We invite all parishioners to visit the Jesse Tree in the church during Advent and to read the display explaining its history. We also invite everybody to take a printed symbol, bring it home to personalise with colour, a prayer, a message or a wish, bring it back to the church and hang it on the tree. At the end of Advent we hope to have a tree full of our symbols, thoughts and messages of hope for Christmas.
What is a Jesse Tree?
The Jesse tree helps us connect the custom of decorating Christmas
trees to the events leading to Jesus’ birth. The Jesse tree is named
from Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot shall come out of the stock of Jesse, and a
branch shall grow out of his roots.”
Jesse was the father of King David. We adorn a Jesse tree with illustrated ornaments that represent the people, prophesies, and events leading up to the birth of Jesus. The ornaments of the Jesse tree tell the story of God in the Old Testament, connecting the Advent season with the faithfulness of God across four thousand years of history.
Check out our Facebook page during Advent for daily updates on the Jesse Tree symbols.
