On Christmas Day we celebrate the birth and first coming of Jesus Christ. But all too often with the commercialization of Christmas and the rush to prepare we forget about the season of waiting that comes before. A special time of expectation and hopeful promise precipitates all births and is an important time of preparation for our hearts.
Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). There are many ways to celebrate Advent; wreaths, candles, and greenery are the most popular.
My very favorite way to celebrate Advent and prepare my heart and the hearts of my children is by making a Jesse Tree.
The Jesse Tree is a study of Bible stories that trace the ancestors of Jesus from the creation of the world to His birth on Christmas Day. The Jesse Tree idea was inspired by God's promise that 'there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse' (Is 11:1). Jesse was King David's father and, thus, an ancestor on Jesus' family tree.
Preparing for the Christmas season is so hectic these days. We spend so much time preparing our homes (shopping, baking, decorating, and cleaning) that we forget to prepare our hearts for the coming of our Lord. Advent celebrates the waiting and gives us time to prepare for the Messiah. Decorating the Jesse Tree is one way to learn how God prepared the hearts of His people for the coming of Jesus and to prepare our hearts — as a family — for the coming of Jesus on Christmas Day!
Photo by Petr Kovar
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