Day 8 Advent Jesse Tree

Today is Day 8 of the Advent Calendar Jesse Tree devotions. The symbol, or ornament, for Day 8 is that of two stone tablets (the Ten Commandments).

The scriptures are Exodus 1-15, Exodus 20 & Exodus 32:15-18 (the acocunt of the Ten Commandments); and

Psalm 119:11 - "Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You."; and

Galatians 3:19 - "Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people."

The Old and New Testament readings tie each other together by explaining that God gave the Law to let people see the fullness of their sins and the consequences of their sins. But, when Christ came - Love conquered all.

Activity: If you have a few hours, sit down with your children and watch the classic movie The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston. Though, they embelished some parts of the story, it's still a good portrayal of how life must have been for Moses.

Today's ornament for the Jesse Tree is the symbol of two stone tablets (The Ten Commandments). The best way to make these is with Fimo clay from the craft store, roll flat & cut out the shape of the tablets. Then, you can engrave Roman Numberals with a sharp pencil or toothpick. Bake according to instructions on Fimo clay package.

Day 4 Advent Jesse Tree

Today is Day 4 of the Advent Calendar Jesse Tree devotions. The symbol, or ornament, for Day 4 is that of a camel and a tent.

The scriptures are Genesis 12:1-7 which is the account of God calling Abram to obey and believe what he is promising and to move to a strange land; and

Hebrews 11:8 - "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."

Matthew 1:1 - "This is a record of the birth of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

The Old and New Testament readings tie each other together by explaining that Abram's (later his name was changed by God to Abraham which means father of many nations) faith & obedience to leave the land he knew well and travel to a different place he did not know, but God had asked this of him, allowed God to fulfill his promise to give him more children than the stars he could count (in the spiritual realm). We see in Matthew that he was listed as part of the geneology of Jesus, the Messiah because he obeyed & was faithful when God called him.

Activity: A great website that brings lots of Abraham-related activities to light is garden of praise.com.

Of course the game of Simon Says comes to mind - A game in which one person calls out commands such as "hop on one foot." If the words "Simon Says" do not precede the command, the followers are not to do it. This is a good way to get across the lesson of obedience.

Make a Camel in the desert sand picture. Cut out a picture of a camel & glue it to a sheet of sandpaper, then have child color a desert scene on the sandpaper around the camel. Make sure you include a tent to signify Abraham's dwelling.

Today's ornament for the Jesse Tree is the symbol of a camel and a tent. A fun way to make this ornament is with oragami. Scissor Craft.com shows you how. Or, you can cut out a star from cardboard & place a camel & tent shape on top, painting and decorating each one.

History and Faith - What is an Advent Jesse Tree?

The time has arrived - The most wonderful time of the year, as it has been described in song. It's also referred to as advent season - What is advent? It's the days before Christmas when the coming of Christ's birth is celebrated. Most Christians, even non-Christians, have heard of an Advent Calendar where you open up a window each day and receive a small treat of chocolate candy or otherwise. One window is opened each day until Christmas Eve. There are many versions of these calendars.

One twist on the Advent Calendar that brings the Old Testament prophecies to New Testament meaning is called the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is based on the Old Testament prophecy that the Messiah will come - "A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots." Each day a short devotional is read connecting a Biblical prophecy and passage from the Old Testament with the coming of Christ, His birth and Christmas.

By using the Jesse Tree during Advent time, it is a great way to bring Biblical history to life in your daily lesson planning. This type of lesson can be logged for homeschoolers as history or religious studies, or both. You can even incorporate art and have the children design their own ornaments. Be creative with your ornaments. You can just color some downloadable pictures or purchase pre-made ornaments or use your creativity in being as elaborate as you like with your ornament design.

There are several ways to go about using the Jesse tree. One of my favorites is a book entitled The Advent Jesse Tree where you actually place a different ornament on a Christmas tree each day as you read the devotional lesson that corresponds. It's a small hard cover green book that fits easily into your hands. Another book that follows purely Advent and not so much of the Jesse Tree symbols but still connects Advent with prophesy is Countdown to Christmas: Devotions for Families by Laura K. E. Zimmerman.