Advent (from the word Adventus which means ‘coming’) is a time of patient waiting for Jesus’ coming at Christmas and a Jesse Tree is a great way to help create some joy and anticipation as you wait for Christmas day!
As part of our Advent reflections this year, we invite you to create your own Jesse tree at home.
Each day we will have a story from the bible and a link to print out a decoration to colour for your tree (or use your imagination to create your own!). You can also use the links below to download a copy of the story used to read at home, for which permission has kindly been given by LambSongs
Background to the Jesse Tree
A Jesse Tree is a decorative tree, made using a branch or crafted from other materials, and is used over Advent to tell the stories of the generations of Jesus’s family tree leading up to his birth. It is based on the verse from the bible which says:
The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David’s descendants.
Isaiah 11:1: Good News Bible
Some bible translations put it another way; they say: ‘A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse’. That’s because Jesse was David’s father, so the Jesse tree is tracing Jesse’s descendants (children, grandchildren and great grandchildren) all the way to Jesus (who was that promised King mentioned in Isaiah 11:1).