“A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 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 kill the —Isaiah 11:1-4
The tradition of a Jesse Tree began in medieval times and helps us reflect on the story of Christmas that really begins with creation. It comes from the verse above. A branch is a sign of new life or new beginnings. Jesus himself was a descendant of King David and he is the new branch. From Jesus springs God’s new covenant with us.
The first Jesse Trees were huge carvings, tapestries or stained glass windows in churches that helped illiterate people to learn about the bible from creation to the Christmas Story. Now its used like an Advent calendar. There are symbols and pictures your kids can make and each day or each week you hang more onto your tree branches. Each picture has a portion of Scripture that tells a different Bible story.
Make: Making your own Jesse tree a great way to involve children in Advent. More than just an advent calendar that counts down the days until Christmas day itself, a Jesse Tree helps bring the whole Bible story to life in the context of the lead up to Jesus’ birth.