The Jesse Tree

Happy Monday to our CFC Family;

Over the past few weeks, our church family along with kids, has been exploring the “Jesse Tree” during our Sunday morning service. Though an ancient tradition, it isn’t widely known in many Protestant churches and so I thought I’d introduce this special Christmas tradition that has been around for almost nine hundred years.

The “Jesse Tree” beautifully traces God’s plan of salvation from the beginning of time to the birth of Christ, rooted in Isaiah’s prophecy:

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of might,

the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—

and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears;

but with righteousness he will judge the needy.” (Isaiah 11:1–4)

Over the last couple Sundays, it has been a joy to watch the children listen so intently as we shared the meaning of each ornament that was placed on the special little tree. With each selected ornament came a very important story that related to the family tree of Jesus and the importance it played in preparing the world for the Messiah’s coming. From creation, Noah and the Ark, Abraham & Isaac, Moses & the Ten commandments, Joseph, and others, each of them reminded us how God faithfully advanced His plan of salvation across generations.

That God’s plan to redeem this world didn’t begin at Bethlehem—it began before the foundation of the world!

Scripture makes this wonderfully clear:

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…” (Ephesians 1:4)

“The Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8)

“Known to God from eternity are all His works.” (Acts 15:18)

Each event we studied added another dimension to the depth, intentionality, and reliability of God’s salvation plan. Nothing was accidental. Nothing was improvised. From the earliest pages of Genesis through the generations leading to Christ, God was faithfully moving history toward the moment when His Son would enter the world.

This past Sunday in our Adult Sunday School class, we watched a video by Joel Kramer, an archaeologist who has worked extensively in the Middle East. He presented convincing evidence which pointed to the Pharaoh’s tomb who was quite likely the Pharoah of the Exodus. Reminding us that if the Exodus was a historical event, then the miracle of the Passover was historical as well. A moment that clearly made a direct line between our sins and Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) and being crucified on the very day that this Holy day was remembered (John 1:29).

When we consider Scripture, prophecy, and even archaeological discoveries, we see a God whose plan can be trusted, embraced, and confidently followed. The same God who guided the story from Creation to Christ, is the very same God who is guiding your life, from birth to the grave and into eternity.

As we turn our hearts toward the Christmas story, we are reminded that the Child in the manger fulfilled a plan that had been written before time began—foretold by the prophets, woven through generations, and revealed at the perfect moment. That Christmas was indeed a historically true and deeply relevant even where God sent his son Jesus to come for real people, carrying real burdens, by offering real hope.

May your heart rest in the confidence that the God who planned redemption from eternity past is the same God who is lovingly directing every step of your life today. Therefore don’t resist it, don’t question it, just trust Him on this journey, cause he knows where it’s going!

Question: In your life, can you see a divine plan to where God has been directing your life up until now?

If you are interested to watch the video about the Pharoah of the Exodus, here is the link:  https://youtu.be/mJP4pVjnWpk?si=r2xQ0yZbgaMlf1Hi  

Have a great week and we’ll see you Sunday!!

Pastor Dan