The Jesus Tree
Many Decembers ago, when my house was full of little ones, I attended an event at a friend’s church where a woman shared ideas about how to make Advent a meaningful time for young families. Of her many good ideas, one in particular sparked my interest. I tucked the handout in my purse and as soon as I got hom the kids and I got busy. We were about to create our first “Jesus Tree.”
JESSE TREE OR JESUS TREE?
A traditional Jesse Tree is filled with reminders of the family tree of Jesus. The name, of course, refers to the father of David of whom it was said “from the root of Jesse a branch will grow” (Isaiah 11:1). Using Christmas to teach the greater story arc of the Bible is a great idea. There is lots of information available on-line to help families use the concept of a Jesse Tree to fully explore the story of God’s great rescue. (Our family has enjoyed the Jesse Tree devotional Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp.)
A Jesus Tree is a bit different in that it focuses on exploring the character and mission of Jesus. It is a wonderful way to help us keep our eyes on Jesus as we moved through the Advent season.
CREATING A JESUS TREE
The handout I came home with was simple; just a list of items and corresponding Bible verses. As I looked over the list of items we needed to gather or make, I knew that the process of preparing our Jesus tree would stir their curiosity, making the ground fertile for learning and growth. And I was right.
The first step was to find a box. A simple shoebox worked for us. The next step was to find or make all of the items on the list and attach a string to each so that the item could be hung like an ornament.
Some of the items were easy to find; a glue stick, a tissue, a star ornament. Others took some digging, but we found what we needed: a pair of (broken) glasses, snowflake and angel ornaments, a small (toy) hammer, a small container of playdough. A few items we had to make; a small map rolled up like a scroll, name tags with our names on them. When all items were gathered and had string attached, they were placed in the box with the exception of the first two items. The first item was a small Christmas tree and the second, a string of lights. We happened to have a table-top sized tree (it was our tree when we were first married and lived in a tiny apartment) and it happened to have lights. We were all set.
This seemingly random and rather strange collection of items did indeed make the kids curious and eager to see how this was going to play out. Were we really going to put playdough on our tree? What does a hammer have to do with Jesus? We would soon find out.
THE MYSTERY UNFOLDS
Each day at dinner we would look up and read the verse of the day. After a brief discussion, making sure everyone understood the verse, the kids would sift through the box and try to figure out which object represented the truth we just read about. The correct item would be identified with joy and added to the tree. On Christmas day, when the star was added, the tree had been transformed into a lovely Christmas tree. Motley, but still lovely. It was full of meaning. Full of wonder. It was a tree full of Jesus, Immanuel, God with us.
We kept all the items in the box and repeated the process for many years. The investment of time and energy in getting it ready that first year had dividends for years to come. Even when the older kids got to the point where they remembered and knew which ornament went with each verse, they would practice humble patience in letting the younger kids figure it out for themselves. In a way this made them feel “too old” for the Jesus Tree but really, it simply meant that they had 25 truths about Jesus hidden in their hearts, cemented there by the memory of pulling a tangible object out of a shoebox and hanging it on their very own Jesus Tree.
Click here to access the free pdf file of the Jesus Tree directions.
