Before we begin our Bible Stories, let’s pause and consider the Promises made concerning Jesus birth.  We have the advantage of looking back, making connections between promise and fulfillment and building up our faith.

 

Jesus promised,

arrived, revealed:

The Righteous Branch –

now in full leaf,

etched with our failings,

falling where we fall,

with us always,

through it all.

© 2017 – Laurel Archer

Today the story begins with a promise embedded in history.  When David desired to build a house of worship for God, God established a covenant with David.  God promised that David’s royal line would never end.  And so Jesus was born into that royal line as a fulfillment of the promise. The prophet Jeremiah prophesied of Jesus birth using the title The Righteous Branch, a poetic image arising from family tree images – thus the Jesse Tree — when put all together it connects God’s promise to God’s presence, brought to earth in the person of Jesus. (2 Samuel 7:12-17)

Triptych and Featured Photo credits: Olive Chan Thank you for the lovely photos which inspired the poem.