By Pastor Steve Nickodemus
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link.
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”
Isaiah 11:1 English Standard Version
The geranium had stood by our kitchen window for years. It looked healthy enough, but no flowers bloomed. But at just the right time, just as Advent began, the seemingly dead plant bloomed! A beautiful flower sprang forth!
And so it was with our God. A people seemingly rejected and forgotten by God had prayed for a long, long time for the Messiah to come and save them. And then it happened! A Child was born of the line of David, in a poor and obscure place, to humble parents, and laid in a manger. But shepherds beheld angels and magi worshiped him and Simeon sang in the temple.
The Savior had come! Yes, from a very humble place and with many who would not receive him. But for all those who would receive him, they would become the children of God.
This is the miracle of Christmas. God has not forgotten you, He sends His Son, our Savior, to redeem you from sin and darkness. Praise God that Jesus came at just the right time!
“Lo, how a rose e’er blooming From tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming As prophets long have sung,
It came a flow’ret bright, Amid the cold of winter,
When half-spent was the night.”
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church Colorado Springs, Colorado
