Jesse Tree for Advent

As Christians, Christmas should be a huge celebration. Not in the commercial way of buying as many presents as we can for as many as we can...but in meaningful celebrations with our families and in our hearts. Our joy at celebrating Christ's birth should be infectious. I love this season, I start listening to Christmas music in early November- and most of the time I can't quit until late January. It is a time meant for families to gather around and share of the most amazing miracle of all time: when God come to earth in the form of a baby- a human. God stripped Himself of all his power to be like us, thus tipping the scale in our favour. Without this amazing birth, we would still be lost, still offering the sacrifices of animals that could never cover our sins.

The meaning of Jesse Tree is from the verses in the bible in 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and then Isaiah 11:1-10. The following section of the verse speaks of the Christ coming to the world by way of Jesse, and his descendants- thus the "Tree of Jesse".

¹ There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,

And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

² The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The Spirit of counsel and might,

The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

³ His delight is in the fear of the LORD,

And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,

Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;

⁴ But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,

And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,

And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,

And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

¹⁰ “ And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,

Who shall stand as a banner to the people;

For the Gentiles shall seek Him,

And His resting place shall be glorious.” -Isaiah 11:1-5 +10

The Jesse Tree is intended to guide you through the 29 days that lead up to Christmas as a journey towards a deeper understanding of all that took place leading up to the birth of Christ through the Old Testament and then into the beginning of the New Testament. Each evening before bed we do the scripture reading for that day and then the boys take turns getting to hang the specified ornament on the tree. They beg for it to be "time for the Jesse Tree" and love it when it is their turn to hang the ornament. We did it last year for the first time and I learned so much. It deepens my faith in Christ each time. Going through the scripture of all the ancestors that lead up to Christ and seeing all the prophesies fulfilled to the letter really build our faith. We look forward to doing it every year as a tradition of the true meaning of Christmas with our family.

Table of Scripture Readings and Ornaments for The Jesse Tree

Click on the links to get to the ornament that I made to represent the symbol. That way, you can get an idea of what to make for your Jesse Tree Advent Celebration. Or if you want to see all of my ornaments go to my Jesse Tree Flickr album.

(I grabbed this table from The Voice it was the most detailed that I have found )

SundayIntroduction of the Jesse Tree1 Sam 16:1-13

Isa 11:1-10The Tree (Christmas Tree)Mon

Wk 1GodCreationGen 1:1-2:3DoveTues

Wk 1Adam and EveThe First SinGen 2:4-3:24Tree with Fruit or AppleWed

Wk 1NoahThe FloodGen 6:11-22, 7:17-8:12, 20-9:17Rainbow or ArkThur

Wk 1AbrahamThe PromiseGen 12:1-7, 15:1-6Field of StarsFriday

Wk 1IsaacOffering of IsaacGen 22:1-19RamSat

Wk 1JacobAssurance of the PromiseGen 27:41-28:22LadderSecond

SundayJosephGod's ProvidenceGen 37, 39:1-50:21Sack of Grain or CoatMon

Wk 2MosesGod's LeadershipExod 2:1-4:20Burning BushTues

Wk 2IsraelitesPassover and ExodusExod 12:1-14:31LambWed

Wk 2GodGiving the Torah at SinaiExod 19:1-20:20Tablets of the TorahThur

Wk 2JoshuaThe Fall of JerichoJosh 1:1-11, 6:1-20TrumpetFri

Wk 2GideonUnlikely HeroesJudg 2:6-23, 6:1-6, 11-8:28Clay Water PitcherSat

Wk 2SamuelThe Beginning of the Kingdom1 Sam 3:1-21, 7:1-8:22, 9:15-10:9CrownThird

SundayDavidA Shepherd for the People1 Sam 16:1-23-17:58,

2 Sam 5:1-5, 7:1-17Shepherd's Crook or HarpMon

Wk 3ElijahThe Threat of False Gods1 Kng 17:1-16, 18:17-46Stone AltarTues

Wk 3HezekiahFaithfulness and Deliverance2 Kng 18:1-19:19, 32-37An Empty TentWed

Wk 3IsaiahThe Call to HolinessIsa 1:10-20, 6:1-13, 8:11-9:7Fire Tongs with Hot CoalThur

Wk 3JeremiahThe ExileJer 1:4-10, 2:4-13, 7:1-15, 8:22-9:1-11TearsFri

Wk 3HabakkukWaitingHab 1:1-2:1, 3:16-19Stone WatchtowerSat

Wk 3NehemiahReturn and RebuildingNeh 1:1-2:8, 6:15-16, 13:10-22City WallFourth

SundayJohn the BaptistRepentanceLuke 1:57-80, 3:1-207:18-30Scallop ShellMon

Wk 4MaryThe Hope for a FutureLuke 1:26-38White LilyTues

Wk 4ElizabethJoyLuke 1:39-56Mother and ChildWed

Wk 4ZechariahAnticipationLuke 1:57-80Pencil and TabletThurs

Wk 4JosephTrustMatt 1:19-25Carpenter's Square or HammerFri

Wk 4MagiWorshipMatt 2:1-12Star or CandleDec 24JesusBirth of the MessiahLuke 2:1-20MangerDec 25ChristThe Son of GodJohn 1:1-18Chi-Rho Symbol

Just so you know, this is our third year with the Jesse Tree tradition, and I still have 5 ornaments left to make! Be easy on yourself, the ornaments are great for the kids and to remember- but not mandatory for a good devotional time with the family around the tree. I did some the first year, another bunch of ornaments the second year.

What Christmas traditions are you doing with your family? Did your family do any with you when you were young that you are continuing?

I published much of this post last year 7th December 2009. I took some edits to it and did a little re-pub to get all our minds working  for the Advent season ahead.

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