In this message we look at Isaiah’s image of a shoot growing out of a dead stump—a picture of how God brings life where we’ve already declared the story over. Israel was collapsing, hope was thin, yet God promised a humble Messiah from Jesse’s line who would carry justice, peace, and renewal for the whole world. We feel those “stump moments” too: places in our lives, families, or culture that seem beyond repair. Isaiah points us to Jesus—the Root of Jesse—who isn’t just an inspiring figure but the One who holds everything together and brings real life into the places we’ve written off. Advent teaches us to turn our eyes from ourselves toward Christ, the One who makes dead things live again.