ask ourselves three
questions. First, am I prepared to repent or cut back in order to bear fruit? As
I prepare for Christmas, what activities in my life do I need to cut to
regenerate new growth? If the Holy Spirit could coppice my life, how would that
benefit the people closest to me? How would basic training in the Lord’s army
humble me and make a better Christian out of me? Instead of watching television
or online videos, can I spend more time pondering God’s Word? Am I willing to
share more time with my spouse and family and less time on social media?
Second, am I willing
to forgive because I have been forgiven? As we receive invitations to holiday
parties and family dinners, is there someone with whom I need to make amends?
You know that person – the one who owes you rent because he or she occupies so
much time in your head and even causes you to sin in thought. Am I as arrogant
as a Pharisee on Jordan’s Bank that I need not reconcile? Who have I not
forgiven as the Lord has forgiven me?
Finally, do I love
with abandon – because God will never abandon us? Do I express my excitement
like a puppy? Whenever you come home from work, maybe the spouse or kids do not
get excited and run to greet you, but the family dog does and makes you feel
like a million bucks because they live totally in the present. … God lives
totally in the present. Every time God sees you, he gets excited and runs like
some old fool to greet you with hugs and kisses (Luke 15:20). Do I love like
that? Do I love with abandon? If not, perhaps the biggest change I can make is
to love God and neighbor with abandon knowing that God will never abandon me. Friends,
God will never abandon us, and as we await the Day of the Lord, may the peace
of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus. Amen.[*]
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