Christmas is a time of joy and light for many. But for others, it is a time to remember what has been lost over the past year. It might be a lost job. A lifetime of investments may have fallen apart. This year you may have lost your ability to live independently. It could be the year that you lost your parents, your spouse, or your child. For those who carry the burden of depression or addiction, the weight gets especially heavy at this time of year. Joy and hope are lost.

The stump of Jesse

Isaiah's Christmas prophecies were given to God's people living in this kind of darkness. The prophet wrote of "the stump of Jesse." Jesse was the father of King David. Three hundred years before Isaiah's day, King David had ruled a powerful kingdom that influenced the territory from the Euphrates River in northern Iraq to the borders of Egypt. His sons reigned after him in Jerusalem.

But that mighty line of David was humbled. The "kingdom" that David's descendents ruled was reduced at times to little more than the immediate vicinity around Jerusalem. In Isaiah's day, King Ahaz hoped the Assyrians would save his people. Instead, the Assyrians became the rod that God used to punish Judah for its sins. The prophet uses graphic language to describe the advance of Assyria. Use a Bible atlas to track the advance recorded in Isaiah 10:28-32. Closer and closer they came. The destruction of Jerusalem and David's line seemed certain.

A Branch will bear fruit

But at the darkest hour, the Lord spoke a Christmas promise. "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse, from his roots a Branch will bear fruit."

The Lord would not allow the Assyrians to destroy the line of David. Yes, Judah would be cut down. It would be humbled. But a shoot would come forth. God's gracious plan would not be thwarted by the sinfulness of David's descendants or the rapacious power of the Assyrians.

At Christmas we celebrate that David's greater Son was born from his humbled line. A shoot sprang from the stump of a once glorious and powerful tree. The tender shoot would become more important than David or any of his other descendants. David's great descendant has become the Branch that has borne fruit.

He stands as a banner for the people—not just David, Judah, and Israel but also for the nations. For you. For me. A banner was lifted up in war as a place to which the troops would rally. In our times of darkness, look to the Banner and rally to him. Rally to him when you feel all alone and overwhelmed with the cares of the day. Rally to him when the burdens of guilt crush you to the ground. He won the battle over sin by his own death on the cross. Rally to him when the pain of death pierces your heart. He has overcome death not only for himself but also for us.