As we begin each day’s reflection, invite the Lord to come sit with you as you read and meditate on His Word. Take a moment and read today’s bible passage slowly, allowing the Lord to draw you to any word or phrase that speaks to you.

Isaiah 11:1-10

On that day, A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice and decide aright for the land's afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lays his hand on the adder's lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea. On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, The Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.

By the light of our one candle, let’s listen to this first reading today with ears open to the characteristics of our Savior. The Lord is promising that the Spirit will rest upon this man and with that brings wisdom, understanding, counsel, and strength, knowledge and fear of the Lord. Yes, that sounds like Jesus. But does anyone else see the gifts that St. Paul promises are ours when we are living in the Holy Spirit? 

What a gift to be like our Savior. What a hope to hold on to as we consider that if we allow Jesus to come dwell in us this Advent, we can live our lives without fear of being unworthy, not good enough, not smart enough, not strong enough. We can find wisdom and knowledge, even though we may not feel like we have all the answers, because we are not alone. Christ dwells within us. And when we seek Him in His Word and in His church, we can grow in faith and that confidence will shine out of us. 

Wouldn’t it be a gift to have the ability to understand and give counsel to those around us who are lost and seeking? What we can’t do on our own, we can do through Christ. And the gift of strength, what you can think of as boldness, to stand for truth no matter the cost would be the beginning of bringing Grace into another’s life because there are too many lies being paraded as truth in our culture and too much fear in speaking up. 

Today, let’s rest in the hope that if we draw closer to Him this Advent, these gifts can be ours as well. And let us praise Him for coming to us, dying for us, and allowing us to be recipients of these precious gifts through His Spirit. 

Reflection Questions: Which of these gifts would you like to develop first? Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Strength, Knowledge, Fear of the Lord? Why does that one stand out to you? What would you do if you felt like that gift was alive in you in a new way? 

Prayer: Sweet Jesus, you are coming to me in a new way this Advent and you are bringing me hope! Hope that I can be more like you and that these gifts of the Spirit will abide in me as well. Help me to work with your Spirit to grow in these virtues so that I can impact the world around me for You. Amen.