God's Emoji
| Jeremiah 33:14-16
Emojis are so commonly used that it should not come as a surprise that someone might get sued for using the wrong one. What we see in this text is a kind of divine emoji conveying a very specific message.
On a typical smartphone, you can find a little Christmas tree, a gift-wrapped box and a Santa Claus. All are symbols of the Christmas season, tiny pictures used on social media, in text messages and in emails. The name for them? Emojis.
The prophet Jeremiah says that “a righteous Branch” will spring up for Jesse’s son, King David (v. 15). This branch is a colorful symbol for the season of Advent, and we can all picture it in our imaginations. Deep black roots, sturdy brown branches, tender green shoots — very much like what the prophet Isaiah says, “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots” (11:1). We sing about it at Christmas, “Lo, how a rose e’er blooming, from tender stem hath sprung, of Jesse’s lineage coming, by faithful prophets sung.”
The “righteous Branch” is nothing less than an emoji from God. So easy to see, and beautiful to sing about. But what in the...
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