Jesse Tree

Well, Thanksgiving has past and the Advent season is soon to begin. The word advent means “coming” or “arrival”. While traditions in churches vary, the season of Advent is predominantly celebrated as a time of hope and anticipation. It is both a commemoration of the first coming of Christ, as well as an anticipation of the second coming of Christ. On the western liturgical calendar, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. In churches that formally celebrate Advent, each Sunday a candle is lit that has a specific meaning, such as faith, hope, love or joy. A fifth candle is usually lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to represent the birth of Christ. There are usually specific Scripture reading/devotions for each Sunday.

I have never been part of a church that celebrates Advent, so my knowledge of how it’s done is pretty much limited to what I wrote above. However, last year our family celebrated Advent at home, and it was truly a very rewarding experience. Before I describe what we did, I want to say a few words about Christmas traditions. We all have our own Christmas traditions. They may include certain family events, gift-giving, special meals, specific ways to decorate a Christmas tree, a reading of the Christmas story, etc. So many Christmas traditions have a “family” focus or even a secular focus (e.g. Santa) and not a “Christ” focus. And while we Christians all know the “true meaning of Christmas”, most of our time is often spent during the Christmas season finishing our Christmas shopping and eating cookies, while far less time is spent on anticipating the actual focus of the Christmas Day celebration-the birth of Christ! Of course, there isn’t anything wrong with gift-giving and eating good food or any of the other traditions, but in our family we wanted to start a Christmas tradition that focused the season on it’s true meaning.

So, last year we made a Jesse Tree to celebrate the Advent season. The Jesse tree gets it name from Isaiah 11:1, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. (ESV)” While there are various resources on the web for making a Jesse Tree with corresponding daily Scripture readings, we followed the outline in the book Disciplines of a Godly Family by Kent & Barbara Hughes. We had twenty-five Advent readings beginning December 1st and ending on Christmas Day. The readings covered biblical history chronologically from creation to the birth of Christ. Major events in the Old Testament were covered, including various prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. Each reading was accompanied by a ornament decorated with an appropriate symbol to hang on the Jesse Tree.

Our tree consisted of a bare branch from our backyard. We placed it in a large vase and filled the vase with sand from our daughter’s sandbox. Our daughter was only 2 and 1/2 at that time, so I made the ornaments myself out of cardstock and yarn. I used my magnificent artistic abilities (Ha!) to draw the symbols. Our daughter had a great time hanging the ornaments on our Jesse Tree. I’m hoping this year that she will get more out of the Scripture readings! Here’s a photo:

There are many different ways to make a Jesse Tree, and it can be as elaborate as one wants to make it. While I intend to use my same ornaments this year, I anticipate our children making the ornaments in the future. What a great project! I can’t say enough about how wonderful a Christmas tradition this is to commemorate the birth of Christ.

Early Thanksgiving Reflections – A Short History

Of the 102 Pilgrims that landed in Plymouth, MA in 1620, only half survived the first winter. With the help of an English-speaking Native American, Squanto, the remaining Pilgrims were able to reap a bountiful harvest in the fall of 1621. They held a harvest feast for three days to celebrate and rejoice. While this celebration was not technically called a “thanksgiving” feast, it was clear that they recognized God’s goodness in providing them with a plentiful harvest. Pilgrim Edward Winslow writes in Mourt’s Relation:

“our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”

In the Pilgrims third year, the land was stricken with a severe drought. The Pilgrims held a day of prayer and fasting. Governor William Bradford writes in Of Plymouth Plantation:

I may not here omit how, notwithstand all their great pains and industry, and the great hopes of a large crop, the Lord seemed to blast, and take away the same, and to threaten further and more sore famine unto them. By a great drought which continued from the third week in May, till about the middle of July, without any rain and with great heat for the most part, insomuch as the corn began to wither away though it was set with fish, the moisture whereof helped it much. Yet at length it began to languish sore, and some of the drier grounds were parched like withered hay, part whereof was never recovered. Upon which they set apart a solemn day of humiliation, to seek the Lord by humble and fervent prayer, in this great distress. And He was pleased to give them a gracious and speedy answer, both to their own and the Indians’ admiration that lived amongst them. For all the morning, and the greatest part of the day, it was clear weather and very hot, and not a cloud or any sign of rain to be seen; yet toward evening it began to overcast, and shortly after to rain with such sweet and gentle showers as gave them cause of rejoicing and blessing God. It came without either wind or thunder or any violence, and by degrees in that abundance as that the earth was thoroughly wet and soaked and therewith. Which did so apparently revive and quicken the decayed corn and other fruits, as was wonderful to see, and made the Indians astonished to behold. And afterwards the Lord sent them such seasonable showers, with interchange of fair warm weather as, through His blessing, caused a fruitful and liberal harvest, to their no small comfort and rejoicing. For which mercy, in time convenient, they also set apart a day of thanksgiving.

After the crops were saved by the God-given rain, Governor Bradford made an official thanksgiving proclamation in 1623:

Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience; now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.