A Jesse Tree is a bit like an Advent calendar, but using a daily Bible story about someone in Jesus’ family tree to help us prepare spiritually as we move towards Christmas. It’s called a Jesse Tree, because Jesus is a descendant of King David, son of Jesse. The prophet Isaiah said, "A shoot will grow from the stock of Jesse. Isaiah 11: 1"
Through our Baptism, we are part of Jesus’s family, so this is our family tree too! Every Bible story in the Jesse Tree has a symbol to go with it to help people focus as they learn about Jesus’ ancestors, while listening to the stories. Each day these symbols are hung on a tree – a Jesse Tree. The tree progressively being decorated throughout Advent mirrors the meaning behind the collection of stories told: that God was preparing the world to meet Jesus for a long, long time!
