For the final week of Advent Song Reflections, we will be using Scripture and Carols from a traditional Lessons and Carols service. The reading will be posted in full, followed by a carol, followed by a thought or quote to ponder, and then finishing with reflection questions.
You are encouraged to read the text slowly and prayerfully. This week is a time to truly enter into the wonder and joy of the incarnation, and it is our prayer that these texts and carols help you do just that.
Reading for Monday: Isaiah 11:1-9 (NRSV)
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.
Carol: Of the Father’s Love Begotten
Of the Father's Love begotten
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the source, the ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore
He is found in human fashion,
Death and sorrow here to know,
That the race of Adam's children,
Doomed by Law to endless woe,
May not henceforth die and perish
In the dreadful gulf below,
Evermore and evermore!
O ye heights of heaven adore Him!
Angel-hosts His praises sing!
All dominions bow before Him,
And extol our God and King ;
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Every voice in concert sing,
Evermore and evermore!
Christ ! to Thee, with God the Father
And, Holy Ghost, to Thee!
Hymn, and chant, and high thanksgiving,
And unwearied praises be,
Honor, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory,
Evermore and evermore ! Amen.
“Only the most calloused critic would try to deny that this oracle (Isaiah 9) announces the coming of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. In an earlier passage, we were introduced to Him as the Prince of Five Names (9:6) with an emphasis upon His attributes of wisdom, power, love, and peace. Now, Isaiah extends those virtues into the promises for His character (11:2–3), His governance (11:3–5), and His kingdom (11:10–16). What more can we ask? To foresee the promises of God for the coming of the Christ is to break out into song.”—David McKenna
What images from Isaiah 9 capture your attention? Why? As you contemplate the character, governance, and kingdom of Christ, what hopes are stirred in your soul? How are those hopes echoed in today’s carol? How can you offer these hopes prayerfully to God?