Isaiah 11:1-4
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.
The Jesse tree is a great tradition to be a part of, either in the church or in the home. It tells the story of creation from the beginning of Genesis to the birth of Jesus. This is similar to what we would imagine as our own family tree as Jesus’ ancestry can be traced back to Jesse, the father of King David.
It is nice to know where you came from and the origin of your family. The Jesse tree takes it a step farther reflecting all the way back to creation. Have you ever looked into your own family tree? There may be some great treasures within it. While we know that we are all children of God, it is always interesting to see whom your tree may be holding. One great way to start on this journey is to talk to family and start your research in that manner. Not only do you find out some history, you also strengthen relationships. We are called to not only be in connected relationship with our family but to truly be with the people we call family.
Let us pray.
Loving God, we give thanks for family and the ability to know where we came from. As part of your family we give thanks and ask that our relationship continue to deepen. AMEN.
a mysterious way 