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We come looking for candlelight and carols. We get fire instead.
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A stump, a green shoot, and an axe — this is Advent. Not a countdown to coziness, but a clearing fire that makes way for something new.Most people think Advent begins soft. Nostalgic. Familiar. We expect the glow of tradition, a countdown to calm.
But Scripture hands us an axe. A prophet in camel hair. A forest set to burn.
If we’re paying attention, we’ll realize something: God isn’t trying to make us comfortable. He’s clearing the way for something alive.
This is what Advent really is: a controlled burn.
The Stump: When Hope Feels Cut Down
The prophet Isaiah doesn’t show us a nativity scene. He shows us a stump.
Not a majestic tree. Not a lush branch. Just what’s left after the axe has done its work.
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse…” (Isaiah 11:1, ESV)
The kings of Israel had gone sideways — corrupt, arrogant, hollow. So God chopped the tree down.
But here’s the surprise: God starts growing something right there — in the rot, in the ruin.
The shoot is a whisper of Jesus. A green defiance.
And this king won’t be built on optics, spin, or performance. He’ll be rooted in righteousness. He’ll flip the food chain.
“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb… and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)
This isn’t a nursery rhyme. It’s a threat to the way the world works.
If you’re staring at your life and all you see is timber — relationships leveled, systems failed, the ground still smoking — don’t panic.
God’s best seeds are heat-activated.
📖 Resource: The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble
Helps you see God’s hand in the cut-down places of Scripture—and maybe your life.
The Root: What Actually Holds Us Together
What we see above ground is only part of the story. The root of Jesse runs deeper than division — it’s what makes real unity possible.By the time we get to Paul’s letter to Rome, the church is a mess.
Jews and Gentiles trying to do community with zero cultural overlap. Arguments over food, holidays, old habits.
And what does Paul say?
“Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you…” (Romans 15:7)
“The root of Jesse will come… in him will the Gentiles hope.” (Romans 15:12)
He pulls them back to the same image Isaiah used — not just the shoot, but the root.
Something deep underground that holds the forest together.
You don’t have to agree to belong.
You don’t have to share a background to share a table.
You don’t even have to feel unity to practice it.
You just need the same Root.
If this December brings arguments, awkward dinners, or just exhaustion from polarization fatigue — remember the root. Tap into it.
📘 Resource: A Gentle Answer by Scott Sauls
The book you need if you’re tired of being provoked and want to respond with something stronger than defensiveness.
The Axe: When God Starts Cutting Close
John’s message wasn’t gentle — but it was grace. Sometimes God uses the axe not to destroy, but to heal.John the Baptist doesn’t care about ambiance.
He’s not here for peppermint mochas. He’s here with a blade in his hand and a wildfire in his throat.
“Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.” (Matthew 3:10, ESV)
It sounds harsh — until you realize who’s holding the axe.
Not a rage-filled judge. A gardener.
And gardeners cut for one reason only: to bring something better to life.
That’s what repentance is.
Not behavior modification. Not guilt-tripping.
Just the honest act of dragging dead things into the light and saying, “God, I don’t want this anymore.”
If you feel like things are cracking this season — relationships, habits, versions of yourself — maybe it’s not destruction.
Maybe it’s pruning.
Maybe it’s grace.
📗 Resource: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero
For anyone ready to stop managing a fake version of themselves and let the real work begin.
The Fire: How to Let It Do Its Work
Want to live this out? Don’t overthink it. Just start with these:
1. Read Until It Cuts
Don’t skim for inspiration. Open Isaiah. Open Matthew. Stay until something offends you. That’s the spot God’s trying to touch.
2. Name the Deadwood
What’s dried out in your life? Resentment? Numbing? Bitterness? Write it down. Offer it up. Let it go.
3. Be a Safe Place
Someone will get under your skin this month. That’s your test. Will you defend yourself or offer welcome? Will you escalate or de-escalate? You know what love looks like. Choose it.
🕯️ Resource: Every Moment Holy, Vol. 1 by Douglas McKelvey
A book of prayers for ordinary moments—because sometimes you need sacred words when you’re about to lose it in line at Costco.
The Hope We Still Hold
Hope doesn’t wait for ideal conditions. It pushes through the ruins. The shoot still rises.Advent isn’t just a warm-up for Christmas.
It’s a spiritual fire drill.
It forces us to face what’s fake, to release what’s dead, to welcome what’s real.
The axe is at the root. And that’s not bad news. It’s the beginning of something green.
Let it come.
Let it clear.
Let it burn.
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Still Smoldering from This One? Good. Let’s Keep the Fire Going.
If this post singed your assumptions or sparked something holy, there’s more where that came from. Follow @nilegomez on 𝕏 for threads that cut deep, burn clean, and point toward the kind of faith that doesn’t flinch from fire.
