December 8th

Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming

• Lyrics

  Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming
  From tender stem hath sprung!
  Of Jesse's lineage coming
  As men of old have sung.
  It came, a flower bright,
  Amid the cold of winter
  When half-gone was the night. 

  Isaiah 'twas foretold it,
  The Rose I have in mind:
  With Mary we behold it,
  The virgin mother kind.
  To show God's love aright
  She bore to men a Savior
  When half-gone was the night.

   This Flower, whose fragrance tender
  With sweetness fills the air,
  Dispels with glorious splendor
  The darkness everywhere.
  True man, yet very God,
  From sin and death He saves us
  And lightens every load

Scripture

“Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
a Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a Spirit of counsel and strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
His delight will be in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, he will not execute justice by what he hears with his ears, but he will judge the poor righteously and execute justice for the oppressed of the land.
He will strike the land with a scepter from his mouth, and he will kill the wicked with a command from his lips.
Righteousness will be a belt around his hips; faithfulness will be a belt around his waist.
The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf will be together, and a child will lead them.
The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like cattle.
An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit, and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den. They will not harm or destroy each other on my entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is filled with water.
On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will look to him for guidance, and his resting place will be glorious.”

— Isaiah 11:1-10 (CSB)

Other Scripture reading:

Isaiah 35; Matthew 11:25-30

Discussion Questions

1. What does the symbolism of life from death in a flower in the wilderness mean to you?

2. How does the prophecy of Jesus provide peace and comfort for us today?

3. What are you holding on to that gets in the way of seeing the purpose and the plan that God has for you?