December 1, 2025
Isaiah 11:1
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”
The Jesse Tree is like a big storytelling calendar for Advent, without the chocolates or little gifts of many Advent calanders. The Jesse Tree doesn’t just count down days, it walks us through the entire story that leads to Christmas. Starting way back at Creation, it traces God’s promises through the generations, Abraham, David, the prophets, and all the twists and turns of Israel’s journey, until it finally points us to Jesus.
In the Middle Ages, churches and monasteries began creating artworks, stained glass windows, and illuminated manuscripts depicting the “Tree of Jesse.” These showed Jesus’ genealogy as a branching tree, with Jesse at the base and Christ at the top. Over time, the Jesse Tree moved from being a church art motif to a family Advent devotion. By the late medieval period, Christians began using trees or branches decorated with symbols to mark the days leading up to Christmas. Many historians tells us that the Jesse Tree predates what we now refer to as the Christmas Tree that we decorate each year.
The name comes from Jesse, the father of King David, because the prophet Isaiah said that “a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse.” That promise was fulfilled when Christ was born from David’s family line. So every ornament or symbol on the Jesse Tree is like a chapter in the story, showing how God was weaving His plan all along.
When we follow the Jesse Tree, it is a way for us to see the whole sweep of Scripture as one long journey toward Christ, with God revealing pieces of His promise along the way. We are not just remembering random Bible stories, we’re seeing how they all connect, how they all build toward the birth of Christ. It’s the whole Christmas story, stretched across history, reminding us that God has always been faithful and that His promises always find their fulfillment in Jesus.
This Advent season, as we wait for the birth of Christ and celebrate His gifts of Hope, Joy, Peace, Love, and Light, we wait alongside those who came before us. Their stories are our stories. We are connected to the people who trusted God, stumbled badly at times, but also witnessed miracles and surprising victories as they waited for His promise to unfold.
This, I believe helps us to learn and understand that even in the waiting, God calls us to be faithful. Even in the darkness, God calls us to walk in His light.
Come,
You who are celebrating with joy,
You who are worn out, lonely, or feeling lost,
You who are longing for hope and for the Savior,
Come and wait with open hearts for the One who brings salvation and life.
The name comes from Jesse, the father of King David, because the prophet Isaiah said that “a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse.” That promise was fulfilled when Christ was born from David’s family line. So every ornament or symbol on the Jesse Tree is like a chapter in the story, showing how God was weaving His plan all along.
When we follow the Jesse Tree, it is a way for us to see the whole sweep of Scripture as one long journey toward Christ, with God revealing pieces of His promise along the way. We are not just remembering random Bible stories, we’re seeing how they all connect, how they all build toward the birth of Christ. It’s the whole Christmas story, stretched across history, reminding us that God has always been faithful and that His promises always find their fulfillment in Jesus.
This Advent season, as we wait for the birth of Christ and celebrate His gifts of Hope, Joy, Peace, Love, and Light, we wait alongside those who came before us. Their stories are our stories. We are connected to the people who trusted God, stumbled badly at times, but also witnessed miracles and surprising victories as they waited for His promise to unfold.
This, I believe helps us to learn and understand that even in the waiting, God calls us to be faithful. Even in the darkness, God calls us to walk in His light.
Come,
You who are celebrating with joy,
You who are worn out, lonely, or feeling lost,
You who are longing for hope and for the Savior,
Come and wait with open hearts for the One who brings salvation and life.
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