Pastor Josh shares from Isaiah 11:1–2, a passage that may not sound very “Christmassy” at first glance. There’s no manger, no angels, and no nativity scene, just a stump, a shoot, and a branch. Yet for God’s people, these words carried deep hope.
Isaiah spoke at a time when Israel felt completely broken. Their once great kingdom had collapsed, their leaders had failed, and exile had stripped them of identity and hope. Isaiah describes the nation as a tree cut down to a stump, something that looks lifeless and beyond recovery. It felt like the story was over.
But then comes the promise: from that stump, a new shoot would grow. God was not finished.
Pastor Josh connects this image to our own lives. Many of us know what it’s like to face “stump moments”, times when dreams collapse, relationships break down, health fails, or hope feels lost. In those moments, it’s easy to believe that nothing new can grow. Yet Scripture reminds us that God specialises in bringing life out of what looks dead.
He points to stories like Joseph, whose life seemed ruined when he was sold into slavery, only for God to turn it into something good. Ultimately, Jesus Himself is the fulfilment of Isaiah’s promise, the shoot from Jesse’s stump, bringing hope into a dark and oppressed world.
Pastor Josh highlights two powerful truths about God: He never changes, and He is always doing something new. God’s nature is to create life, restore hope, and begin again. The birth of Jesus wasn’t a one-off miracle, it reveals who God always is.
He gives us encouragement for Christmas and beyond, where we see dead ends, God sees new beginnings. Even when the story feels finished, God is writing a new chapter, one filled with hope, life, and renewal through Jesus.