What is a Jesse Tree

A friend sent me this question, so here's the answer :

Here is a post from my blog about it...
http://myhomeschool101.blogspot.com/2008/10/advent-jesse-tree.html


The idea comes from all the prophesies about Jesus in the Old Testament. Advent is waiting for Jesus, just as all of the Old Testament was waiting for Jesus.

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,and a branch shall grow
out of his roots. Isaiah 11:1

There are many variations on which prophesies & symbols to choose.

• The ones for my older kids are more symbolic (The prophesy of the suffering servant Isaiah 53:4-7, 9, 12b: the cross, the prophesy of a new creation Isaiah 11:6-10: the lion and the lamb, etc.)
• The ones we chose this year are for the littler kids and less abstract. Just the people who were waiting for the Messiah. http://myhomeschool101.blogspot.com/2008/11/jesse-tree-ornaments.html

It's not that big of a deal if we miss a day. We just skip that one and go on. I just want them to get the idea that all of the Old Testament was waiting for Jesus.