Advent Word: Root

I've recently planted some winter onion sets and some garlic. Although the roots of these vegetables are always short, my hope is that they will take root in this cold season. With all the rain we have had, they are not short of water. After Christmas, once the hours of daylight start to increase, they should start to send up tiny green shoots, the promise of a harvest to come by the summer.

Today's Advent word in the Advent Word 2019 Advent Calendar is 'root'. It is a word that resonates with many of the Advent themes and readings. In a previous post 'O Root of Jesse come and deliver us' I wrote about Isaiah's prophecy of a coming Saviour and his image of a new shoot that would emerge from the old "root of Jesse". 

For today, I have posted an image of trees growing each side of a stream. You can see the roots of the tree in the foreground reaching down into the life-giving water. This reminds me of what the prophet Jeremiah said about those who trust in God.

"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,

whose trust is the Lord.

they shall be like a tree planted by water,

sending out its roots by the stream.

It shall not fear when heat comes,

and its leaves shall stay green;

in the year of drought it is not anxious,

and it does not cease to bear fruit."

Jeremiah 17: 8 NRSV

Image Credit: Public Domain