{"id":767081,"date":"2013-12-08T23:45:46","date_gmt":"2013-12-09T04:45:46","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-06-23T13:13:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T17:13:05","slug":"bible-study-advent-2-a-2013","status":"publish","type":"bible_study","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/bible_study\/bible-study-advent-2-a-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Bible Study: Advent 2 (A) &#8211; 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Isaiah 11:1-10<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.\u201d As with the rest of Isaiah, especially this passage, this first verse has exerted a strong influence on Christian imagination. For example, in medieval art \u2013 illuminations and stained-glass windows, the Jesse Tree these images, which vary in detail and complexity, offer highly symbolic representations of the ancestry of Jesus.\u201d (See \u201cJesse Tree\u201d in the \u201cImages of Salvation\u201d CD, University of York, 1999.) Jesse is usually recumbent at the bottom of the image, with a rod or shoot springing from his loins. The rod branches out, with further images of Isaiah, David, the apostles, the virtues, and the church frequently represented among them. At the very top is Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arguably, the most interesting aspect of the various versions of the Jesse Tree is that Mary is generally featured prominently somewhere in the center of the image, connected to Jesse through the rod. Scholars point to the cult of the Virgin Mary that formed so much of the church\u2019s theology as well as the word play engendered by the Latin words for \u201cvirgin\u201d \u2013 virgo \u2013 and \u201crod\u201d \u2013 virga as the reasoning for these images. When one reads Jesus\u2019 genealogy as given by Matthew, however, it is Joseph who is demonstrated as the descendent of Jesse. Perhaps, as others, including Rowan Williams, have suggested, this is not a literal family tree at all. Williams reminds us that \u201cMary\u2019s child is of God\u201d (\u201cChrist on Trial: How the Gospel Unsettles Our Judgment,\u201d Eerdmans Publishing, 2000, p. 20). Perhaps Jesus\u2019 connection to Jesse is a theological one, a spiritual one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>As we continue through Advent, draw your spiritual family tree. Who would you include? Why? Take some silent time to pray and give thanks to God for them.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How do you pray for someone else? How do we converse with God about someone other than ourselves without making the prayer about ourselves? Perhaps today\u2019s psalm shows us the way as an example of intercessory prayer. (See Howard Neil Wallace\u2019s \u201cWords to God, Word From God: The Psalms in the Prayer and Preaching of the Church,\u201d Ashgate, 2005, p. 116.) What do you notice about the language? What is missing in this psalm that appears in many other psalms? Who is the focus of this psalm? How is that focus represented by the psalmist\u2019s language, in other words?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\u201cThe need of the other is related to our faith and hope in the kingdom of God\u201d (Wallace, p. 116). How is this statement reflected in today\u2019s psalm? How is this statement reflected in the other passages for today? How is it reflected in your own life this Advent season?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Romans 15:4-13<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf I&#8217;m king, where&#8217;s my power? Can I form a government? Can I levy a tax, declare a war? No! And yet I am the seat of all authority. Why? Because the nation believes that when I speak, I speak for them. But I can\u2019t speak.\u201d Colin Firth, as King George VI, says this in the film \u201cThe King\u2019s Speech.\u201d He feels a sense of impotence, of helplessness at what he perceives to be a weakness on his part, as he stutters when he speaks. Part of that is his feeling that he does not have a voice, that his voice does not matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today\u2019s passage is all about voice. Paul is wrapping up his exhortation (parenesis) to the Roman community, hoping that his words, his voice will help this community of Jews and gentiles work toward listening to each other instead of finding fault with each other. However, Paul has not yet traveled to the community at Rome; they do not know him except by reputation. Is it possible that Paul felt slightly unsure of himself in this context? Was he concerned that his voice would carry no weight, even though his experience and standing with the other early Christian communities to which he wrote gave his words authority?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We cannot answer this question with any surety, though we can remember that just like King George, that Paul was a thinking, feeling human, as are we. We can also, in this Advent season, marvel that Paul\u2019s voice is with us still. And that his voice gives us hope for our own voices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Read verse 5 again. What do Paul\u2019s words \u201cso that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ\u201d mean for us as Christians? How do you put them into action?<\/li><li>In this passage, Paul uses the word \u201chope\u201d rather than \u201cfaith\u201d or \u201clove.\u201d How might these concepts be linked for Paul? For the Roman community? For Christians today?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Matthew 3:1-12<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, \u2018Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.\u2019\u201d With these words, Matthew sets in motion his narration of Jesus\u2019 adult life. We see Jesus through John\u2019s eyes, through John\u2019s ministry. How does this affect our expectations of the rest of Jesus\u2019 life, as Matthew relates it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>How do you read the gospels, for instance, today\u2019s passage? This might seem like an easy question on the surface, but take a few moments to reflect on this. Do you read these words of Matthew to answer your own questions? In other words, do you have questions already formed in your mind when you come to this text? Questions about Jesus, about God, about yourself in relationship with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit? Or instead, do you approach the text seeking information, to learn what Matthew has to say about John and Jesus, in this case?<\/li><li>Either way, do you hope for a clear-cut meaning, something that is direct and to the point? Words that provide clarity, whether in response to one\u2019s questions or easily accessible information? We often hope that meaning will be right on the surface. Possibly, we ask someone else to tell us the point of the story \u2013 summarize it in one sentence. Perhaps someone asks that of us. How do you respond when someone asks you about the gospels, when someone asks you about today\u2019s passage, which can be problematic if we, as Christians, don\u2019t ask questions of the text?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During this Advent season, maybe our answer should be, \u201cLet\u2019s read it again, together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Isaiah 11:1-10 \u201cA shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.\u201d As with the rest of Isaiah, especially this passage, this first verse has exerted a strong influence on Christian imagination. For example, in medieval art \u2013 illuminations and stained-glass windows, the Jesse Tree these&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201221,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10,23,52,3],"tags":[154],"class_list":["post-767081","bible_study","type-bible_study","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advent","category-bible-studies","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-advent-2a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":10,"label":"Advent"},{"value":23,"label":"Bible Studies"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":154,"label":"Advent 2A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/767081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bible_study"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/767081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":951618,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/767081\/revisions\/951618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=767081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=767081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=767081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}