Table of Contents

Introduction to the Advent Jesse Tree--------------------------------------------------------------1

What is an Advent Jesse Tree? ----------------------------------------------------------------------1

How to use the Advent Jesse Tree-------------------------------------------------------------------2

Dec 1st - In The Beginning (Globe) -----------------------------------------------------------------4

Dec 2nd - The Image of God (Mirror) ---------------------------------------------------------------5

Dec 3rd - The Fall (Tree or Apple) -------------------------------------------------------------------6

Dec 4th - Noah and His Family (Boat or Rain) ----------------------------------------------------7

Dec 5th - The Call of Abram (Stars) -----------------------------------------------------------------8

Dec 6th - Abraham and Isaac (Ram) ----------------------------------------------------------------9

Dec 7th - Jacob’s ladder (Ladder) ------------------------------------------------------------------11

Dec 8th - Joseph (Colorful Coat) -------------------------------------------------------------------12

Dec 9th - Moses the Rescuer (Burning Bush) ----------------------------------------------------14

Dec 10th - The Passover (Lamb) --------------------------------------------------------------------15

Dec 11th – Nothing Is Impossible (Possible) ------------------------------------------------------16

Dec 12th - The Law (Tablets) ------------------------------------------------------------------------17

Dec 13th - A Secret Rescue (Red Rope) ------------------------------------------------------------18

Dec 14th - A Redeemer (Heads of wheat) ----------------------------------------------------------19

Dec 15th - The Stump Sprouts (Stump) -----------------------------------------------------------20

Dec 16th - On Our Hearts (Heart) ------------------------------------------------------------------21

Dec 17th - A Promise (Crib) -------------------------------------------------------------------------22

Dec 18th - Light of the World (Candle) ------------------------------------------------------------23

Dec 19th - O Little Town (Bethlehem) -------------------------------------------------------------24

Dec 20th - Where is He? (Clock) -------------------------------------------------------------------25

Dec 21st - Mary’s Visitor(Angel) -------------------------------------------------------------------26

Dec 22nd - Traveling (Sandals) --------------------------------------------------------------------27

Dec 23rd - A Strange Star (Star) ------------------------------------------------------------------28

Dec 24th - The Greatest News (Newspaper) -----------------------------------------------------29

Dec 25th - The Greatest Gift (Gift) ---------------------------------------------------------------30

1

Advent Jesse Tree

The Advent Jesse Tree is something that my wife and I became interested in a

few years ago when she read about it in Noel Piper's Treasuring God in Our

Traditions. We wanted to create some traditions in our family that we would be

able to pass down to our children and the Advent Jesse Tree was one we really

liked. It would help us create one of those traditions, as well as help us keep

our children (and ourselves) in the right mindset during the Christmas season.

In writing this book of advent devotions, I hope to share with you the

enjoyment that our family has experienced and will continue to experience as

we eagerly await the celebration of The Advent of God with us.

I also hope this book of devotions will glorify God by showing how great and

awesome he really is – how he loves us, how he is faithful, and how he has

always had a plan to save us. The Bible tells us of God who is holy, loving,

faithful, compassionate, and at the same time, all-powerful. He has revealed

himself to us in both the Old and New Testaments and we can learn about him

and his plan by telling these stories from his Word. My hope is that we would

learn about him and his plan through these devotions, but even more so, it is

my deep desire that we would learn to love and seek after him by reading these

daily devotions with our families through the Advent season. May God bless

each family that anticipates the coming of the Messiah.

―Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,

the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me,

but also to all who have longed for his appearing.‖ – 2 Timothy 4:8

What is an Advent Jesse Tree?

The Advent Jesse Tree is just one of the ways, over the years, Christians have

celebrated the arrival of the promised Messiah. The word Advent means "arrival

of something anticipated" or "a coming into place". This arrival is what

Christians celebrate every year all over the world. From the earliest parts of

Scripture, God makes promises that there will be an advent, a day when he

himself will step into his creation for the sake of his people. This day is hinted

at, prophesied, and promised throughout the section of Scripture Christians

refer to as the Old Testament. Christmas and the Jesse Tree remind us and

help Christians look forward to the promised Second Advent of the Messiah as

well.

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But, why celebrate Advent with a ―Jesse Tree‖? The name "Jesse" is a

reference to one of these promises found in the book of Isaiah. In chapter 11,

we read, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a

Branch will bear fruit." Jesse was the father of King David, and David is the

king that God promised would always have an heir on his throne. The stump is

a symbol of a dead, rejected tree. It is the image of death, where there is no

hope. The living "shoot" coming out of death is what we celebrate at Christmas.

When all hope seemed to be lost, when death had apparently won, a small

child is born in Bethlehem - the City of David. This Son would bring life where

there was death. He would bring hope where there was despair.

There are different ways to celebrate and remember during the Advent season.

Some light candles on the four Sundays prior to December 25th, each candle

with its own theme. Some have Advent calendars where they mark the days

leading up to Christmas. The Jesse Tree gives us a way to mix traditions that

many of us have (ornaments/trees) with traditions that point us to the Christ

of the Advent. The ornaments displayed on the Jesse Tree are symbols of the

hints, prophecies, and promises we get from God's word. These stories help us

relate to those who were waiting and longing for the day when God would come

to save his people. They build in us the anticipation of celebration of the day

Christ came to rescue us as well as teach us to anticipate the day he will come

again.

How to use the Advent Jesse Tree

There are a variety of ways to display and use the Jesse Tree. Some choose

to have an actual tree while others use a paper or felt tree. Some use the

Christmas tree they have already decorated to hang the Jesse Tree ornaments.

Some have a small tree that they use for the Jesse Tree ornaments alone. Some

use a branch from a live tree to hang their ornaments. Ornaments are either

handmade or purchased for each of the days in December leading up to the

25th. If you are creative, you could draw pictures to hang, create ornaments

from polymer clay or sew cloth ornaments. Use what is best for your family

and what will help you focus on celebrating the Advent. Read the Scripture

passage listed under each heading, as well as the devotions every day leading

up to Christmas. Our family hangs ornaments on our Jesse Tree each day, one

ornament represents the devotion for that day. I have added the illustrations

from the book at the back of the book if you would like to cut them out to use

as ornaments for each day.

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This Advent Jesse Tree book is broken up into 25 devotions. The best way

to use the book is to gather around your Jesse Tree with your family and read

the devotional every day during the month of December leading up to

Christmas Day. Don’t be discouraged if you miss a day’s devotion. Use the

next day to catch up on the one (or more) that you missed. Families with

children will particularly enjoy the anticipation these devotions bring. They

will also help all of us remember, amidst the holiday shuffle and frustrations,

why we celebrate this time of year.

The 25 devotions are written in three sections. The first section is made up

of a selection of stories from the Old Testament that point to the one who

would come. The second section is made up of prophecies that tell of the one

who is coming. The third section comes from New Testament passages that

describe what happened when our Rescuer came to us. I have also included

some questions for discussion at the end of each day. I’ve tried to make the

book fit a wide range of families and individual situations and hoped the

questions would be a good way to promote discussions for families with

children.

Just as when we see a shadow, we know that there is something casting

the shadow; A shadow points to the thing that is casting it. So it is with the

stories of the Old Testament; they are a ―shadow‖ pointing us to the thing with

substance. Jesus taught his disciples that all the Old Testament stories were a

shadow pointing to him (Luke 24:25-27). The Advent Jesse tree shows us how

they point to the day that all Creation was longing for. It helps us to anticipate

the day and the reason we celebrate. It was the day that God stepped down

and became a part of his own creation, for his name’s sake and out of his great

love for us. These ―shadows‖ tell us how God was whispering, even from the

beginning, ―He‘s coming.‖

There are so many passages to choose from when using a Jesse Tree for

Advent. Every story points us to Him and there are seemingly endless

prophecies that foretell his coming. Although we will not go through every

prophetic passage, I hope that the 25 stories told in this devotion will give us

all a daily reminder that we have received the greatest gift imaginable at

Christmas and remind us all to be thankful for all of the gifts that we have. My

prayer is that this book will help your family anticipates the Advent with

excitement and that the Advent Jesse Tree will become a part of your family’s

tradition.

4

December 1

In The Beginning READ: Genesis 1:1-25

―In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.‖ --Gen 1:1

Before there were people, before there were stars, or trees, or clouds, or

grass, or rocks, before there was anything in the Universe (before there was

even a universe), someone was there. That someone was a very special

someone who had always been there; that someone was God. He was there

before anything was made and was there in the beginning when everything else

began. The first words we hear from him are spoken into the nothingness: ―Let

there be light.‖ He spoke! And when he spoke things started happening.

Things came out of nowhere: light, water, clouds, dirt, rocks, grass, bushes,

trees, stars, planets, galaxies. God also wanted to share these things that he

created. So he spoke again. He spoke and other things were created: fish,

squirrels, cats, dogs, dinosaurs, bees, bugs, birds, and more. Everything that

we see and touch and hear exists because God spoke and created it. Because

he created it, we can say everything that exists belongs to God. There is

nothing in the Universe that does not belong to him.

In Colossians 1:16-17 we read that ―in him all things were created: things in

heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers

or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is

before all things, and in him all things hold together‖ (emphasis added). Who is

the ―him‖ referred to in this passage? It is none other than the child that will

be born in Bethlehem. It is also the person we read about in Genesis 1, as well

as in the Gospel of John: ―In the beginning was the Word and the Word was

with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things

were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was

made.‖ (John 1:1-3). The God in the beginning is the baby in Bethlehem come

to rescue his creation. ―The true light that gives light to everyone was coming

into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through

him, the world did not recognize him.‖ (John 1:9-10)

Discussion

1. Who made you?

2. What else did God make and what did he use to make it?

3. What in the Universe belongs to God?

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December 2

The Image of God READ: Genesis 1:26-31

―Let us make mankind in our own image...‖ --Gen 1:26

God was not finished with his creation. He had made a countless

number of stars and vast varieties of plants and animals on a spinning globe in

space, but he had something even more amazing in mind. He wanted to create

something that reflected himself – something…someone that he would be able

to share himself with in a more intimate, personal way. He created man and

woman - he created people in his own image, which means, among other

things, that they were ―like‖ him. They were created to reflect him to each

other and back to himself. They were created to enjoy him and enjoy each

other. They, like God, could love, laugh and create. They could also choose to

love, enjoy, and have a relationship with the one that created them. It wasn’t

until he created these, our first parents, that he said his creation was ―very

good‖ (Gen 1:30). These creatures, created in his image, were what he had in

mind when he first created the universe – he loved them and they were

beautiful to him.

God was not lonely; he did not need a friend. He didn’t (and still doesn’t)

need anything. We learn from the Bible that he was completely satisfied and

wholly enjoyed the society of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) before he

created ANYTHING (Acts 17:24, 25). He created people for many reasons, but

the primary reason was for those people to glorify, make much of him, by

enjoying him forever. In the garden with our first parents, we read that he

―walked with them‖ (Gen 3:8). This means that our first parents, Adam and

Eve, had a close relationship with God in the very beginning; they lived in

harmony with him. God did not need them, but oh how he wanted them. He

had created them for his purposes and he LOVED them. He would move

heaven and earth to share himself with them and the ones that would come

after them; one day he would (John 1:1, 14).

Questions

1. What was the special thing that God created in our story today?

2. What does it mean for people to be created in the ―image‖ of God?

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December 3

The Fall READ: Genesis 2:15; 3:1-24

―…Where are you?‖ --Gen 3:9

Do you remember what God called his creation after he had created the

very first man and woman? He said it was ―very good‖! He was very pleased

with his creation and loved the man and woman very much. Genesis chapter 2

says that God put Adam, and later his wife Eve, into a perfect garden. They

were happy and God was happy to walk and talk with them every day. But one

day something terrible happened. Satan, disguised as a snake, came to Eve

and planted within her mind a horrible lie: ―Maybe God doesn’t really love you.

He doesn’t really want what is best for you. You can’t really trust him.‖ Adam

and Eve both fell for this trick. They would even go as far as doing the one

thing that God had told them not to do. When they fell for the trick they also

fell in another way. They fell into death – separation from the God that loved

them so much and had made them for happiness. Sin had snuck its way in

and put a barrier between God and the people he loved. The very good creation

was no longer very good. There were now very bad things like pain, sickness

and death. But God was not surprised by this. God, in the middle of all the

bad news, makes a simple promise. To the serpent he says ―I’m declaring war

between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He will wound

your head, you will wound his heel‖ (Gen 3:15).

Even though God’s most precious creation had broken themselves and

the rest of his creation, even though they had broken his very heart, God gives

us our first hint that someone is coming. A Rescuer! Even in the middle of

tragedy, God had good in mind for his creation. Through their bad choice, God

would bring about good. It would be a long wait – but even way back then God

had a plan.

Questions

1. What is something sad about today’s story?

2. What is something happy about today’s story?

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December 4

Noah and His Family READ: Genesis 6:5, 9-18; 7:1-24; 8:15-17

―…But God remembered Noah‖ --Gen 8:1

After our first parents sinned and rebelled against God, it damaged and

marred the part of us that was in the image of God. We were no longer a clear

reflection of him. This sinful nature was passed down to through the

generations so much that God says that every thought of the people was only

on evil all of the time. Not only had our first parents decided to not trust God,

the generations that followed rebelled against him. The land was full of people

who were full of ―evil of every kind.‖ God had a plan to put an end to all of the

sin and violence. This plan included a man named Noah and his family. Noah

was a man that God notes as ―righteous‖ in the middle of all of this evil. He

was called righteous, not because he was perfect, but because he trusted God.

Noah showed this trust in God by doing exactly what God had instructed him

to do – build a giant boat in the middle of dry land.

This boat is what God used to save him along with his family. This giant

boat points us to the Rescuer that would come. Just as in Noah’s day, the

earth today is full of all kinds of sin and evil. We naturally distrust God and

follow our own plan. We rebel against God by nature and because God is just,

he must deal with this sin. As in Noah’s day, God knows that his just wrath is

going to come against all of us who have rebelled against him. But, just as in

Noah’s story, God provides an ark – a boat for us to enter that will protect us

from flood of his wrath. That ark is the Bethlehem child who came to rescue

the ones who put their trust in God. In the ark, Noah and his family are

protected from God’s wrath. In Christ we are protected from God’s wrath as

well. The rain and flood fell on the ark instead of Noah. The wrath of God fell

on Jesus at the cross instead of on those of us who believe in him. ―There is

therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.‖ (Romans

8:1).

Questions

1. How did Noah show that he trusted God?

2. How is Jesus like Noah’s ark?

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December 5

The Call of Abram READ: Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-6

―He took him outside and said, ―Look up at the sky and count the stars—

if indeed you can count them.‖ Then he said to him, ―So shall your offspring be.‖ Abram

believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.‖ --Gen 15:5-6

In the story of Abram, we see God choose a man out of a family and people

who had not known him before and tell him that he will bless him ―greatly‖.

Abram, like Noah, is a man that God considers righteous because he chooses

to trust and obey God. He calls Abram to leave the land of his family and go to

a place that Abram had never seen. Initially, God does not even tell Abram

where he is sending him. Nevertheless, Abram trusts God, packs up his whole

household and starts off in the direction God gives him. God tells Abram that

he will bless him so that he can become a blessing to others. He tells Abram

that the number of his children will be as the number of stars. Most

amazingly, God even tells Abram that all the families of the world would be

blessed through him. Abram trusted God even though he could not see how

God’s promise was possible given his circumstances.

God chose a seemingly obscure man from an obscure family and decided to

bless him. Abram was a man in his nineties that had not been able to have

children with his wife Sarai. They longed for children, but they had not been

blessed with them; they thought they never would be. Abram was one of the

most unlikely candidates to become the ancestor of the great Rescuer God

would send into the world. But God promises that Abram would be blessed,

that God himself would be his reward, and that ―all the peoples of the world

would be blessed‖ through him. Abram and Sarai would have children, and one

of their great-great-great-great… grandchildren would be born in a stable in

Bethlehem. God’s surprising statement to Abram that all the families of the

world would be blessed through him prepares us for one that would come and

be a blessing to all of us.

Questions

1. How many stars do you think Abram could have seen? Could he have

counted them all?

2. How is our family blessed through God blessing Abram?

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December 6

Abraham and Isaac READ: Genesis 22:1-18

―Abraham answered, ‗God himself will provide the lamb

for the burnt offering, my son.‘‖--Gen 22:8

God changed Abram's name to Abraham and promised him that he had

made Abram the father of many nations (Gen 17:5). This promise seemed

unlikely to a husband and wife who had been unable to have children at all.

God did fulfill his promise, however, when Abraham was 99 years old and his

wife Sarah was 90. In our story today, we hear an unthinkable request that

God made to Abraham. ―Take your son, your only son, whom you love—

Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering

on a mountain I will show you‖ (22:2). What?!? God had told Abraham that he

would bless him and all the peoples of the world through Isaac. Abraham did

not understand the request but he had learned to trust what God told him. He

went forward with the request believing all along that God had some good

intention. He knew that God kept his promises so he knew that this would not

be the end of Isaac. When he and Isaac started up the mountain for the

sacrifice, Abraham told his servants that Isaac would come back down the

mountain with them. He knew God would provide, and he did. Just before

Abraham went through with the unthinkable request, Abraham’s arm was

stopped and he was told to not hurt the boy. They looked back and saw that

God had provided a ram for the sacrifice. God provided a substitute for Isaac –

to take his place on the altar.

This story is hard for us to understand. We really find it difficult to think

that God would ask Abraham to sacrifice his own son. Because we have the

whole story, we know that God made this request for at least a couple of

reasons.

We see clearly in this story that God used it as a test, a way for Abraham to

show the faith he actually had in God. We can also see that this story clearly

foreshadows God’s plan to provide for the people he loves. There are several

images in the story that point to God’s rescue of his people from their sins.

Abraham is to sacrifice his ―one and only son‖ just as Jesus is the ―only

begotten son of God‖ (John 3:16). Abraham places the wood of the sacrifice on

his son’s back much like Jesus carries the wood of his sacrifice on his back.

God providing a substitute ram to take the place of Isaac is a picture of Jesus

10

taking the place of sinners when he sacrifices himself on the cross. But, there

is one big difference between this story and the one to come: God does not hold

back as he gives his son for us. Jesus willingly stands in our place and the

Father gives the son he loves to be a sacrifice for us.

Questions

1. How did Abraham show that he trusted God?

2. How is the ram in our story like Jesus?

11

December 7

Jacob’s Ladder READ: Genesis 28:10-14

―He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top

reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on

it.‖--Gen 28:12

Jacob had just received a blessing from his father Isaac and instructions to

go and find a wife for himself in a place that was some distance from his home.

Darkness came while he was on his way, so Jacob decided to stop and rest for

the night. He didn’t have any relatives nearby to stay with and there were no

hotels around so Jacob decided to just sleep beneath the stars. He didn’t even

have a pillow, so he grabbed the closest thing he could find – a rock. Jacob

laid his head on the rock and started off to sleep. As he was sleeping, Jacob

had a very strange dream. He saw something beside him on the ground. It was

a staircase in the middle of nowhere, and the staircase just kept going up and

up and up. The top of it reached way into the sky. He saw angels walking up

and down on the staircase and at the top, he saw someone very bright. The

very bright person spoke and said, ―I am the Lord, the God of your father

Abraham and the God of Isaac.‖ It was God! Jacob then hears God promise

the same thing that he had promised to his grandfather Abraham: ―Your

descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the

west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be

blessed through you and your offspring.‖ Not only does Jacob hear the promise

to Abraham and Isaac echoed to him, he sees a vision in his dream that points

us to the one that would come. The staircase or ladder that reaches from the

earth to heaven is a picture of Jesus. Our sin separates us from God so that

there is no way for us to reach from earth to heaven. We cannot reach up to

God so he reached down for us and made a way for us. Jesus bridges the gap

between us and heaven. In the gospel of John, Jesus tells his disciple

Nathanael that he would ―see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending

and descending‖ on himself (John 1:51). Let us thank God and remember at

this time of year that he has created a way for us to reach him and because he

reached out to us.

Questions

1. Who is the one that makes a way for us to reach heaven?

2. How does Jesus become a ladder for us?

12

December 8

Joseph READ: Genesis 50:15-21

―You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish

what is now being done, the saving of many lives.‖--Gen 50:20

Joseph’s story is one of the greatest stories we read in the Bible with many

ups, downs, twists and turns. Joseph is the great grandson of Abraham. He

had lots of brothers and sisters and because Joseph was his dad, Jacob’s,

favorite son, his brothers hated him. Jacob had given Joseph a special robe

that was more beautiful than anything he had given to his other sons. His

brothers were so jealous and they made a plan to get rid of him. When they

had their chance, they sold their brother as a slave to some people that were

traveling down to Egypt, which was far away from them and their father. While

Joseph was in Egypt he was sold as a slave to a very important man. Then,

just when things were looking up, he was accused of doing something that he

didn’t do. He was thrown into prison even though he had done nothing wrong.

While he was in prison he was placed in charge of the other prisoners.

Something happened so that it looked like he was going to be able to be

released from prison but instead he was forgotten. For two more years he was

in prison for something he did not do. Then, all of a sudden, God made a way

for him to get out. He was remembered as a person that could tell people what

their dreams meant. The leader of Egypt needed someone to tell him what his

dream meant. Joseph was called on to tell Pharaoh what his dream meant. He

also told Pharaoh what he could do to save the people of Egypt from a famine

that was soon coming. Pharaoh was impressed and put Joseph in charge of

preparing for the famine. The famine also comes to the part of the land where

Joseph’s brothers lived. They needed to come to Egypt in order to get food for

their families. Little did they know that Joseph would be the one to save them

from starvation. Joseph gladly helped his brothers; and he was able to see that

God had planned good all along, even the hard times in his life that he did not

understand at the time.

Joseph’s story is a long one with many things that point us to Jesus. Both

Joseph and Jesus had miraculous births. Joseph was hated by his brother;

Jesus was hated by many of his own people. Joseph was sold for silver just as

Jesus was. Joseph became a servant; Jesus came to be a servant. Jesus was

accused of something he did not do just like Joseph. But, the most amazing

thing is that Joseph saved his people by through his suffering just like Jesus

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saved us by his suffering. Joseph was sold into slavery, put into prison and

forgotten so that he could one day help to save many people from starvation in

a famine. Jesus was betrayed, wrongfully accused, and crucified so he could

save the people of God from their sins. Because the people of God were spared

in Joseph’s day, the promise to Abraham was preserved. Joseph’s brother

Judah was saved from the famine and one day one of Judah’s descendants

would be born in Bethlehem, coming to save us all.

Questions

1. How is Joseph like Jesus?

2. Do you think Joseph was angry at his brothers?

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December 9

Moses the Rescuer READ: Exodus 3:1-10

―So I have come down to rescue them...‖—Exodus 3:8

God's people were numerous in Egypt. But they had become slaves to the

Egyptians who were cruel to them. Moses had managed to leave Egypt and was

working as a shepherd away from the slavery of his people. And while he was

out watching his sheep one day, he saw a curious sight: a bush that was on

fire but did not burn up. As he approached the bush, God spoke to Moses out

of it. God told him that he had heard the prayers of Abraham’s descendants in

Egypt and that he was going to rescue them. Moses was the man God had

chosen to use to rescue his people. Moses was glad that God was going to save

the Israelites, but he was unsure that he was the man to do it. Humbly, Moses

agreed to be the one to rescue God’s people. God used Moses as his

spokesperson and prophet to Pharaoh and to the Israelites and He lead

Abraham’s descendants out of Egypt, out of slavery and to the land that God

had promised them.

Moses’ rescue of God’s people points us to another, more important rescue

of God’s people. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt and could not save

themselves. They cried out for God and he sent them a rescuer. We are sold

into slavery to sin by our choices and by the sin that was in us as descendants

of Adam and Eve. God heard our enslaved cry as well and sent us a rescuer.

Moses told the people, ―the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like

me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.‖ It

would be a rescuer that was humble like Moses. Jesus, the very Son of God,

would leave the riches of heaven and come to us in the most humble way –

born to common descendants of Abraham, in a tiny town, in a stable, placed in

an animal feeding trough.

Questions

1. How is Jesus like Moses in today’s story?

2. What does Jesus rescue his people from?

15

December 10

The Passover READ: Exodus 12:21-38

―…he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and

strike you down.‖—Exodus 12:23

The time had come for God’s people to leave Egypt and slavery. God had

unleashed on Pharaoh many plagues to get him to let the Israelites go – frogs,

flies, blood, boils, darkness, diseased animals. Pharaoh continued to refuse to

let God’s people leave Egypt. But the final plague was going to be the worst.

God would go through the land and every first born son in every single

household of Egypt would die. God did provide a way to save the first born

sons, though. Any house that would sacrifice a lamb and place the blood of

the lamb on the door frame would be spared. The Israelites and those that

trusted God did exactly as God had told them. That night, death came to any

family that did not have the blood of the lamb on the door posts, but ―passed

over‖ the houses that did. It was a horribly sad day in Egypt for some, but a

great day for God’s people because Pharaoh finally decided to release them

from slavery.

The blood of the lamb on the door frames of those that trusted God saved

them from the death of their firstborn sons. God chose this way to save his

people from slavery because it is clearly a foreshadowing of how he would save

his people from a larger slavery to sin. Jesus came to offer himself as a

sacrifice for us, to save us from our sins. When his blood is applied to the

doorposts of our hearts we are ―passed over‖ when it comes to the punishment

for our sins because Jesus, our Passover lamb, took the wrath of God in our

place. When we look at the small child born in a stable in Bethlehem, we

should say as John the Baptist said of him; ―Look! He is the Lamb of God who

takes away the sins of the World.‖

Questions

1. How is the lamb in our story today like Jesus?

2. How did the people of God show that they trusted God?

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December 11

Nothing is Impossible READ: Exodus 14:9-31

―The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.‖—Exodus 14:14

The Israelites left Egypt and were on their way to the land that God had

promised to give to Abraham’s descendants. Pharaoh orders men from his

army to go after God’s people and either bring them back or kill them in the

desert. The Israelites came up to a large sea when they decided to stop for a

rest. In the quietness of their rest they heard a strange sound. It was the

sound of men marching, of horses and chariots approaching. They looked up

and saw a huge army of Egyptians coming after them. They looked in the

opposite direction only to see a vast body of water – an army on one side and

sea on the other side. They were trapped! They were trapped and complained

to Moses. Moses told them to be still and wait to see what the Lord would do

for them. The wind started blowing and it started to get dark as the evening

went on and the wind went on blowing. Moses raised his staff as God had told

him to do and the water in the giant sea started to separate; some one way and

some the other way. The Israelites couldn’t believe their eyes – God had made

a way for them to go when there had been no way just hours earlier. They

walked through the sea with a wall of water on either side of them. Just as

they made it across God let the waters go and all of Pharaoh’s army that had

come out to capture them lay dead on the shore. Throughout the Bible it

seems that God loves to make a way where there is no way. The Israelites were

trapped and had no way of escape. They were either going to be killed or

captured – there were no good options for them. But God did what was

impossible – he opened the sea and they were able to escape. He then

destroyed the enemy that was after them. Our rescuer does the same for us.

On one side is God’s wrath that justly comes like an angry army against those

that rebel against him. On the other side we have God’s law that is impossible

for us to keep perfectly – we have broken it already. It is a sea that we cannot

cross. We are trapped! We are trapped just as the Israelites were. But God

steps in and makes a way where there is no way. He provides his perfect Son

to lead us through the sea and to swallow the wrath of God that was coming

against us. This Christmas season, let's celebrate that our rescuer has come

for us and made the impossible possible!

Questions

1. Would you have been scared to walk through the middle of the water?

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December 12

The Law READ: Exodus 20:1-17

―I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.‖—Exodus 20:2

God had rescued his people from slavery in Egypt and began to lead them

to the land that he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He led them

to a mountain and called Moses up to give him the Law to bring back down to

his people. These laws were not something that would hold them back, to keep

them from doing what they wanted to do. They were what God knew was best

for them. They also told God’s people what he is like. God is holy and he wants

his people to be holy. The Law told people how they should relate to God and

how to relate to each other. He gave them (and us) the Law because he loved

them (and us).

The Law reveals that God is holy but it also reveals something about us.

One major way that the Law points us to our Rescuer is that it shows us our

great need for a rescuer. The Law casts a shadow on us that is too big. We

stand under it and realize that we have not done what it directed. We have not

loved God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Deut 6:5). We have

not loved our neighbor as ourselves (Lev 19:18). It is just that we get what we

deserve when we sin and rebel against God. We earn death when we do not

trust God and take our own lives into our hands. When we disobey God we

deserve eternal death and separation from him. But God will send his Rescuer.

―For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus

our Lord‖ (Rom 6:23). We were without hope in the world – ―but the gift of God‖

came. As we celebrate this season of giving – celebrate God’s great gift.

Questions

1. Why did God give us the law?

2. Why do you think it is so hard for us to obey?

3. What did Jesus come to do with the law?

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December 13

A Secret Rescue READ: Joshua 2:1-21; 6:25

―…for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.‖—Joshua 2:11

The story of Rahab is one that points to Christ in a surprising way. The red

cord or rope that she hangs from her window reminds the Israelite army to

which home they should show mercy. We know that Jesus’ blood on our lives,

red like the cord, shows God which people have put their trust in Jesus and

his sacrifice on the cross as a payment for their sins. But it also points to

something else. Even though Rahab was not someone that we would consider

a good person and was not a descendant of Abraham, God showed mercy to

her and her family because she trusted in him (Heb 11:31). This means that we

don’t have to be a direct descendant of Abraham – we only need to have the

faith of Abraham. It also means that we don’t have to get our lives cleaned up

before we come to God. God will take us just as we are and rescue us. God

rescued Rahab and brought her into the family of God. She is even listed as

one of the ancestors of Jesus in Matthew Chapter 1. This means Rahab was

chosen to be the great-great grandmother of King David (Matt 1:5-6)!

Questions

1. How is Jesus like the red rope hanging from Rahab’s window?

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December 14

A Redeemer READ: Ruth 1; 4:14-22

―The women said to Naomi: ―Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer .‖—Ruth 4:14

The story of Naomi and Ruth is one of both tragedy and joy. Naomi moves

away from the Promised Land with her husband and two sons because there is

no food for them to eat there. Her two sons get married to women who were

not Israelites, one of them Ruth. And then something horrible happens. Her

husband dies. This horrible situation turns into an even more tragic one. Both

of her sons get sick and die leaving her with only her two daughters-in-law.

Naomi decides to go back to the Promised Land and tells her two daughters-in-

law to go back to their people. Ruth decides that she will stay with Naomi

because she realizes that Naomi’s God is the true God and she trusts him.

Ruth is from the land of Moab and would not be considered as part of the

children of Abraham. When they get back to the Promised Land, there is

nothing that Naomi and Ruth can do to earn a living in that culture. But God

provides for them. He set up a law that said if someone’s husband dies and

there is no one around to care for her, then her husband’s closest relative

should step in and care for her. Naomi’s relative Boaz stepped in to care for

Ruth and Naomi. He is called a ―kinsman redeemer‖ because he was part of

her family and because he was willing and able to provider for Ruth and

Naomi. He provided for Ruth when she had no way to provide for herself. Boaz

is called her ―redeemer‖ (4:14) because he ―bought her back‖ from the edge of

poverty.

Like in yesterday’s story, God chose an unlikely woman from a foreign

land to bring about our Rescuer. The shadow of Ruth and Boaz also points us

to our Redeemer. Just as Boaz was there to ―buy‖ back Ruth when she had no

way to provide for herself, Jesus is our redeemer and provides a way for us

when there was no way to reach God. He is our ―kinsman redeemer‖ because

he is one of us. He came as a child, a human being, just like us. He is a

relative and he is willing and able to provide for us. Boaz & Ruth had a son

together and named him Obed. "He became the father of Jesse, who was the

father of David" (4:17).

Questions

1. Who is our ―Kinsman-Redeemer‖?

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December 15

The Stump Sprouts READ: Isaiah 11:1-9

―A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.‖—Isaiah 11:1

It is in this prophecy of Isaiah that we get the name of our Advent Tree.

Isaiah says that a ―shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse‖. Jesse is the

father of King David. God promised King David that he would always have a

descendant on the throne – and Jesus is that descendant and King. He is the

one that brings life to a situation that seems completely dead, like a ―shoot‖

growing out of the stump of a dead tree. At the time of Jesus’ birth, Abraham’s

descendants were in captivity within their own borders. The Roman

government had taken over and all seemed lost. The people began to pray

harder and harder for God to send the one that would come and rescue them.

Just when all seemed lost for the people of God, God sent his Son into the

world. But, he sent him not to break them away from Roman captivity, but to

break them free from the slavery of sin. He came not to bring peace between

two governments, but to every heart that put their trust in God.

Questions

1. What does it mean if a new branch is growing out of a dead stump?

2. Who is the ―shoot‖ that is growing out of the stump of Jesse?

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December 16

On Our Hearts READ: Jeremiah 31:31-34

―I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.‖— Jeremiah 31:33

The prophet Jeremiah tells us that one day God would make ―a new

covenant‖. A covenant is a promised agreement between two individuals or

groups of people. God’s old covenant with his people was that if they loved him

with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, he would bless them and take

care of them. We see over and over in the Old Testament that God’s people

continually broke that covenant. God, however, is faithful to his people.

Another thing we see in the Old Testament is God bringing his people back to

their land and back to him, even though they wandered far from him.

Jeremiah, though, is telling us of a covenant where God would write his law on

our hearts and minds. In the old covenant, the law was written on stone and

paper – people obeyed God out of a sense of duty, fear or reward. In the new

covenant God’s people obey and love God because he has written his law on

their hearts. We love because he first loved us. We want to please him

because he gave himself to us and we in return want to give ourselves to him.

On the night before Jesus died for the sins of the world, he told his disciples,

―This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you‖ (Luke

22:20). Jesus was born into the world to bring this new covenant to us.

Questions

1. What does it mean that God will write his law on our hearts?

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December 17

A Promise READ: Isaiah 7:14

―The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‗God with us‘).‖—Matthew 1:23

We come back to Isaiah again for another prophecy of the one that would

come. Isaiah says that the sign of his coming would be that a virgin will

conceive and have a son. This is another thing that would be impossible if it

were not for God. The baby born in Bethlehem was completely human because

he came from Mary. He was also completely God. We cannot completely wrap

our minds around this concept, that Jesus was both God and Man. But we

know that, because he is human, he can identify with us and take our

punishment. We also know that, because he is God his payment for our sin is

enough. This amazing sign, that the virgin would conceive, means that God

has come to live with us.

Questions

1. What does the word Immanuel mean?

2. Who is God with us?

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December 18

Light of the World READ: Isaiah 9:2,6-7

―…a light has dawned.‖—Isaiah 9:2

Today’s passage is yet another place we can see that God’s promises are

not just for biological descendants of Abraham. The people ―walking in

darkness‖ that Isaiah refers to here are those of us who are not Jewish by

birth. Jesus came to be the savior for different types of people, all over the

world. Later, in Chapter nine, Isaiah tells us that God is sending a child into

the world and this rescuer will first come as a tiny baby --not a conquering

king. Isaiah also says that a ―son is given.‖ Jesus was a Son before he came to

earth as a baby in Bethlehem. Isaiah also tells us that this one that comes

will be called ―Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of

Peace‖ (9:6). The baby born to Mary in Bethlehem is the one that created

everything that exists – the ―Mighty God‖. Mary gave birth to the ―Everlasting

Father‖ – the One that has always existed. Isaiah tells us that Jesus will

reign and rule on David’s throne forever. He is the one that God has been

promising to send. He came to bring peace to every heart that would trust and

follow him. Jesus says, "I am the light of the world: whoever follows me will not

walk in darkness but will have the light of life"(John 8:12).

Questions

1. Why do you think Jesus is called the light of the world?

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December 19

O Little Town READ: Micah 5:2-4

―out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.‖—Micah 5:2

The prophet Micah tells us that the one who’s called the ―Ancient of Days‖

will come out of the small town of Bethlehem. God almost always chooses the

least likely people and the least likely places. He chose to use Abraham – an

obscure man from nowhere. He chose to use the Israelites – a tiny nation in the

middle of huge empires. He chose David – the youngest and smallest of his

brothers. He chose Mary and Joseph – a young, common girl and a carpenter.

God chose the tiny town of Bethlehem for his entrance into his own creation.

No one would have guessed that this is the way he would have chosen to come

and rescue his people.

Questions

1. Why do you think God chose to use the town of Bethlehem?

2. Does God always choose to use important people and places?

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December 20

Where is He? READ: Malachi 3:1

―Where is the God of Justice?‖—Malachi 2:17

In the verses just before today’s passage, the people are crying out to God:

―Why do the evil people seem to get away with everything.‖ ―We have heard

that a rescuer is coming. Where is he?!? Where is the God of Justice‖ God

answers, ―The Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple. He is

coming!‖ The book of Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament. The

people were longing, waiting to see him. He was almost here. ―…When the set

time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship‖

(Galatians 4:4-5).

Questions

1. What is something that you have waited a very long time for?

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December 21

Mary’s Visitor READ: Luke 1:26-38

―You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.‖—Luke 1:31

A messenger was sent by God to a young girl in the town of Nazareth, to

give her news that she could not imagine. "For unto us a son is given", and

she, a common girl, was chosen to carry God in the flesh in her womb. Finally,

he really is coming! Mary was confused and did not understand how this could

happen, but she showed that she had great faith in God. When she heard that

she would be the mother of the Son of God, she simply said, ―I am the Lord’s

servant. May your word be fulfilled‖ (Luke 1:38).

Questions

1. Would you have been scared if an angel spoke to you?

2. How did Mary show that she trusted God?

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December 22

Traveling READ: Luke 2:1-6

―So Joseph also went up… to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.‖—Luke 2:4

The ruler of the Roman world decided that it was time to count all the

people in his empire. This meant that Joseph, Mary’s husband, had to leave

the place he was living in Nazareth and be counted in Bethlehem. God used

the decision of a Roman emperor to make sure that his son was born in

Bethlehem. So Mary and Joseph took the long, slow seventy mile journey from

Nazareth to Bethlehem. Mary, who was almost ready to give birth, trusted God

along the way and they finally made it. ―While they were there, the time came

for the baby to be born‖ (Luke 2:6).

Questions

1. Who was in control of making sure Jesus was born in Bethlehem?

2. Would you have been excited to travel 70 miles just before having a

baby?

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December 23

A Strange Star READ: Matthew 2:1-12

―Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.‖—Matthew2:2

It was not just the descendants of Abraham that were waiting for the

Rescuer from God. Men from the Far East had heard that a ruler would come.

They had calculated when this time would be and had noticed something

different in the night sky. They packed up and headed west to Jerusalem.

When they finally arrived to find the child, the Bible tells us that they offered

him gifts and worshiped him. The belief of the Magi is a stark contrast to the

unbelief by many of the Israelites, including King Herod. Let us follow the

example of the Magi and look for this child born a king and worship him with

our lives.

Questions

1. What do you think Mary and Joseph thought about the magi visitors?

2. How did the magi show that they trusted God?

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December 24

The Greatest News READ: Luke 2:7-21

―Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.‖—Luke 2:10

When the day finally arrived, God chose to reveal it first to the most

humble group of people. Shepherds were thought of to be the lowest of the

lowest class -unclean and not the best part of society. But then again, God

always loves to choose the ones that no one else would pick. He had a

particular love for shepherds, so why wouldn’t he pick these lonely men out

tending their sheep to first hear the good news? The shepherds were so glad

when they heard that this great news was for ALL the people, they just had to

go for themselves and see the promised Rescuer. They were so excited about

this great news that they couldn’t keep it to themselves. The Bible tells us that

―they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in

the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what

had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what

the shepherds said to them‖ (Luke 2:16-18). Let’s be like the shepherds and

share the good news that God has come to rescue us with the people around

us.

Questions

1. Why do you think God chose to tell the shepherds first?

2. What do you think the shepherds said when the y first saw Jesus?

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December 25

The Greatest Gift READ: Luke 2:22-40

―For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations.‖—Luke 2:30-31

Today as you celebrate the birth of our Savior, do so with the same spirit that

Simeon and Anna had. Both of them waited a very long time for what they

knew God would give. We have waited a long time for Christmas Day as well.

As you open presents that you have received today, remember the reason that

we celebrate this time of year. God has sent his Son for you! It is a gift from

one that knows you more than any other and loves you deeper than you know.

Thank him for a gift that is greater than you can even imagine.

Questions

1. What was the most precious gift that God gave us?

2. What is something besides Jesus you are thankful for today?

3. Pray and tell God thank you for all the blessings that he has given you –

especially the gift of His Son.

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