This year I have decided to really focus on the true meaning of the Christmas holiday season: the incarnation of Christ. The Creator took on a human body so that He could grow up and die for my sins.
I just found a neat tool to help us keep that focus called a Jesse Tree. This is a special tree that is used throughout the Advent season. Its name comes from Isaiah 11:1 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” This verse is a prophecy of the Messiah that would come from the decendants of Jesse and his son, King David. This Messiah is the Lord Jesus Christ.
The purpose of the Jesse Tree is to trace God’s redemptive plan throughout the Old and New Testaments. Ornaments with symbols of Scripture are placed daily on the tree after discussing their meanings and reading about them from the Bible. I think this will be a fun and meaningful tradition that we will practice for many years to come.
Unfortunately, similar to Reformation Day, I did not learn about the Jesse Tree tradition until it was right upon us. So, I did the best I could to put together something nice–next year I will take time to adapt and improve it. I think this one will work fine for now though, and the kids are already enjoying it.
There are several sites on the internet with different plans for the Jesse Tree. I am using the downloadable ornaments and devotional plan at http://www.eriercd.org/jessetree.htm . We used a branch off of a tree in our backyard and a homemade church decoration for its base. I think it will look really nice when it gets filled up with all of the ornaments!
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