O Come, O Come Emmanuel is perhaps the oldest Christmas Carol. Each verse emphasizes a different metaphor used as a Name or Title for our Savior Jesus Christ. Today's title is an unusual one that has been translated in different ways. The Rod of Jesse, The Shoot of Jesse, the Branch of Jesse are said to come from the Root of Jesse or the Stump of Jesse. Confusing? I thought so, but the point that these synonyms are getting to is one and the same: though Israel's hope for a Savior seemed as dead as a stump, the root was still alive. From it a sapling/rod/shoot/branch would come to judge the world in righteousness, rally all who looked to Him in faith and lead us into an eternal paradise!