We had three granddaughters at our house three days before Christmas. Along with Christmas music in the background, cookies to eat, and a viewing of “The Star,” I helped them with some construction paper projects. All we needed was a stack of construction paper, three glue sticks, and a pair of scissors (for me).
All three were well versed in arts and crafts, and glued circle, square, diamond, crescent, and heart-shaped ornaments on their trees as fast as I could cut them out. They added tinsel (what I call garland), a star, and a tree trunk. The project didn’t use up as much time as I imagined, so it was on to a homemade nativity.
A baby Jesus in a manger, Mary, Joseph, and an angel soon occupied a stable topped by a bright star. Happy faces all around made it a very, merry, Christmas!
One granddaughter is very organized, grouping all her ornaments by color on her tree. According to another, you cannot have too much tinsel. Even the two-year old skillfully glued ornaments on her tree with an eye for design. But she decided to play dress up when we started on the nativity project.
I love these analog moments in a mostly digital world. The memories and impact last beyond the moment in the hearts and minds of both old and young alike. What a great reminder that our Lord was more than an idea, but a person complete with a voice, little hands, and a smile.
I received seven Christmas cards this year. (Yes, I know one is technically an Epiphany card.) Forty-three percent (three out of seven) include the baby Jesus, an increase from previous years. Two circle around the gift of a Savior, but don’t quite land the plane. And nothing embraces peace like a bundled up snowman, right?
The above photo doesn’t include the two family photo postcards we received. Two of the cards did include lengthy newsletters. One of the cards was from a family I don’t think ever sent one before.
Supposedly, Americans are still sending Christmas cards. Google AI says 1.3 billion cards are sent each year. Wow. Just wow. The average household sends twenty-eight cards. We’re below average in this category. We sent out none this year.
Perhaps the number of cards received is a response to how many cards were sent. Maybe I’ll do some research next year. If I send out my cards right after Thanksgiving, will I receive more in return?
Here’s this year’s collection of Christmas yard decorations in my neighborhood.
Nativity
From inflatables to cut-outs to full figurines, the Lord was well represented this year.
Snowmen
I love seeing snowmen in Florida. Ironically, they wear hats, scarves, and gloves, as if snowmen could get cold.
Santa
I believe Santa’s popularity has waned in recent years. He’s still a mainstay, but has to share lawn space with a lot of other characters.
The Grinch
Candy Canes
I walked by many “candy cane farms” this year. For a season they replace driveway and landscape lights.
Lights
Of course there are plenty of lights. New designs include dripping icicles, programmable strings of LEDs, and red and green floodlights.
Miscellaneous
A Christmas unicorn?When pigs fly…Florida!Getting a jump on EasterMinimalist Christmas
Anything with a Santa hat is now part of the Christmas landscape. From turtles to flamingoes, pigs to dinosaurs, all are welcome to join the cast. As long as you have a storage unit for the other ten months of the year.
This blue and white display caught my eye as I zipped through my mostly red and green Publix yesterday. Even though Chanukah (Hanukkah?) is almost over, there’s still plenty of holiday merch on these shelves. Must haves include menorahs, games, dreidels, straws, stickers, and potholders.
But my favorite item is the box of eight milk chocolate Macabbees. Not as many as the twenty-four piece chocolate Advent calendar, but more than a typical box of chocolate Santas.
The Maccabees were Jewish freedom fighters before the birth of Jesus Christ. Their revolt against the Seleucid empire secured freedom for the nation. They rededicated the temple in Jerusalem and reestablished Jewish worship in 164 BC. Hanukkah is the eight-day celebration of that event.
Spoiler alert: Most of “Christmas” revolves around fictional characters (Santa, Frosty, the Grinch, Rudolph, Jack Skellington, Buddy the elf, Mickey and Minnie Mouse). Hanukkah is the real deal, honoring those through whom God would send a Savior, who is the real deal of Christmas. (Oh, and yes, you can buy a chocolate nativity.)
When I went to college, many of my friends were Jewish. Cliff taught me this little jingle:
“I had a little dreidel, I made it out of clay; And with my little dreidel, I lost ten bucks today.”
The only Hanukkah light display in my neighborhood.
…someone lost a bet and had to put the fuzzy flamingoes in their front yard this year.
…someone cleaned out their attic and found some long lost yard decorations. “Hey, remember these? Everyone said we had the best yard in the neighborhood!”
…the HOA went belly-up so anything goes.
…someone up the street died. Whoever cleaned out her house left stuff like this out on the curb. One person’s trash…
…my neighbor put out the first decorations on our block. While some are still trying to coax a few more days from Halloween pumpkins, many have started their Christmas festivities. Less than 25 yards from my house, I have the pleasure of seeing these fuzzy flamingoes every day. This is their first year along this neighbor’s driveway. They are an omen of what’s to come. Soon this neighbor will fill his yard with a hideous hodgepodge of lights, trees, ornaments, snowmen, and other Christmas characters.
One of the trending decorations this Christmas season has been permanent lights for homes. I jumped on this bandwagon. Rather than re-hanging strings of lights from the edges of my roof, I now have permanent LED lights on the soffits. They will be red, green, and white for Christmas, but they will also be other colors for New Years, Valentines Day, Easter, patriotic holidays, and birthdays.
I love my pre-dawn and post-sunset walks around the neighborhood. Every year there’s a greater variety of lights, inflatables, yard signs, and projected displays on houses. Icicle lights appear to be dripping from roofs. Animated animals and snowmen wave from front Enormous spherical ornaments hang from trees. Some outdoor displays are creative. Some are tired and worn. Some look traditional. Some are abstract. But no two yards are the same.
Each brings light, reminding us of the light that Jesus brings. His light brings hope, healing, mercy, grace, and life to a world that is too often filled with dismal news.
Jesus’s light is permanent, too. It shines on our good days and bad. It’s there for times of celebration. Or times when we don’t feel like celebrating. His can never be overcome by the darkness.
The last ornament on our Jesse Tree is Jesus. The angel announce good news of great joy which will be for all people: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Those words were spoken to the shepherds, but the good news wasn’t only for them. It was for all people, including me and you.
Thanks for reading along this Advent and exploring the Jesse Tree with me.
I always smile when I hear the sound of a baby in church. Whether it’s happy noises or demanding cries, I love the sound of infants in worship. When I was preaching, I knew I’d have to turn up the volume. Sitting behind a little one meant I would have a hard time concentrating on the pastor’s message. Vibrations from down below let me know I better speed up the baptism and hand that one back to mom. A loud burp from the back row announced a good meal was finished and a nap would soon follow.
Simeon was in the temple when Joseph and Mary brought the one-month old Jesus for presentation. The Holy Spirit promised Simeon he would not die until he saw the Christ (Luke 2:26). Where would he see the Messiah? Would he see a baby or a grown-up?
He had no idea until Jesus’s parents brought him into the temple that day. And then knew. Simeon took the baby in his arms, blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:29,30).
It’s a powerful moment. Suddenly, Simeon is no longer immortal. He has seen the Christ, and one day would see death. On the other hand, having seen the one who defeated death, Simeon would not perish but have everlasting life.
The baby Jesus was fully human, and he would one day die. He was also fully divine, and he would be raised to life on the third day. Because of all he came to be and do, believers embrace both mortality and resurrection, too.
We are reminded of that truth whenever we catch a sight of Jesus. Sometimes our Lord looks like someone we can help with food or shelter. Other times, he looks like one who brings healing to our lives. His glory might peek out from behind the clouds. Sometimes it fills a dark starry night. It might be a bite of bread and sip of wine. Or a friend who wipes away a tear on his behalf.
Simeon gets an ornament on the Jesse Tree. He faithfully waited for, saw the light, and boldly proclaimed Christ’s arrival.
How did you feel when you found out your first child was on the way? It’s a totally new experience, uncharted waters, virgin territory. It is hard to describe how much your life changes the moment you find out you’re expecting your first child. It’s a combo meal of excitement, fear, apprehension, and joy. A new life is entering the world!
With three children of our own and a tenth (!) grandchild on the way, I can report that the excitement never wanes. I can also attest that they grow up so quickly. And I can recommend that you enjoy every moment along the way.
Jesus’ birth announcement comes through an angel who visits Mary. Her pregnancy is impossible. It’s a fulfillment of prophecy. It’s awkward. It’s God’s plan. And it is what everyone has been waiting for.
God’s plans often seem messy, inconvenient, awkward, and embarrassing. But Mary just goes with it. When Gabriel makes the big announcement, she replies, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Her faithful answer makes my faith look like chopped liver. How willing am I to abandon my plans and just go with whatever God has in mind? If I am honest, not very.
But God already knew how Mary would respond. He already knew what kind of a woman she was. He created her. He created her for this moment and for this task. He knew she would be willing to be the one who brought a Savior into the world.
God knows all about me, too. And my family. Sometimes we fit into his plan by having children and raising them in the faith. That’s one of the most important jobs of all, isn’t it?
Mary gets an ornament on the Jesse Tree, the mother of our Lord and a great example of being a servant of God.
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1,2)
Where I live in Florida, winter means cooler temperatures, but certainly nothing like the cold I’ve experienced when I lived further north. The temperature might dip below freezing one or two days in January or February. When it does, all the leaves fall off my Hibiscus, Mandeville, and Bougainville plants.
That’s my cue to get to work. I cut everything down to the ground and fill up bags for the trash guys to haul away on Wednesday.
Within a week, though, small green shoots with leaves will begin to grow from the stumps I left behind. As the weather gets warmer those shoots will grow inches overnight until a new vine is reaching towards the sky. I gather the new vines and use some twine to keep them close to the backyard fence.
It’s not a wintry blast of cold air that freezes God’s people in the Old Testament. It’s the loving discipline of the Lord for his people who have forsaken him to worship idols. Foreign nations and kings destroy and disperse God’s people.
When God decided that someone with a heart like his needed to be on the throne of Israel, he chose David, the son of Jesse. Not only would David be king, but his descendants would always be king over God’s people.
But once a pagan ruler exiles the people to a pagan place far away from Jerusalem, there doesn’t seem to be much hope. All that’s left to hold onto is the promise that “a remnant will return (Isaiah 10:21). And “there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,” a king descended from David infused with the Spirit of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1,2).
This is a messianic promise. That shoot would not be just any king. “The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32,33).
That’s right, it’s not over till it’s over. God has the final word, and his word becomes flesh to rule and reign over his people. From that dead stump of disobedient and unfaithful people would come the one who would save his people from their sin, overcome death, and defeat the adversary, Satan.
When Jesus is born, a fresh green shoot starts to grow from the stump of Jesse, rooted in the promises of God. All that Jesus comes to be and do results in life, growth, and fruit. And guess what? By grace, you’ve been grafted into his family by faith. This isn’t just his story. It’s yours. You are part of God’s family.
In the song “Made for More,” Josh Baldwin sings, “I know who I am ’cause I know who You are.” Did you ever stop to think what a wonderful Christmas gift it is to know who you are? By grace you’ve been adopted into his family by faith.
If you’ve forgotten your identity, don’t just get out your wallet and look at your ID. Remember the shoot that comes forth from the stump of Jesse!
Since it’s December and Advent, I thought it would be fun to write some devotions for the season. Some decorate a Jesse Tree in the month leading up to Christmas, so I thought it would be interesting to write about the symbols that hang from its branches to remind us that Christ’s coming begins a long time before his birth in Bethlehem. In fact, we know that God had that day on his calendar before creation. “[God the Father] chose us in [Jesus Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:4,5).
When I searched online for a list of Jesse Tree symbols, I found many variations. These devotions are based on one list I found from Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. You can find more here: mlc-wels.edu/publications/the-jesse-tree.
I really want to up my readership, so please share this post with anyone you think might be (or needs to be) blessed by some Advent devotions!
Waite for it... 