Family Fun and Holiday Learning During the Advent Season
Amid the excitement and flurry of activity that
surrounds holiday season each year, how can families refocus upon the true
meaning of Christmas?
The Jesse Tree family tradition offers excellent teachable moments for parents and children, while tracing the story of God and His people, from Creation to the coming of Christ.
The Old Testament prophet Isaiah, foretelling the coming of Christ, stated that the Messiah would be born from the root of Jesse, which was the line of Israel's King David. (See Isaiah 11:1-3). From this passage (and others like it) comes the symbolic Jesse Tree.
Although Jesse Tree kits may be purchased (even in felt or magnet formats), you can add meaning and save money at Christmas time by creating your own Jesse Tree as a family. Simply gather the items listed below, or make them yourself. (Hint: In our home, we like to hang little paper tags on each item to include the appropriate Bible references.)
Families may select various Bible stories and Scripture passages for their Jesse Trees. Following is our own list of family favorites.
Throughout the month of December, leading up to Christmas Day, ask someone in the family to read the selected Scripture and then hang the appropriate item upon the family’s Jesse Tree.
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December 1 – Creation
Genesis 1 and 2
Choose a small potted tree to
represent the Lord God’s Creation of the earth and all that is in it. If you
wish, you might use any sort of tree (artificial or fresh). Some families opt
for a plain branch (with several offshoots), which they set in a pot of plaster
or putty for a Jesse Tree.
December 2 – Adam and Eve
Genesis 3
As you read this account of the fall of man, when Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan to sin, place a small plastic snake on the Jesse Tree today. If you are crafty (but not crafty as the serpent), then you might fashion a snake from play clay, chenille stems or another artistic medium.
December 3 – Noah and the Great Flood
Genesis 7 and 8
These two chapters of the Old Testament tell about Noah and the ark, the pairs of animals, forty days of rain and the rainbow that indicated the flood was over. God sent the rainbow as a promise that He would never destroy the entire world by floodwaters again.
Make a rainbow from colored ribbons, yarns, chenille stems or even paper to hang on the Jesse Tree on this day.
December 4 – Tower of Babel
Genesis 11:1-9
The Tower of Babel represented the conceit of man, as people tried to build a structure to reach the heavens. God had another plan, and He confused their language. (This was an antithetical foreshadowing of Pentecost, perhaps, but that’s for theologians to discuss, more than young children.)
Craft a tiny scroll of paper. Singe the edges, if you wish to make it look antique. Write Merry Christmas (or another message) in as many languages as you can, and hang the scroll on the Jesse Tree today.
December 5 – Abraham
Genesis 12:1-7
In this beloved Bible passage, God promised to make Abraham the father of a great people, who would someday outnumber the stars.
Place a shiny paper star on the Jesse Tree today to symbolize God’s special people, the Jews, through whose lineage the long-awaited Savior of the world would come.
December 6 – Sodom and Gomorrah
Genesis 19:15-29
God destroyed the decadent cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, after repeated prophetic warnings. The people did not repent of their heinous sins, so judgment fell. Lot and his family escaped, led by the Lord. But Lot’s wife turned back, and she was transformed to a pillar of salt.
Hang a small salt shaker on the Jesse Tree today to stand for Lot’s wife and importance of obedience to God’s instructions.
December 7- Abraham and Isaac
Genesis 22:1-19
God instructed Abraham to offer his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice, and Abraham obeyed. At the last minute, as Abraham piled kindling wood for the burnt offering and lifted his knife to kill the boy, the Lord stopped him. God provided an animal for the sacrifice. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son offers a spiritual parallel to the Lord God’s own sacrifice of His only Son Jesus.
Tie up a small bundle of wooden matchsticks or toothpicks, and hang them on the Jesse Tree today to symbolize the altar for Abraham’s offering.
December 8 - Jacob
Genesis 28:10-17
Jacob had a dream about a ladder (or stairway) leading to
Heaven. He saw angels walking up and down the steps. Jacob’s vision included
the gate of Heaven, with God promising the land to His people and their
offspring. This vision foreshadows the coming of the Christ, who would open
Heaven’s gates to all who receive Him.
Hang a little toy ladder on the Jesse Tree on this day, or cut a ladder from stiff cardboard to recall Jacob’s vision.
December 9 – Joseph
Genesis 45
Jacob, father of the twelve sons (and tribes) of Israel, favored his son Joseph and gave him an extravagant multi-colored coat. Joseph dreamed he would one day rule his brothers. They became enraged at the prospect and sold him into slavery. Many years later, Joseph was a leader in Egypt during a time of famine, and he was able to feed his father and brothers. This Bible passage tells of that reunion.
Tie a small scrap of multi-colored cloth around a branch of
the Jesse Tree today to symbolize Joseph’s fancy coat and God’s providence through
difficult circumstances.
December 10 – Moses
Exodus 3
This Old Testament passage explains how God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and called him to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Pharaoh’s Egypt.
Hang a fiery orange leaf on the Jesse Tree on this day, or paint a pine cone in fiery colors, to represent God’s burning bush.
December 11 – Passover
Exodus 12
When the Lord God delivered the people of Israel from their bondage in Egypt, He used a series of plagues. The final one was to slay the firstborn of all of Egypt. The Israelites, however, were spared by the angel of death because they obediently smeared lamb’s blood on the doorposts of their houses.
In the New Testament, Jesus is called the Passover Lamb, because His shed blood covers the sins of those who trust Him, leading to victory over sin and death.
Smear a white cotton ball with red marker, and hang it on the Jesse Tree today, to symbolize the Passover Lamb.
December 12 – The Ten Commandments
Exodus 20
Moses climbed Mount Sinai to meet the Lord God, and God gave him two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments.
Cut out two small tablets from cardboard. Write the Ten Commandments on them, and hang them on the Jesse Tree on this day.
December 13 – David & Goliath
I Samuel 17
Young David, a shepherd boy, killed the giant Philistine Goliath with a slingshot and some stones. This bold victory demonstrates the power of God in action, as the Lord often delights in using small, seemingly ordinary people to accomplish His mightiest works.
Hang a candy cane on the Jesse Tree today to symbolize a shepherd’s staff.
December 14 – Elijah
1 Kings 18:17-39
The Old Testament prophet Elijah had a major showdown with wicked King Ahab and the false prophets on Mount Carmel. The false prophets summoned their idol, Baal, to light their altar with fire. Then Elijah soaked his own offering and called upon the true God, who caused it to blaze.
Cut out a small flame design from colored papers, and hang it on the Jesse Tree today.
December 15 – Isaiah
Isaiah 6
Isaiah prayed and repented of his human frailties, and the Lord sent a seraph to purify his mouth with tongs of burning coals. The Lord God was preparing Isaiah to deliver His important prophetic messages, including the announcement that the Messiah was coming (See Isaiah 9:6).
Hang a set of tweezers on the Jesse Tree on this day to represent the angel’s burning tongs.
December 16 – Solomon
1 Kings 3
The Lord offered to grant King Solomon anything he wanted, and Solomon asked for great wisdom. (Clearly, the Lord knew what Solomon would request, and Solomon chose wisely.)
This Bible passage recounts a very famous decision of discernment the wise King Solomon exercised.
Hang a little crown on the Jesse Tree today. Cut it from shiny paper, or glue a small sheet of foil to cardstock before cutting.
December 17 – Jeremiah
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, called the people of God to purified hearts and a renewal of faith. In this Scripture passage, Jeremiah describes the New Covenant of God, to will be fulfilled by the coming Messiah.
Hang a small heart locket or charm on the Jesse Tree on this day, or cut a heart from stiff papers.
December 18 – Jonah
Jonah 2
God called the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh with a message of repentance. Jonah refused to go and tried to run away from God. The Lord made a large fish swallow him. Finally, from inside the fish, Jonah prayed. God made the fish spit Jonah up onto the shore, and Jonah obeyed the Lord’s calling.
Hang a small toy fish, a goldfish cracker or a paper fish on the Jesse Tree today to recall the lesson of Jonah.
December 19 – Habakkuk
Habakkuk 2:1-3
The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk stood on the watchtower, obeying the Lord’s instructions, and the Lord gave him a message of hope and redemption for His people. This message would be fulfilled by the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus.
Hang a wristwatch or a little clock on the Jesse Tree on this day, as a reminder of Habakkuk on the watchtower and the need to wait on God for His timing and His answers.
December 20 – Nehemiah
Nehemiah 2
Nehemiah, cup-bearer to King Artaxerxes, broke with protocol by asking the king for permission to return to his homeland to rebuild the decrepit Jerusalem wall. Miraculously, the king agreed.
Construct a small brick wall from cardboard, and hang it on the Jesse Tree today.
December 21 – John the Baptist
Luke 3:1-20
John the Baptist declared that he was sent to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord, the Savior of the World. When Jesus arrived, his cousin John baptized Him in the Jordan River of Israel.
Hang a seashell on the Jesse Tree to symbolize the water of the Jordan, in which Jesus was baptized at the beginning of His earthly ministry. (Of course, the Jordan River does not contain seashells, but the shell is symbolic anyway.)
December 22 – Mary and the Angel Gabriel
Luke 1:26-38
God sent the angel Gabriel to visit the Virgin Mary to inform her that she would be mother to the infant Christ Jesus. Mary humbly agreed to do the Lord’s bidding.
Hang a white lily, or another white flower, on the Jesse Tree today as a reminder of the Virgin Mary. (Some families make white tissue paper flowers for this day.)
December 23 – Joseph
Matthew 1:19-25
Joseph, a carpenter, was engaged to be married to Mary. When Mary became pregnant, Joseph was not sure what to do at first. The Lord sent an angel to speak to Joseph in a dream, reassuring him of his marriage to the young girl and confirming that she was indeed carrying the Son of God.
Hang a small hammer or a wooden ruler on the Jesse Tree today to represent the carpenter Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus.
December 24 – Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 and Luke 2:1-7
Bethlehem, the city of David, was long prophesied to be the expected birthplace of the Messiah. When the time came, Joseph and Mary packed their donkey and traveled to Bethlehem from their home in Nazareth to enroll for Caesar’s tax census. This was part of God’s plan, so that the Messiah Jesus would be born in the appropriate locale.
Hang a single coin on the Jesse Tree on Christmas Eve to symbolize the tax census that led Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.
December 25 – Jesus
Luke 2:8-20
Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was born in a dirty stable, filled with livestock. Still, a bright star shone overhead, and multitudes of angels drew shepherds and magi to the site to worship Him.
The three magi brought frankincense, gold and myrrh to the Christ child. Although these may have seemed like eccentric baby gifts, they were actually prophetic in biblical times. Frankincense was used in worshiping God. Gold was for kings. And myrrh was traditionally used to prepare bodies for burial. Jesus, the Son of God and King of the Jews, was born to die for our redemption.
Hang three tiny gifts on the Jesse Tree on Christmas Day to indicate the birth of Christ and the gifts of the magi.
Merry Christmas. The Lord is come.
The Jesse Tree Tradition
The Jesse Tree is a long-held tradition for many Christian families. Why not try this deeply significant Advent calendar, which traces biblical history (and the redemptive plan of God), from Creation through the birth of Christ, the Savior?
Image/s:Public domain photo
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