Miriam, Ruth, Esther...

In this past week of Advent, we've read the stories of both Miriam and Ruth. ...and coming up this week, we have the story of Esther. I am surprised by the number of Jesse Tree outlines that do not include the stories of these women. Ruth and Esther have entire books of the Bible that bear their names, yet they tend to be neglected in the telling of the redemption story. (Though, since we celebrate the Biblical holidays, Esther gets an entire holiday, and we read the story of Miriam at Passover. Sooooo...)  Here are the books we like to read about these women for our Advent Jesse Tree.

Miriam's Cup by Fran Manushkin:

It's important to note that there's no sugar coating on this story. We read about the Pharoah having all the Hebrew boy babies killed. So, if your children are small or sensitive, it might be best to wait on this version of the story.

Ruth and Naomi by Jean Marzollo:

Quite to opposite of the Miriam book, this one is written for the very young. In fact, this year, we opted to also read the book of Ruth from the Bible (only 4 chapters) to fill out the story for us.

Queen Esther The Morning Star by Mordecai Gerstein:

Again, this one is not a sugar-coated story. Pre-reading may help you filter out whatever you want to skip for the very young children.

Noah's Ark

It's the 3rd day of Advent and time to remember the story of Noah. Our favorite picture book that tells this story is Noah's Ark by Jerry Pinkney. The illustrations in the book remain some of our very favorite. Mane was delighted to learn that the book was published the year she was born and that the author/illustrator lives in New York!

Advent/Jesse Tree 2014 - the short(er) version

A few years back, I wrote and wrote and wrote...and wrote...about our Advent/Jesse tree traditions and posted a week by week plan of possibilities for celebrating Advent. This year I want to gather it all up into something more concise. Sooooo...this post is going to contain the master lists and basic information.

 Advent always begins four Sundays before Christmas. If Christmas is on a Sunday, this would be the 5th Sunday. Advent means "coming," and during the season of Advent we remember the coming of Yeshua, the Messiah. Our family uses a Jesse Tree to remember and tell the story from Creation to the birth of Yeshua. For each day of Advent we remember one person or story from the Biblical genealogy, and we hang a symbol of that person or story on our Jesse Tree. We also use an Advent wreath with four candles in a circle and a 5th candle in the middle to mark time as we pass through the Advent season. Each Sunday we light a new candle. On Christmas we light the 5th candle. Here is the meaning for each candle:

First Week - Hope
Second Week - Peace
Third Week - Joy
Fourth Week - Love
Christmas Candle - Yeshua

It is traditional for the Hope, Peace, and Love candles to be purple, for the Joy candle to be pink, and for the Christmas Candle to be white. In our home, we don't always use the traditional colors, but we do distinguish the Joy candle from the rest. We have used the same white Christmas Candle for many, many years since it only burns for a short time on Christmas morning.

And here is our list of stories for our Jesse Tree and the symbol we use for each story. The longest possible length for Advent is 29 days. So, we have 29 possible stories/people/ideas to cover during Advent. Many years, Advent is shorter. On shorter years we combine stories. If you look through the list, you'll see that many of the final symbols are part of the relatively short story of the birth of Jesus (Mary, Joseph, Travel to Bethlehem, Angels, Shepherds, & Wise Men) and can easily be combined into one day or spread out over several.

1. What is a Jesse Tree? (Isaiah 11:1) -  Tree
2. Creation - World
3. The Fall - Apple
4. Noah - Ark
5. Abraham - Camel
6. Isaac - Ram
7. Jacob - Ladder
8. Joseph - Coat 
9. Miriam/Exodus story - Music Notes
10. Moses/Mount Sinai - Stone Tablets
11. Joshua - Trumpet
12. Ruth - Sheaves of Grain
13. Samuel - Lamp
14. David - Harp
15. Solomon - Crown
16. Elijah - Raven
17. Elisha - Dove
18. Isaiah - Scroll
19. Jeremiah - Teardrop 
20. Esther - Scepter
21. Nehemiah - Cup
22. Zachariah & Elizabeth - Pencil and/or Mother & Child
23. Mary - Lily
24. Joseph - Hammer
25. John the Baptist - Seashell
26. Travel to Bethlehem - Donkey
27. Birth a Jesus - Baby in a Manger
28. Angels & Shepherds - Angel & Staff
29. Wise Men - Star

Stories/People we have included from time to time, but aren't on our official list for this year:

• Gideon - Clay Water Pitcher
• Deborah - Palm Tree
• Jonah - Whale
• Daniel - Lion
• Micah - City of Bethlehem
• Hezekiah - Empty Tent
• Habakkuk - Stone Watch Tower
• Nehemiah - City Wall

When Mane was little, we covered most of the Jesse Tree stories by simply reading them out of a Children's Bible. It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that. Over the years, we've collected some lovely picture books that tell some of the individual stories, and we read these instead. (Many of these can be found by clicking the appropriate label in the sidebar.)

Happy Advent!

Jesse Tree 2012 - The Fourth Week

The fourth week of Advent begins with the lighting of the fourth candle, the candle for love. This is the week we celebrate the arrival of Love. God is love. Emmanuel, God with us...Love with us.

This is also a short week, since Christmas is on Tuesday! Here's what we are planning for our week:

Sunday, December 23rd, 2012
Tonight's reading is about the angels coming to the shepherds and the shepherds visiting Jesus. 
  
Possible Readings:
The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - The Shepherd's Visit

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 27

Alternate Reading:
The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - Angels
 
Symbols:
Angel and Shepherd's Staff or Sheep 


Monday, December 24th, 2012
The final reading is about the Wise Men.
 
Possible Readings:
The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - The Wise Men

Alternate Reading:
The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - The Brightest Star
Symbol:
Star


Tuesday, December 25th, 2012
There are no readings specified for Christmas Day. But, you may choose to read the story of the birth of Jesus one more time. Maybe you have a special book set aside for this, or maybe you want to read directly from scripture. We like to light all 4 candles and the center candle when we get up in the morning...before going to the grandparents house and starting our festivities for the day.

Merry Christmas!

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 See other posts about the Jesse Tree and Advent by clicking the label "Jesse Tree" or "Advent" at the bottom of this post.
 

Jesse Tree 2012 - The Third Week

The third week of Advent begins with the lighting of the third candle of Advent, the candle for joy. The joy candle is a different color  than the other candles. Traditionally, it is the pink candle. Now there will be three candles burning each evening.  

Sunday, December 16th

Possible Readings

Tonight's story is the story of Jonah! There are a number of children's picture books about Jonah, but I don't happen to own any of them. If you know of a really great one, feel free to let me know in the comments! Thanks!

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) Jonah and the Great Fish

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - The McCaughrean book uses a different order and different stories from here until the end of Advent. If you continue with a chapter each night, you will finish the McCaughrean book on Christmas Eve, as planned. Rather than listing two options on days when they don't match up, I'll refer back to this note. Simply keep reading a chapter each night. Use the symbol/ornament that fits with that chapter. Tonight's chapter should be "The Wisdom of Solomon."

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 18 on Jonah

Symbol(s)

Fish (Jonah)

Monday, December 17th

Possible Readings

In our house tonight we will be talking about the prophecies of Micah and Habakkuk (two days of the Voskamp readings) and reading some of the story of Elisha (not from McCaughrean, but this is the story covered by McCaughrean tonight).

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - There are 3 chapters about Elisha, beginning with "Elijah's Final Journey." Read them all or choose how much you can read tonight.

One Wintry Night (Graham) - The beginning of chapter 9 speaks of the prophecy in Micah.

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - Read the next chapter, "War and Peace" (see my note from Sunday, December 16th)

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Days 19 & 21 on Micah & Habakkuk

Symbol(s)

Dove (to symbolize the Healing power of God/the Holy Spirit through Elisha), City of Bethlehem (Micah), Tower/Castle (Habakkuk)  You do not need to use all the symbols! There will be a lot of doubling up in the coming days. It is enough to use what you have!

Tuesday, December 18th

Possible Readings

Today's story is the story of Esther.

A children's picture book about Esther that we enjoy is:

Queen Esther the Morning Star by Mordecai Gerstein

You may also read:

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - Esther Becomes Queen and Esther Saves Her People

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 20 on Esther

Alternate Reading: The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - see my note from Sunday, December 16th 

Symbol(s)

Scepter (Esther)

Wednesday, December 19th

Possible Readings - Read the notes here. They're important!

Tonight's reading is about Zachariah and his son, John the Baptist.

As we get closer to Christmas, the stories are all tied closely together. It's hard to separate out the pieces. Do whatever works for you. Maybe even read the whole nativity story each night...or find different versions of it to read, and then focus for a minute on the piece of the story for that night - the piece for that night's ornament. There is NO RIGHT WAY to do this. You have six nights left, and you have many possible people/symbols left to cover: Mary, Joseph, Zachariah, John the Baptist, Census/Donkey/Travel to Bethlehem, Shepherds, angels, and the star...not to mention that you may want to hang a nativity ornament on your Jesse Tree. This is the way I plan to cover them for the next six nights. I have listed the symbols that go with each night in parenthesis:

- Zachariah AND John (Pencil, Seashell)

- Mary AND Joseph (Lily, Hammer)

- Donkey and the travel to Bethlehem (Donkey or Town of Bethlehem)

- Birth of Jesus (Nativity)

- Angels AND Shepherds (Angel, Shepherd's Staff or Sheep)

- Wise Men and the Star (Star)

So tonight:

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - see chapters on Zachariah & John the Baptist

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Days 22-23 on Zachariah and John 

Alternate Reading: The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - see my note from Sunday, December 16th

Symbol(s)

Pencil (Zachariah), Seashell (John)

Thursday, December 20th

Possible Readings

Read about the appearance of the angel to Mary tonight AND the appearance of the angel to Joseph assuring him that all was well.

Note: Explaining why Joseph was upset about Mary's pregnancy can be a little sticky. We always said that Joseph was upset because the baby was not his, and a woman is not supposed to have a baby that does not belong to her husband. This was special because Mary's baby was from God.

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - The Angel Appears to Mary and the beginning of the section on the Birth of Jesus - just far enough to cover Joseph.

As your children get older, these picture books may also be worth reading about Joseph:

The Mark of the Maker by Tom Hegg and Warren Hanson

Father and Son: A Nativity Story written by Geraldine McCaughrean, illustrated by Fabian Negrin

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Days 24 & 25 on Mary & Joseph

Alternate Reading: The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - see my note from Sunday, December 16th

Symbol(s)

Lily (Mary), Hammer (Joseph)

Friday, December 21st

Possible Readings

Spend some time talking about that donkey and the trip to Bethlehem! 

This is a wonderful picture book that focuses on the donkey:

Saint Francis and the Christmas Donkey by Robert Byrd

You may also choose to read:

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - the beginning of the section on the Birth of Jesus talks about the census and the trip to Bethlehem

One Wintry Night (Graham) - End of chapter 9 and beginning of chapter 10

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - none

Alternate Reading: The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - see my note from Sunday, December 16th

Symbol(s)

Donkey

Saturday, December 22nd

Possible Readings

Tonight's focus is the birth of Jesus! We love the children's picture book:

The First Christmas by Carol Heyer

You can also read the story in the these places:

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) -  The Birth of Jesus

One Wintry Night (Graham) - finish chapter 10

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 26

Alternate Reading: The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - see my note from Sunday, December 16th 

Symbol(s)

Nativity

Just two more days of Advent left!!

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 See other posts about the Jesse Tree and Advent by clicking the label "Jesse Tree" or "Advent" at the bottom of this post.
 

Jesse Tree 2012 - The Second Week

The second week of Advent begins with the lighting of the second candle of Advent, the candle for peace. Now there will be two candles burning each evening. In 2006, when Mane was 4yrs old, I wrote this reflection on peace: Peace - The second candle of Advent. I'd love to hear the thoughts of others on peace. How do you define peace? What kind of conversation will you have with your children about peace this season?

Sunday, December 9th

Tonight we will light TWO Chanukah candles and read The Story of Hanukkah written by Bobbi Katz, illustrated by Linda Dockey Graves. Then we will light the two Advent candles and read our Jesse Tree story:

Readings

Tonight's story is the story of Moses. Tell as much or as little as you have time for. The symbol for your Jesse Tree will be stone tablets. So, you want to be sure to talk about the 10 Commandments. You may also wish to talk about the way Moses was saved by his mother floating him away in a basket and about the Exodus from Egypt, which was led by Moses.

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - all or select chapters on Moses

One Wintry Night (Graham) - Chapter 7 (a reasonably short version of the Exodus and the commandments at Sinai)

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - chapter "Let My People Go"

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day10

Symbol(s)

Stone Tablets

Monday, December 10th

Monday we will light three Chanukah candles and read: Beni's First Chanukah written and illustrated by Jane Breskin Zalben. Then we will light the two Advent candles and read our Jesse Tree story:

Readings

Tonight we read the story of Ruth.Our favorite children's picture book for this story is:

Ruth and Naomi written and illustrated by Jean Marzollo (scroll down the linked page to see the book)

You may also read:

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - Ruth and Naomi

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - chapter "The Foreigner"

 Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 11

Symbol(s)

Bundle of Grain

Tuesday, December 11th

Tuesday we will light four Chanukah candles and read In the Month of Kislev: A Story for Hanukkah written by Nina Jaffe, illustrated by Louis August. Then we will light the two Advent candles and read our Jesse Tree story:

Readings

Today's story is the story of Joshua. This story is not found in either Graham's or McCaughrean's books, but my family has included it for a number of years in our Jesse Tree readings. You can read it directly from scripture and/or:

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - The Promised Land, Rahab and the Spies, The Battle of Jericho

 Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 12

The story of Joshua seems like an important story NOT to miss. Joshua and Caleb were the only 2 of the 12 spies, who returned from the land of Canaan and believed that God could deliver them into the land. They saw a land "flowing with milk & honey," while the others saw a land filled with impossible giants and pestilence. Joshua eventually became the leader of the people when Moses died, and he led the first great triumph in the promised land at Jericho.The name "Joshua" means deliverance or salvation and comes from the same root as the name Jesus. Joshua is yet another prophetic picture of the coming Messiah. For more thoughts on this check out this article at Hebrew for Christians: Joshua and Jesus.

Symbol(s)

Trumpet

Wednesday, December 12th

Wednesday we will light five Chanukah candles and read The Hanukkah Mice  written by Ronne Randall, illustrated by Maggie Kneen. Then we will light the two Advent candles and read our Jesse Tree story:

Readings

Tonight we will read the story of Samuel:

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - Samuel is Called to Serve God

One Wintry Night (Graham) - Chapter 8 (This chapter flies through the judges, kings and prophets of Israel. It gives a very broad overview - very helpful for tying the story together.)

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - chapter "Speak, Lord, for Your Servant is Listening"

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 13

Symbol(s)

Lamp

Thursday, December 13th

Thursday we will light six Chanukah candles and read Nine Spoons: A Chanukah Story written by Marci Stillerman, illustrated by Pesach Gerber. Then we will light the two Advent candles and read our Jesse Tree story:

Readings

Tonight's reading is about King David:

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - all or select chapters on David

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - chapter "The Shepherd King" and "Dancing"

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 14

Symbol(s)

Harp

Friday, December 14th

Friday we will light seven Chanukah candles and read some seasonal stories about snow including: Snow Crazy written and illustrated by Tracy Gallup and Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening written by Robert Frost, illustrated by Susan Jeffers. Then we will light the two Advent candles and read our Jesse Tree story: 

Readings

This is the night we will read of the prophets foretelling the coming of the Messiah.

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) -The Prophet Isaiah

One Wintry Night (Graham) - Chapter 8 (This chapter flies through the judges, kings and prophets of Israel. It gives a very broad overview - very, very helpful for tying the whole redemption story together.)

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) includes here a chapter on King Solomon ("The Wisdom of Solomon") and only mentions the prophecy of Isaiah in the chapter on Elijah ("The Idol and the Still Small Voice"), who we will read about tomorrow.

So, choose what you want your family to read. We will be relying heavily on:

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Days 15 & 17

Symbol(s)

Scroll

Saturday, December 15th

Saturday we will light all eight Chanukah candles and read Hanukkah Moon by Deborah da Costa, illustrated by Gosia Mosz. Then we will light the two Advent candles and read our Jesse Tree story:

Readings

Tonight's story is the story of Elijah:

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) -  Elijah in the Wilderness, The Israelites Turn Against God

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - chapter "The Idol and the Still Small Voice"

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 16

Symbol(s)

Raven

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This is the 8rd post in a series of posts about Advent, Christmas, Jesse Tree & Chanukah traditions. See the other posts here:
Season's Traditions
Jesse Tree

Elf on the Shelf, Random Acts of Kindness, and other Christmas Traditions

Advent Calendar - In Picture Books! 

Picture Book Advent List 

Download-able Advent Devotional with Jesse Tree Ornaments 

Jesse Tree 2012 - The First Week

Jesse Tree 2012 - The First Week

So, here's a possible plan for the first week of Advent/Jesse Tree. I've included a number of different resources for telling the stories each night. Of course, you may read them directly from scripture or you may use a children's picture Bible of your choice, depending on the age of your children and how long you think they can listen.

Jesse Tree ornaments for the first week of Advent

Sunday, December 2nd

Light the first candle of Advent, the candle for Hope, and have a little conversation about hope. In our house it looks a little like this:

Me: "This first candle is a symbol of hope. What is hope?"
Mane: "Hope is when you're waiting for something."
Me: "Right, hope is when we believe something will happen and we're waiting for it. What are we waiting for?"
Mane: "We're waiting for Christmas!"
Me: "What's so special about Christmas?"
Mane: "It's when we celebrate the birth of Jesus."

Now that conversation has changed some over the years because we taught Mane that Christmas is probably not when Jesus was born. The season of Advent, though, is a time set aside for us to focus on the gift of Jesus, even if he was born at a totally different time of year.

Reading 

We'll be reading Isaiah 11 to introduce the Jesse Tree. Then we'll read the Story of Creation.Have have used these books (not all at once, but over the course of several years)

In The Beginning by Steve Turner, illustrated by Jill Newton (the whole book)

The Children's Illustrated Bible - stories retold by Selina Hastings, illustrated by Eric Thomas - chapter on "The Creation"

One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham, illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson (chapter 3)

The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean, illustrated by Bee Willey (chapter entitled "The Jesse Tree" and the beginning of "Paradise Garden")

This year we will be reading Days 1 & 2 from Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional.

Symbol(s)

Following the reading, we hang Jesse Tree ornaments. Then we open the Advent calendar.  The symbols for this night are:
- Tree
- Globe/Earth

Monday, December 3rd

Reading 

Tonight's reading is about the Fall of humans, the first sin.

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - "The Garden of Eden"

One Wintry Night (Graham) - chapters 4 and 5

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - finish chapter entitled "Paradise Garden"

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 3

Symbol(s) 

apple

Tuesday, December 4th

Reading 

Tonight's reading is the story of Noah. A picture book we have often used to tell this story is:

Noah's Ark written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (You have to scroll down the linked page. It was published in 2002.)

You could also read:

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - "Noah's Ark," "The Flood"

One Wintry Night (Graham) - Chapter 6

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - chapter "A Boat Full of Animals."

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 4

Symbol(s)

Ark

Wednesday, December 5th

Reading 

This night's story is the calling of Abraham and God's promise to make Abraham into a great nation. Readings can be found in:

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - "Abram's Journey"

One Wintry Night (Graham) -very, very beginning of Chapter 7; just a tiny bit is said about Abraham

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - chapter "Strange Visitors"

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 5

Symbol(s) 

camel

Thursday, December 6th

Reading 

Tonight's story is the story of Isaac. This is a difficult story, and you may want to do some reading about the context and meaning of the story before deciding if it's an appropriate time to pass it on to your children. I recommend this article from Hebrew For Christians: The Sacrificed Seed of Abraham. It is long and intense, but that is exactly the type of article needed to really work through the complexities of this story. (If you choose not to cover this story with your children this year, simply move on to the next day's reading. There will be other places this Advent where you can stretch other stories over several days.)

Here are the places where you can find tonight's story:

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - "Abram, Sarai, and Hagar," "Abraham's Two Sons," "The Sacrifice of Isaac"

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - chapter "A Test of Love"

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Days 6 and 7

Symbol(s) 

Ram or goat

Friday, December 7th

Reading 

Tonight we read the story of Jacob's dream of the ladder and the angels ascending and descending the ladder to heaven. In this story God renews the Abrahamic covenant with Abraham's grandson, Jacob. Indeed, Jacob goes on to become the father of the 12 tribes of Israel.

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - "Jacob's Ladder" (You may also want to include chapters leading up to this in order to understand who Jacob was and how he came to be in the place where he had the dream.)

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) - chapter "Stairway to Heaven"

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 8

Symbol(s) 

Ladder

Saturday, December 8th: The First Day of Chanukah

Saturday marks the beginning of Chanukah this year! Tradition has it that each member of a family should have their own menorah/chanukiah. Candles are lit from right to left. The center candle is the shamash, the servant candle, and is used to the light the other candles each night. Before our Advent readings, we will say the blessings involved with the lighting of the chanukiah and light the first chanukiah candle. Then we'll light the Advent candle, tell the story, hang the Jesse Tree ornament,  open Advent calendars...THEN we'll play dreidel and eat chanukah treats! (I'll be writing more about Chanukah over the next week, now that I've completed this post on the first week of Advent!)

Reading 

Tonight's story is the story of Joseph. This one is long and will take some time. If you skipped the story of Isaac, you can easily stretch the story of Joseph over two days. It is worth noting that both Isaac and Joseph are prophetic pictures of the coming Messiah. Both involve stories of redemption. Both are foundational to the establishment and continuance of the Jewish people, from whom that Messiah would come. This fits beautifully with the first night of Chanukah, as Chanukah is also a story of miracles and salvation.

The Children's Illustrated Bible (Hastings) - all or select chapters about Joseph

The Jesse Tree (McCaughrean) uses two chapters to cover this story: "The Dreamer" and "Famine and Plenty."

Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional - Day 9

Symbol(s) 

A Coat of Many Colors

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This is the 7rd post in a series of posts about Advent, Christmas, Jesse Tree & Chanukah traditions. See the other posts here:
Season's Traditions
Jesse Tree

Elf on the Shelf, Random Acts of Kindness, and other Christmas Traditions

Advent Calendar - In Picture Books! 

Picture Book Advent List 

Download-able Advent Devotional with Jesse Tree Ornaments

Download-able Advent Devotional with Jesse Tree Ornaments

I just peaked over at A Holy Experience, the blog of Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts, and I saw that she has a FREE Family Advent Christmas Devotional with printable Jesse Tree ornaments that you can download. I think this may be our landing place for Advent this year. Check it out!

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This is the 6rd post in a series of posts about Advent, Christmas, Jesse Tree & Chanukah traditions. See the other posts here:
Season's Traditions
Jesse Tree

Elf on the Shelf, Random Acts of Kindness, and other Christmas Traditions

Advent Calendar - In Picture Books! 

Picture Book Advent List

Jesse Tree

"There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit." (Isaiah 11:1)

"The Tree of Jesse is a depiction in art of the ancestors of Christ." (wikipedia) It is a type of family tree, a collection symbols representing the people and stories that make up the larger story of redemption, from the perfect creation to the birth of a perfect Messiah. Isaiah 11:1 tells us that the Messiah will come from the family or "stump" of Jesse, and this is why we call it a Jesse Tree. When we make a Jesse Tree for Advent we hang those symbols (ornaments) from a tree (or from...well, something) creating an artistic representation of the family tree, the family story that we all share...for Romans 11:17 says, 

"...you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree..."

A Jesse Tree is a simple and tangible way to tell the redemption story. We use the ornament symbols as prompts to review the story each night before we tell a new piece of the story. You will be amazed what your children (and YOU) remember even weeks or months later.

The idea of the Jesse Tree goes far back in history. Again, from wikipedia: 

"The Jesse Tree has been depicted in almost every medium of Christian art. In particular, it is the subject of many stained glass windows and illuminated manuscripts. It is also found in wall paintings, architectural carvings, funerary monuments, floor tiles and embroidery." 

These images date all the way back to around 1000 AD. So, in using a Jesse Tree as part of Advent, you are participating in a tradition that is at least 1,000 years old. You are part of a great line of people, together honoring the story of redemption through Jesus, the Messiah.

Having a Jesse Tree can be a completely stand-alone tradition and does not have to be done along-side Advent candles or Advent calendars. If the tree, the candles and the calendar are TOO MANY things all at once, you can choose just one. If I were to choose just one, I would choose the Jesse Tree. This, for me, has the most meaning. And, with all the on-line guide available, it can be done with very little preparation, entirely from home. As I've said before, this isn't about doing everything perfectly or doing it ALL the first time around. This is about making meaning and creating focus. Be flexible. Know that what you do this year doesn't have to be what you do next year or the year after. You can do this one year at a time.

To get started with your own Jesse Tree, you'll need ornaments to represent the stories and something to hang the ornaments from. This is what ours looks like:

We chose a wreath because we didn't have any space in a room or on a table for a tree. We have an eclectic assortment of ornaments to represent the stories. For some stories we are still looking for a symbol. As a family, we've enjoyed the quest to find just the right ornament. This makes the Jesse Tree meaningful and personal to us. Some people simply use a drawing of a tree on the wall and paper symbols to attach to the tree. Others use a felt tree and felt figures. 

We have used the book The Jesse Tree by Raymond and Georgene Anderson, as well as the book The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean and One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham to guide our readings, and we often use children's picture books of the story for each night. 

This shows our Advent candles with a few of our Jesse Tree ornaments surrounding them and the McCaughrean book to the side. We like to lay out the ornaments that we will be hanging soon to have them as part of our table centerpiece throughout the day. Our menorahs are also in the photo, in anticipation of Chanukah.