"God our Father,this Jesse Tree reminds us of our family tree which takes us back a long way,back as far as we can go into the story of our family.
This tree reminds us that Joseph and Mary were of the house of David.
It reminds us that the root of our Christian story,our Christian family tree,go back to the Jewish people and the covenant of love with God and in the Old Testament.
It reminds us of how long generations of people waited for the coming of Jesus . Now he is coming anew this Christmas and we must be awake so that we will not miss Him when He comes. " Amen !
The first ornament is the Symbol of the Dove and reminds us of the peace and harmony of creation as God intended. It was hung on Thursday before Advent. You can read the full story of Jesse in Isaiah 11:1-10 and Davis in 1Samuel 16:1-13 Jesse is the father of David ,beginning the line of descendants that will lead to Jesus of Nazareth ,The Messiah
The second ornament is an apple, symbolizing original sin.Jesus Christ is called the"second" or "new"Adam because he ushered In a new creation,forgiving sin and restoring humanity to God's grace. The whole story of Adam and Eve is found in Genesis 2:4-3:24. It was hung on Friday.
The third ornament,Noah's Ark,reminds us that although He was displeased with the wickedness of the men and women he had created,He also sees the best in us and renews his covenant with us through forgiveness and mercy. You can read the full story of Noah and the ark in Genesis 6:11-22,7:1-8:22it was hung on Saturday.
The 1st Sunday of Advent's ornament is the field of stars.representing God's promise to Abraham,the father of our faith,whose descendants became the chosen people of God. You can learn more about Abraham's great faith in God in Genesis 12:1-7 and 15:1-6
