This past weekend I finally finished the last of the ornaments for our family’s Jesse Tree. This is quite an accomplishment for a person as averse to sewing as I am.
I have at least managed to keep ahead of our daily readings with the required ornaments, so since November 30th, we’ve been finding time after supper to sit down as a family and have “Jesse Tree Time.” We read the related Scripture for the day, then read the reflections that we found, which include some simple questions. We often have to adapt the readings and the questions for our girls (who are 1 and 3), but they’re able to absorb a surprising amount. It’s a real honour for the girls to find and hang up the appropriate ornament on the tree, which means we can actually get them to sit relatively still by telling them that whoever is the quietest can hang up the ornament.
We’ve found that it helps to read at bedtime the same Bible story that we discussed during Jesse Tree Time. We were given a great Bible for preschoolers
The lessons seem to be making quite an impression: A couple of days ago I listened as our 1-year old, Charlotte, was “reading” from a picture Bible, saying emphatically “I obey you! I obey you!” Too cute. (Now if we could just get her to understand that “obey” means “do what Mommy and Daddy tell you”, we’d be set …)
Tasha has been doing some serious reflecting, too. There was one night where our discussion question was, “What are some things that we do that are disobedient to God?”
We were curious to hear what Tasha’s concept of disobedience might be. She considered the question for a while and then earnestly pronounced, “Well, when I take off my slippers, that’s disobeying God.”
I am absolutely loving the moments together that this tradition has sparked for us.
Hi there. I’m looking for Jesse tree inspirations for my own family and for our Sunday School and found yours! Could you send me some info on how you did this and what the symbols stand for? I’ve heard rumors (from some evangelical friends) that there is some concerns about it theologically? Thanks and blessings to you and your family as you do some rethinking of church! (I loved that blog)
) Colleen
Hi, Colleen:
I started with the RCA ideas for the stories and patterns, and then hunted around on various blogs for ideas alternative symbols where I wanted them. Then I roped my husband into designing a simple version of the desired symbol that I could cut out in felt. It’s also possible to buy small ornaments that relate to the symbols to save time. I just liked the look of the felt ornaments and it was worth it to me to make the time for them.
As for theological concerns — I’ve racked my brains, but nope — I can’t see where there would be any. The Jesse Tree is a retelling of Old Testament stories using symbols that help us to remember the stories. I felt perfectly free to leave out a story or two if I ran out of days (advent is a different length from year to year), and I think I may have even added a favourite. Then I just found symbols that were easy to work with, many of which were the suggested ones from RCA. I found that my grandparents and parents, all of whom have been long-term Christians in the evangelical tradition, were delighted with our Jesse Tree tradition and celebrated it with us when it was possible.
I hope you enjoy your Jesse Tree. It’s been an exciting tradition for us, and we’re looking forward to getting started in just a few more weeks. (I cannot believe we’re at Christmas again …!).
I ask for you for permission to use the graphics I want to use the three photos of the Jesse tree so that visitors of my web page s can inspire to make the ornaments, thanks
Angie
Sounds great … have fun!
Hi, I found your blog doing a google search for jesse tree ornaments. I love, love, LOVE your ornaments, and I really want to make some similar ones of my own in the future… but for this year, because of lack of time and resources, I settled for printing out your pictures, cutting out the ornaments, punching holes in the top, and making a yarn loop. I hope that’s okay with you. They are way cuter than any of the other printable jesse tree ornaments.
But I just realized, after I made all of them, that you didn’t include all of the symbols in these two pictures.
Sooo… that said, is there ANY way you could do a similar photograph of the rest of your ornaments? I totally understand if you can’t or don’t feel like it, because I am, after all, just a complete stranger, but I would be very glad if you did!
Thanks a bunch, Stacy
Hi, Stacy — thanks so much for your kind words about our ornaments! I will do my very best to get some pics of all of them up this week for you — I am so glad that they can be used by someone else!
Thanks God bless you
Weird… I thought I commented a couple of days ago but it didn’t show up… Anyway, thank you so much!
And I’m so sorry — I didn’t get my photos up. I did take them, but then a very, very nasty cold / flu wiped our family out for weeks. My current plan is to work away on these over the year …
Oh it’s okay, we wound up still having plenty of ornaments because we didn’t get to do it every single night. I hope everyone is feeling better now!