Introduction to the Jesse Tree Series

THE JESSE TREE SERIES.

Introduction to the Jesse Tree Series

The Christmas tree has become a very important part of the Christmas celebrations around the world, and as Christians, the Christmas tree has a clear Christian meaning and name, that is the Jesse tree. The Jesse tree is a vehicle to tell the story of God in the Old Testament and to connect the Advent season with the faithfulness of God across history.

The Jesse Tree series is written with both adults and children in mind.  A post will occur each day during Advent as we prepare for the feast of Christmas. Each day, a section of the Jesse tree story will be told describing the person, event/theme, scripture passage and symbol. As parents, you might like to read the scripture passage with your children, and encourage them to decorate the tree with the symbol of the day. 

 An easy way of making the symbols is to

·                     cut out a medium size circle from cardboard of any colour

·                     draw the symbol and colour in as desired

·                     hole punch the circle at the top

·                     place some ribbon through the hole punch hole

·                     place on your Jesse tree.

It may also assist both adult and child to write the relevant scripture reference underneath the symbol.

The tree itself can be one of several types. A small artificial tree works fine, as does a tree branch that is anchored in a bucket or a large can of sand or gravel. The tree branch looks particularly attractive if painted white and sprinkled with silver glitter while the paint is still wet. Another possibility is a large drawing of a tree on cardboard or poster board that can be hung on the wall.  As there will be no symbol to decorate in my post on the First Sunday of Advent, as the story of the Jesse tree will be explained, you will have the opportunity to prepare your tree and symbols.

So why not get prepared each Sunday of Advent by cutting out the circles for the coming week of Advent. There are 24 symbols to be made up to Christmas eve.

Get ready for the story of the Jesse tree.

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