Isaiah 11:1 (NIVUK)
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
On the 28th September 2023, the Sycamore Gap Tree was felled in an act of vandalism, leaving just a stump behind, an act which caught the headlines. Since then the National Trust have revealed that there is life in the stump, and the hope that despite appearances, given time a heavily coppiced tree will emerge. Saplings, propagated from seeds from the tree are being given to charities, groups and individuals as ‘trees of hope’. The Sycamore Gap Tree of God’s People was their time under King David (Jesse’s descendent). This may have been felled, but Isaiah says, despite appearances, there is hope, a new branch will grow and bear fruit…
Are there stumps in your life? The message of Advent is that despite appearances, Christ always brings hope.
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