The Story of the Jesse Tree
The Jesse Tree is based on Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot shall come out of the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”
A Jesse Tree is adorned with illustrated ornaments to represent people, prophesies and events leading up to Jesus’ birth.
Jesse was the father of King David, and David was the many times great-grandfather of Mary and Joseph. Jesus is the shoot from the stump and the branch from the root of Jesse. Isaiah is the first to announce the Messiah, namely a king like David but better. Here he is presented as a shoot coming from the stump, once the tree has been felled. Thus, he suggests that the present kings, who are sinners and without much faith, are going to disappear. More than a descendant of David, Emmanuel will be a new David (he is called son of Jesse like David).
Isaiah 11:1-4
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Our Prayer
Dear Lord, help us to never doubt your faithfulness. Give us patience and courage as we wait, trusting fully that you are God, and you love us. Amen.
Our Mother of Perpetual Help (OMPH) Church, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia will be entering in the Malaysia Book of Records under Arts & Entertainment category as the “OMPH Biggest Floating Christmas Crib”.