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Introduce the Jesse Tree Activity

Many of us have photographs of parents, grandparents, great-aunts and uncles, and great-grandparents. Some we actually knew, many we know only through stories. People who make up our family tree hold a fascination for us.

So, too, the people who make up our family of faith tell us much about who we are and how we are related to God. As Christians we are part of the extended family of Jesus of Nazareth. His family tree is the story of salvation history, the story of a people chosen, spared and redeemed by God.

Matthew’s genealogy (Mt 1:1-17), which we hear at Christmastime each year, tells us that Jesus was the son of David, Israel’s greatest king, and back even further, the son of Abraham, the first patriarch of the Hebrew people, the first person called by God. Out of this family line, God would take flesh and live among the people of earth.

From medieval times, Christians have been fascinated with visual representations of the family tree of Jesus. A stained glass window at Chartres Cathedral in France, built in the early 13th century, depicts a Jesus tree, representing the family tree of Jesse, the father of King David, that blossoms in the birth of Jesus the Messiah, the “Son of David.” This ancient tradition of the Jesse tree was revived in the mid-20th century as an Advent practice.
(From The Jesse Tree by Diane Houdek. Catholic Update, November 1977, C1197)

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The Jesse tree represents Jesus’ family tree. The name is taken from Isaiah 11:1, in which Jesus is referred to as a shoot coming up from the stump of Jesse, the father of David. The ornaments on the Jesse tree tell of Jesus’ ancestors, and of the events leading to Jesus’ birth. While it is hard to establish when and where the custom of the Jesse tree began, it most likely started in the Middle Ages as a way to teach Bibles stories. A Jesse tree is a bare branch that holds symbols of people from the Old Testament who waited and prepared for Jesus. Tradition has it that the love and preparation given the Jesse Tree would make flowers burst forth from the branch. This is why a bare branch, rather than an evergreen, is used.

Roots are important parts of a tree. As people, we need to know our roots, as well. Often, we run from one thing to another without reflecting on where we have been or where we are going. As we create a Jesse tree during this Advent season, let us pause and look at the great people of faith upon whose shoulders we stand.

To give the group a sense of Jesus’ family tree, read the genealogy of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 1:1-17. (Do your best with all the names.) Make the connection between the Jesse Tree activity and the genealogy of Jesus. Note how many of the people in the genealogy are included on the handout, Stories of Advent—Making Your Jesse Tree.

Activity Option: Your Family Tree
To illustrate what a genealogy looks like, consider drawing your own family tree on a sheet of newsprint or poster board and presenting it to the group at this time.