SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2025 | SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT YEAR A
Isaiah 11:1–10 | 2 Kings 16:2-8 | Psalm 1:1-3 | Matthew 3:1-12
Re-Claimed Through Baptism
Grace, Mercy and Peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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The image that we begin with in Isaiah’s prophecy is the image of the stump. Think of a mighty tree, with a huge trunk and great branches, with beautiful leaves.
And then think of it being broken or cut down, so that all that is life is a lifeless stump.
That’s where Isaiah begins as he speaks to us today. With a stump. It used to be something great, but now it is dead, ugly and useless. And it’s a sad image…because once that great tree provided shade, fruit, and it just looked good. But now it only reminds us of how bad things have become…how far the mighty tree has fallen.
And what was this mighty tree that has been cut down to a stump? Well, Isaiah calls it the stump of Jesse. Jesse…that was King David’s father. So Isaiah is looking at the reign of the great King David…and of His Son Solomon, and he sees it as this mighty tree, filled with the strength of God’s promise and providing blessing to all of God’s people…but as the years go by, the heirs of David’s throne don’t do so well. In fact, even at times, David and Solomon didn’t do so well.
By the time of Isaiah, when he first wrote these words, the man sitting on David’s throne was Ahaz. And the Scripture clearly shows us that Ahaz was not a good king.
The book of 2 Kings tells us a little bit about Ahaz’s reign:
2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done, 3 but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree. (2 Kings 16:2-4 ESV)
Ahaz was not a good king. And the main reason describe in 2 Kings was that He worshipped false gods. He sacrificed to them in the high places, and even participated in the despicable practice of human sacrifice.
Not only that, but as the leader of God’s people he also encouraged them to worship and serve false gods. He brought the altars of false gods into Jerusalem. And after all that, when the threat of God’s judgment came, rather than repenting, rather than turning away from idolatry and asking for God’s forgiveness, Ahaz tried to buy his way out of trouble:
Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the king’s house and sent a present to the king of Assyria.(2 Kings 16:7-8 ESV)
Not only did he use his own money, but he also stole the treasures from the temple. He plundered the Lord’s house in order to try to gain the favor of the pagan king of Assyria. Ahaz attempts to escape the wrath of man by incurring the wrath of the true and living God.
I think we can all agree: Ahaz was a bad king. And this is where Isaiah begins his prophecy. The house of David has become a stump. It’s former glory is gone. And what is left is sad, broken down, ugly and weak.
You know, when Isaiah received these words from God, he looked out at Ahaz and he must have thought…yes, here is the prime example…Ahaz, and the whole house of David is a broken down, ugly stump.
But the truth is that this image applies even more broadly. It applies to the whole human family. We were the crowning achievement of creation, made in the very image of God, meant to rule the earth with goodness and love on His behalf. Meant to be that glorious, mighty tree, blessed by the presence and power of God Himself.
But, as we look out around us in this world. We find that the children of Adam and Eve are NOT doing so well. In fact, even you and I don’t always do so well. Often times we look more like that ugly, broken down stump, than the people that God intended us to be.
It happens when the cares of this world, the selfish and sinful desires of our flesh, the fears and the failures, all take over. And rather than living as God’s people, we turn from Him, we sin against Him, and against each other. And what is left? We have become ugly, lifeless, broken down stump! Sinners and slaves to death and the devil.
Dear friends, do you see this at work in your lives? You know the Law. Have no other gods. Don’t misuse God’s name. Remember the Sabbath Day.
Honor your father and mother. Don’t murder. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Don’t covet.
And perhaps in your pride or ignorance you say. Yes, pastor, I do all that. NO YOU DON’T. But Pastor, I’m a good person. NO YOU’RE NOT. Oh, you may try to put on a good show. But you don’t love with God all your heart. You are selfish, wicked. You run after worldly things, so easily, so readily.
You see, we are so good at giving ourselves and immense amount of lattitude when it comes to sin. Meanwhile we are not living pure and decent lives. We are greedy. Gossips. Filled with bitterness, wrath, and the venom of the devil.
And this is clear everywhere. Look at the world and its clear. Look at your neighbors and its clear. Look at history and its clear. We can lie about it. But it does no good. Instead, we must admit that we are poor, miserable, sinners.
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And when we do, something extraordinary happens. And this is really the meat of Isaiah’s prophecy.
He says, out of that stump, There shall come forth a shoot…and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
What?!? Out of this ugly, broken down stump — will there really be new life? And good fruit?
Looking past that lifeless stump of Ahaz and the house of David, Isaiah sees the vision of God’s promise…He sees that one day a new King will come.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isaiah 11:2,5 ESV)
Now here is our Advent promise and hope. As we look forward to Christmas, we look forward to the celebration of that King who was born in Bethlehem, Jesus Christ. And unlike the broken down stump of the Kings before him, He is a mighty tree, with great branches, bearing much fruit. Righteousness and faithfulness are His prominent clothes — the belt he wears, on display for all the world to see. Yes, He is a good king — because, He is God, in the flesh. And in him the stump of Jesse has been restored with new life.
But… If Jesus is so good, so perfect in His righteousness, then there’s a problem. Because you and I, like all human beings …we are not so good. We remain sinners. We ourselves remain ugly, broken-down stumps. So it’s great that David’s throne now has new life…but how do you and I fit into that?
This brings us to our Gospel reading for today. There we see John announcing the coming of the Lord. John’s announcement is a mirror. He’s saying…look at yourselves. You are broken down stumps. Poor, Miserable Sinners. But the Lord is coming. So repent. Confess your sins with sorrow. And then look upon Jesus who is coming as your King and Savior.
Your King and Your Savior! Our Divine King is a human being. That’s the miracle of the incarnation, which we celebrate at Christmas. He has taken on our flesh — He as come to this world full of broken down stumps — full of sinners. And instead of giving us over to that righteous punishment ….. our righteous king took our place.
Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John, identifying Himself as a member of our fallen family. And indeed, He took responsibility for our whole human family. He suffered the shame of our sin, the forsakenness of God. He endured the cross and was slain on our behalf. For by offering Himself there for us, He fulfilled all righteousness, and He purchased our life, our forgiveness, and our salvation.
This is why the prophet Isaiah later writes,
he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5 ESV)
By the wounds of our righteous King Jesus Christ, who is the shoot that has grown up out of the stump of Jesse, by His wounds, we are healed.
By His work on the cross, He redeems you and gives you new life. Though you are a sinner, a broken down stump, not living the life that God intended. Yet Jesus, your righteous King has come. He has come to forgive you. He has come to Reclaim you as a child of God, and to make you His very own. Forever.
For as He took on our nature in His incarnation and took on our burdens in His Baptism in the Jordan, so now Christ put His name on you in the waters of Baptism. There at the font He said, “You are mine!” And the old person drowned, the sinful corrupt nature, inherited from Adam, was put to death, so that the new person would come to life. And today, our Lord comes to give you a treasure…to declare His Word here in His house and to feed you His very body and blood, that your faith and life would be renewed and restored.
And in this way, out of the stump of a sinner’s life, something new grows and is sustained. A shoot comes forth from the stump, a branch growing out of the root.
As the psalmist writes,
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3 ESV)
This is the miracle of Advent, the miracle of Christmas. Out of the broken down stump of our lives, Jesus brings new life.
And what does that new life look like? Well, it will vary from person to person. And it’s true that there will be moments each day when that old stump tries to take over again and the ugliness of our sin comes out. But with the help of God, let those moments be moments when the Word and Work of Christ comes to bear…when you take up the armor of God and know the victory of Christ over all your sin. When all you are doing prospers, because Christ, who is your life strengthens and renews you in faith.
For as you delight in God’s Word and meditate on His life-giving good news. As you gather together to hear His voice which brings forgiveness, and as you remember your Baptism and come gladly to receive the gifts of His true body and blood, the Spirit also is at work in you to bring life. He helps you to say NO to sin. Helps you to turn away from the evil traps that corrupt and destroy you. Helps you to love God, to follow His commands, and to love and serve your friends, family, and neighbors.
And with the help of God this new life will take root in you and it will grow stronger each and every day. For you have been reclaimed by God in Your Baptism. And His Life is at work in you. The old stump has new life. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Now the Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds until the Day of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.