Join the Advent Journey
Go to www.lodechapel.org.uk to download your own Jesse Tree kit
The weeks running up to Christmas can be hectic for many of us. As we count
down to the big day our emphasis is on the lack of time remaining as we
struggle to complete our list of 101 Christmas jobs. It can easily be our
busy-ness and anxiety which increases day by day, rather than our anticipation
of the special event. Some people use an advent calendar to think about the
meaning of their Christmas preparations, but in many homes and churches an
alternative Christian custom is being revived. The Jesse Tree dates from
medieval times and involves the tradition of decorating a bare branch with
symbols that represent the different people in Jesus'family tree. The Jesse
Tree acts as a visual reminder of key stories in the Bible, each leading up to,
and in some way pointing towards, the birth of Christ.
We've prepared a Jesse Tree Kit with a booklet and 24 symbols for people to cut out and hang, either on a bare branch, or on their ordinary Christmas trees. These packs have been so popular with the families who come to Sunday Club and RE:NEW that we have decided to make them available for free on our website so that others can download and use them as well. If you don't have internet access, then give me a call (01223 812881), and I'll try and get a kit to you (a donation of £1 would cover the cost of photocopying).
This tradition gives families an opportunity, amidst all of the frantic activity, to sit down together to talk and reflect upon the meaning of Christmas. For each day of advent the booklet contains a short Bible reading, a brief reflection, a conversation starter and a very short prayer. But you can use the Jesse Tree however suits you and your family best - perhaps using it as an opportunity for the family to gather together at a particular time each day, with somebody cutting out the symbol, another reading the reflection, and so on.
The family tree of Jesus (you can find it in Matthew 1:1-16) is also the stimulus for the sermons in our morning services at Lode Chapel during Advent. Some people try and keep quiet about some of their relatives for fear of embarrassment, but in Jesus'genealogy we find a number of interesting characters. These include, for example, Rahab the prostitute, who is commended for her faith. Seeing such a woman in Jesus'list of descendants could be a shock for those who think church is a place where only 'respectable'people go! The truth is, however, that those whose lives are already perfect have no need for the 'Saviour of the World', the one whose coming we celebrate at Christmas. So if you feel your life is in one way or another 'less than perfect'you are particularly welcome to join us for any of the events listed below - there is no better Christmas present than the offer of new life found in that Bethlehem manger.