THE JESSE TREE SERIES:
What does Thursday of the Second week
of Advent entail for our Jesse Tree:
THE FALL OF JERICHO
SCRIPTURE: Josh 1:1-11, 6:1-20
Together with the exodus, the
conquest of the Promised Land belongs to the great wonders that God wrought for
his people. It is the Lord who 'by outstretched arm and his powerful
hand' gave the inheritance to his people. In the book of Joshua
which describes the conquest (about 1200 years before Christ), history has
turned into epic.
The book of Judges, which describes
the history of the two centuries of Judges, between Moses' death and the
setting up of the monarchy, gives us a picture. The latter book
tells us of a slow and difficult infiltration by tribes not yet united,
whereas the former describes a lighting war in which a highly organised and
enthusiastic army goes from one victory to another. In the one book we
see isolated efforts by the different tribes with a good
number of compromises, while in the other, it is the common campaign of the
whole people, carried out with an uncompromising strictness which at
time is amazing.
The two
books express one truth: God is faithful to His promises. Both call
the chosen people to be faithful to the Covenant.
Chapter 1 of Joshua is the invitation
to pass into the Promised Land. Chapter 6 is the conquest of Jericho- the
fortified city falls miraculously into the hands of the Israelites.
THE PERSON: JOSHUA
Joshua is a figure of Christ who
leads us into the kingdom of God. Let us recall the people in our lives who
have been a figure of Christ to us and have led us into the kingdom.
THE EVENT/THEME: THE FALL OF
JERICHO; During our reflection time today, let
us ponder on the fall of Jericho and the invitation to pass into the
promised Land
We may wish to
1.
Offer a prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude for the faithfulness of God.
2.
Rediscover the power of an unified people when they are committed to fight for a just
cause.
3.
Make a practical commitment: As today's theme is the fall of Jericho, we may wish to:
o
Reflect on my commitment to be a
figure of Christ to others and consider my role in helping others to the
kingdom of God. What steps can I make in this area to bring others into the
Kingdom and establish God's kingdom here on earth.
o
Consider the providence of God
working in my life and make a commitment to depend not on my own strength but
on the power and mercy of God. You may wish to light a candle
and visualize handing over to God's providence one worry/concern in
your life.
o
Accept God's invitation to walk into
the promised Land. During this Advent, we may wish to 'repent and believe the
Good News' and prepare the way for the Lord.
SYMBOL 12: RAM’S HORN TRUMPET
Let us create our own ram's
horn trumpet. As we reflect on today's scripture, let us remember the closeness
of God in our journey of faith as we prepare our twelfth symbol
(eleventh cut out symbol) and place it on the tree.
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