Jesse Tree is a way of preparing for Advent by journeying through the stories on Jesus’s family tree. Each day of Advent, read a Bible story about someone on Jesus’s family tree and hang an ornament symbolizing the story on your Jesse Tree. As you decorate your tree, you’ll see how God prepared for Jesus to be born through many generations.
The Jesse Tree tradition is rooted in Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Jesse was the father of David, Israel’s greatest king. And Jesus is descended from the line of David. He is the branch God promised would grow from Jesse’s family tree. Each symbol represents a story from within this family tree and a step toward the birth of Jesus.
See a full schedule of Jesse Tree symbols and the Bible passages they represent.
Instructions to use with our ornament patterns and ideas for going totally DIY.
Each devotion in this family Advent devotional invites you into the story of someone on Jesus’s family tree. These devotions will show young children how God was preparing for Jesus to be born across many generations. Each story pairs with a symbol you can hang on your own Jesse Tree.
Use our printable set of 25 Jesse Tree ornaments for your Advent celebration this year. The ornaments are available to color yourself or pre-colored.
Read a Bible story that led to the birth of Jesus and color a symbol each day with this printable Advent calendar.
Celebrate Advent on Instagram through photos that reflect the daily Jesse Tree readings.
Offer an intergenerational activity to help church members prepare to celebrate Advent and Christmas.
These daily devotions inspired by the Jesse Tree are designed for adults or teenagers to read during Advent. You can print them out or view them online.
