It's day 7 - can't wait another week?
Well, waiting is exactly what we're thinking about today.

 

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;
⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
    with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness will be his belt
    and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
    and a little child will lead them.
⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11:1-9 (NIV)

Reflect:

• Which characteristics listed most stick out to you?
• Which characteristics listed would you like to grow in or display this Christmas?

Pray:

• Help us to be more like you Jesus.
• Grow Kingdom characteristics in us. Build us into a community of those who have our belts on, whose hearts are tuned into your heart ready to walk in your ways in the big things and the small.

Find all the information about our Christmas service on our website at www.stbarnabas.co.uk/christmas

Have kids? They can join in with 12 Days of Advent too! Our incredible Kids and Families team will be putting up daily reflections for kids, following the same bible readings the adults are. Check them out HERE.