The Jesse Tree

This is a post from my first blog two years ago (sorry if it doesn't come through quite right....click on 'post' to read the original).  There are so many Christmas traditions that I grew up with that I am now learning are not at all steeped in the true meaning of this special time of year.  So, this year, my heart is searching the scriptures trying to only hold on to the traditions that will teach my children what this season is truly about....

OK – So, if you have read any of the other posts you will know that I am an overachiever.  Like chemicals, you should really be careful what you mix "overachieverism" (is that a word?) with.  It is highly reactive with crafting of any sorts…sewing, crocheting, stamping and I just learned….needlepoint.    Last year, my dear friend, Mrs. P, at Homemadeatthefarm,  introduced me to the concept of the Jesse tree.  I didn’t manage to get it done last year, but this year I crafted all our ornaments.  And, although we’re running a bit behind, we will be catching up in the next few days.   

Like recipes that I cook, I of course couldn’t stick with the original scripture plan that Mrs. P gave me.  I had to "tweak" it to my own.  So, this is what I came up with after combining many different plans:

DAY	SUBJECT	SCRIPTURE	SYMBOL
1	Intro to Jesse Tree	Isaiah 11:1-10	Stump wi/shoot
2	Creation	Gen 1:1-31; 2:1-4	Globe
3	Fall of Man	Gen 2:4 – 3:24	Apple
4	Noah & the Flood	Gen 6:11-22; 7:17-8:12; 20:9-17	Ark
5	Tower of Babel	Gen 11:1-9	Tower w/ cloud
6	Abraham & the Promise	Gen 12:1-7; 15: 1-6	Dark cloud w/ stars
7	Isaac & the Offering	Gen 22:1-19	Bundle of sticks
8	Jacob	Gen 27:41-28:22	Ladder
9	Joseph	Gen 37; 39:1-23; 50:15-21	Robe
10	Moses	Exodus 2:1-4z;20	Burning bush
11	Passover	Exodus 12:1-14:31	Doorway
12	Ten Commandments	Exodus 12:1 – 20:20	Tablets
13	Joshua	Joshua 1:1-11; 6:1-20	Shofar (Ram’s horn)
14	Samuel	1 Sam 3:1-21, 7:1 – 8:22, 9:15 – 10:9	Oil Lamp
15	Jesse	1 Samuel 16:1 -13	Sheep
16	David	1 Sam 16:1-23; 17:1-58; 2 Sam 5:1-5; 7:1-17	Slingshot
17	Solomon	1 Kings 3:5-14, 16-28	Heart
18	Elijah	1 Kings 17:1-16; 18:17-46	Raven
19	Isaiah	Isa 1:10-20; 6:1-13; 8:11-9:7	Stone
20	Jeremiah	Jer 1:4-10; 2:4-13: 7:1-15;8:13,8:22- 9:1-11	Wheat stalks
21	Habbakuk	Hab 1:1-2:1, 3:16-19	Hook
22	Nehemiah	Neh 1:1-2:8; 6:15-16; 13:10-22	Stone wall
24	Mary	Luke 1:26-38	Mary
23	John the Baptist	Luke 1:39-80, 3:1-20; 7:18-30	Shell
25	Joseph	Matthew 1:19-25	Hammer
26	Christmas story	Luke 2:1-21	Nativity

 And, here are most of my ornaments.  All the clay looking ornaments were crafted out of salt dough (I found the best recipe this year!).  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

This is the stump, the globe (crafted from felt), an apple ornament I found at Dollar General, Noah’s ark crafted from a walnut shell and felt and the tower of Babel (salt dough with felt cloud)

Bundle of sticks (Isaac), dark cloud with stars (Abraham), Josephs coat, burning bush (see detailed picture), door frame (passover) – there are popscicle sticks behind that it is glued to.

Heart (Solomon), Lamp (Samuel), Sheep (Jesse), Stone tablet (Ten Commandments), Raven (Elijah), slingshot (David)

Jacob’s ladder (crafted from 2 wooden skewers and toothpicks), hook (Habbakuk), Mary (crafted from old clothespiin wrapped in muslin), hammer (Jesse), stonewall (Nehemiah – see detailed picture later), sheaves of wheat (Jeremiah), shell (John the Baptist)

This is a detailed image of the burning bush.  There is a channel that I stitched in it so that every year the kids can go gather a cedar twig to put in it. 

Joseph’s Coat

This is the stonewall in the story of Nehemiah.  And, yes, I molded and cooked each brick (can we say "over-achiever" together now?).  I then glued each onto a piece of thin wood and used ModgePodge to seal them.

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON....

On another note, we spent Sunday evening with another family we are dear friends with in Glen Rose watching The Promise of Christmas.  For those of you in the Central Texas area, I am sure you have heard of The Promise which is an outdoor performance of the story of Christ.  This year they put together a play with a father and son looking for a Christmas tree that then leads in to the true story of Christmas.  Although Sunday evening was slated to be a low of 21 degrees, we all bundled up in layers of clothes and enough blankets for a small army.  It was truly an awesome thing to share with my family.  However, there is one thing that stuck out to me for some reason.   I can't explain why it bothers me, it will seem insignificant to most, but where did we get there were 3 wise men?  This morning I spent over an hour in study trying to figure this out.  The Bible never puts a number on it, but perhaps over time, since there were only 3 gifts mentioned (gold, frankincense and myrrh) we have adapted that to fit "our" story.  And, it is THAT very thing that bothers me.  I am feeling led to question most holiday traditions, not just Christmas, but Halloween, Easter, etc.  How many of us do things just because it's the way we've always done?  I am guilty, but I am beginning to question these things.  Does ignorance make us less accountable to the Lord or is it a curtain to hide behind?  

Prairie Kerri