December 1 - Introduction to Jesse Tree

Engage

Isaiah 11:1-10; Matthew 1:1-17
The Old Testament part of the Bible is just full of families, and as we will see they were not always happy families. King David came to notice when he defeated Goliath, but God had already chosen him to be king. David’s dad was called Jesse and he was one of the ancestors of Jesus, that is why we call this advent calendar ‘the Jesse Tree’.

Families are a bit like a tree, there’s the trunk, then the branches and lots and lots of twigs. In a family there are great great grandparents, great grandparents, grandparents, parents and children; and along the way there are aunts and uncles, cousins and even sisters and brothers. The only trouble with that is if you draw the family picture then it looks more like a tree that is upside down.

When God created his first garden he put two trees right in the middle. In the Bible trees are often used as pictures, and our Jesse Tree is a picture made up of many parts. Each bit is a story from the Bible, a story that help us to understand more about God and all that has been done for us, right from the beginning of time.