There is something sad about a stump, particularly a large stump. When you think of the decades it took for the tree to grow — leaning over the stump you can count the rings — that the life of the tree was snuffed out in an instant by a chain saw seems wrong, somehow. But, as the Prophet reminds, us stumps can have a second act. On that day, A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The vitality of the tree was not destoyed when it was cut down. The Biblical truth this illustrates is that, no matter how dire things might seem, God isn’t finished yet. God can bring life out of death. When we look at the world today it can seem that forces opposed to the compassion and mercy of God have “clear cut” their way through society. Brutality and force can seem ascendant. But every little shoot of kindness and care and forgiveness we extend buds forth a blossom of hope.
