Spiritual

Sunday December 19, 2021 Jesse Tree- Bethlehem Micah 5:14a Micah the prophet foretells that the Messiah, a great king and shepherd of his people, will come from Bethlehem. Today we place a symbol for Bethlehem on our Jesse Tree. Bethlehem is described as small—too small to matter. Stature is not important to God. Great things come in small […]

Saturday December 18, 2021 Jesse Tree- Suffering Servant  Matt 1:18-25 In today’s Gospel, Joseph is assured that it is alright to take Mary into his home. She has not been unfaithful to him. This child she is carrying is a special child destined for great things. What Joseph was not told was what would happen to this

Friday December 17, 2021 Jesse Tree-Isaiah Isaiah 49: 8-10 and Matt 1:1-17 Yes, you can call me a nerd, but I love the Matthew genealogy. I know many people glaze over at the mere thought of all those “N became the father of N” but if you look closely, you will find that there are some

Thursday December 16, 2021 Jesse Tree- Jeremiah Psalm 30 The Psalmist praises God for rescuing him and changing his mourning into dancing. Today we add Jeremiah to our Jesse Tree. Jeremiah is sometimes called the lamenting prophet. He was prophesying to a people in exile who had little to dance about. But Jeremiah promised that God would

Wednesday December 15, 2021 Jesse Tree-Elijah Luke 7:18b-23 In Luke’s Gospel today, Jesus is approached by some of John the Baptizer’s followers. They ask if he is the one foretold by John, or should they look for another. Jesus confirms that he is the one who heals the sick and restores sight to the blind—the things the

Tuesday December 14, 2021 Jesse Tree- Bathsheba Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13 The readings for today are about returning to God. Zephaniah promises the disobedient cities of his time that the Lord God will purify them—taking away their shame. We are giving the same promise. Jesus’ parable is about how the son who changes his mind to obey his father’s command

Monday December 13, 2021 Jesse Tree-King David Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a The seer, Balaam, was supposed to curse Israel, but instead he spoke the words God’s spirit put into his mouth. He saw a King coming, a mighty King who would be announced by a star and coming from Jacob. Today we hang an ornament to symbolize King

Sunday December 12, 2021 Jesse Tree-Samuel Rejoice! Today is Gaudete Sunday! We are at the halfway point of Advent. Time to make a quick check on how well you are preparing for Christ. I don’t mean baking cookies, wrapping presents, or decorating the house. I mean preparing for Christ, the King who is to come again!!!

Saturday December 11, 2021 Jesse Tree- Hannah Psalm 80:3b “Rouse your power and come!” The Psalmist is begging the Lord to come and care for his people. Those prayers were answered. The prayers of Hannah, today’s Jesse Tree addition, were also answered. With tears running down her cheeks she beseeched the Lord, trusting that she would

Friday December 10, 2021 Jesse Tree- Ruth  Matt11: 16-19 Today, Jesus laments that we do not know what we want in a Savior. He likens us to people who will not dance to a happy tune nor cry to a sad one—his herald, John, was too pious for many, but Jesus is scorned for being too