ADVENT JESSE TREE

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

By Chad Bragg Illustrated by Ivy Stansel

Table of Contents
Introduction to the Advent Jesse Tree.......................................................................................................... 3 What is an Advent Jesse Tree? ..................................................................................................................... 4 How to use the Advent Jesse Tree ................................................................................................................ 5

Old Testament Stories

Dec 1st - In The Beginning (Globe).................................................................................................... 9 Dec 2nd - The Image of God (Adam and Eve).................................................................................. 11 Dec 3rd - The Fall (Tree or Apple) ................................................................................................... 13 Dec 4th - Noah and His Family (Boat or Rain) ................................................................................. 15 Dec 5th - The Call of Abram (Stars) ................................................................................................. 17 Dec 6th - Abraham and Isaac (Ram) ................................................................................................ 19 Dec 7th - Jacobs Ladder (Ladder) ................................................................................................... 21 Dec 8th - Joseph (Colorful Coat) ..................................................................................................... 23 Dec 9th - Moses the Rescuer (Burning Bush) .................................................................................. 25 Dec 10th - The Lamb of God (Lamb) ............................................................................................... 27 Dec 11th - Nothing Is Impossible (Sea) ........................................................................................... 29 Dec 12th - The Law (Tablets) ........................................................................................................... 31 Dec 13th - A Secret Rescue (Red Rope)........................................................................................... 33 Dec 14th - A Redeemer (Heads of wheat)....................................................................................... 35

Prophecies
Dec 15th - The Stump Sprouts (Stump)........................................................................................... 37 Dec 16th - On Our Hearts (Heart) ................................................................................................... 38 Dec 17th - A Promise (Crib) ............................................................................................................. 39 Dec 18th - Light of the World (Candle) ........................................................................................... 40 Dec 19th - O Little Town (Bethlehem) ............................................................................................ 41 Dec 20th - Where is He? (Clock)...................................................................................................... 42

New Testament Stories

Dec 21st - Marys Visitor(Angel) ..................................................................................................... 43 Dec 22nd - Traveling (Donkey) ........................................................................................................ 44 Dec 23rd - A Strange Star (Star) ...................................................................................................... 45 Dec 24th - The Greatest News (Shepherds) .................................................................................... 46 Dec 25th - The Greatest Gift (Gift) .................................................................................................. 47

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 not only that we would learn about him and his plan through these devotions. It is my deep desire that we would learn to love and seek after him more 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 2nd Advent of the Messiah as well. 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. 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. 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. Dont be discouraged if you miss a days 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 devotions are broken up into 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. Ive 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. Each of the first fourteen days devotions contain two sections: The Story a summary of the days passage and The Shadow a summary of how that story points us to the day the all Creation was anticipating. Just as when we see a shadow, we know that there is something causing 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 names sake and out of his great love for us. These shadows tell us how God was whispering, even from the beginning, Hes 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 endless prophecies that foretell his coming. I wrestled with which ones to choose and which ones to leave out. I hope you will enjoy sharing this time of Advent with your family as much as we enjoy it in our home. I hope that it 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 you and your family anticipates the Advent with more excitement and that the Advent Jesse Tree will become a part of your familys tradition.

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 trees, or clouds, or grass, or rocks, or dirt, 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. God had always been happy with himself and wanted to share that happiness. The first words we hear from him are spoken into the nothingness: Let there be light. That light was a foreshadowing of another light that would come. 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.

The Shadow: 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 chapter1 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 1:13). 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

The Story: God was not finished with his creation. He had made an uncountable number of stars, 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 somethingsomeone 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 wasnt 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.

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The Shadow: God did not create humanity because there was a need in himself he had to fulfill. He was not lonely; he did not need a friend. He didnt (and still doesnt) 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, God 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

The Story: Do you remember what God called his creation after he had created the very first man and woman? He described his work as 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 doesnt really love you, he would suggest. He doesnt really want what is best for you. He is holding something back. You cant really trust him. Adam and Eve both fell for this trick they wanted more than the things God had given them. They would even go as far as doing the one thing that God had told them not to do. When they fell from 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. This sin would cause ripple effects from the man and the woman into all of creation. 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. We get the very first glimpse at the shadow of our rescuer in this very tragic story. God, in the middle of all the bad news, makes a simple promise. To the serpent he says Im 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).

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The Shadow: Even though Gods 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! God says there will be war between the offspring, literally seeds (plural), of the woman and the offspring (also plural) of Satan. Then he says there will be AN offspring, literally seed (singular) that will wound the head of the serpent (also singular). 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. But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law (Galatians 4:4) Questions 1. What is something sad about todays story? 2. What is something happy about todays 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

The Story: 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 through the generations so much that God says that every thought of every person was only on evil all of the time. Not only had our first parents decided to not trust God, their children, grandchildren, and every following generation rebelled against him. The land was full of people and the people were full of evil of every kind. God had a plan that was good and not evil and said that he would put an end to all of the people on the earth because of the violence that people had scarred his creation with. This plan included a man name 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 and he demonstrated this righteousness, not because he was perfect and sinless, but because he trusted and believed 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 wife, sons and their wives.

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The Shadow: This giant boat itself points us to the Rescuer that would come. Just as in Noahs day, the earth is full of all kinds of evil and the intention of our hearts are evil from our youth (Gen 8:21). We naturally distrust God and follow our own plan. Because we thumb our nose at God by nature and because God is just, this evil and sin must be dealt with. As in Noahs day, God knows that his just anger and wrath is going to come against all of us who have rebelled against him. The rain and flood of Gods wrath justly comes. But, just as in Noahs 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 Gods wrath. In Christ we are protected from Gods 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. 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 Noahs 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

The Story: In the story of Abram we see God choose a man out of a family and people who had previously not known him and tell him that he will bless him greatly. Abram, like Noah is a man that God considers righteous because he chooses to trust God and obey him. God calls Abram to leave the land of his family and go to a place that Abram has never seen. Initially God does not even tell Abram where he is sending him. Nevertheless, Abram trusts God, packs up his wife and children 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 Gods promise was possible given his circumstances.

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The Shadow: 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. Gods 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. Who does God tell Abram would be blessed through him? 3. 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

The Story: Abrams name had been changed to Abraham by God a few chapters earlier when God told 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 formerly 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. But in our story today we hear an unthinkable request that God made to Abraham. Take your son, your only son, whom you loveIsaacand 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, Abrahams 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.

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The Shadow: This story is hard for us to understand. We really find it difficult to think that God would even 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 passage that God used it as a test, a way for Abraham to demonstrate the faith he actually had in God. We can also see that this story clearly foreshadows Gods plan to provide for the people he loves. There are several images in the story that correspond to Gods 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 sons back much like Jesus carries the wood of his sacrifice on his back. God providing a substitute to take the place of Isaac is a picture of Jesus taking the place of sinners when he sacrifices himself on the cross. One main difference in the two stories of Isaac and Jesus, 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?

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December 7

Jacobs 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

The Story: Jacob had just received a blessing from his father Isaac and instructions to go and find himself a wife in a place that was some distance from his home. Darkness came on while he was on his way, so Jacob decided to stop and rest for the night. He didnt have any relatives nearby to stay with and there were no hotels around so Jacob decided to just sleep beneath the stars. He didnt even have a pillow to lay his head on 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 was lying with his head on the stone just as he was when he started dozing off, but 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.

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The Shadow: 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?

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December 8

Joseph
READ: Genesis 37:1-4; 37:24-35; 41:38-40; 50:16-21
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.--Gen 28:12

The Story: Josephs 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, Jacobs, favorite son, his brothers hated him. Jacob had given Joseph as 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 didnt 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, told Pharaoh what his dream meant

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and then told him 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 Josephs 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. The Shadow: Josephs 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. There are many other parts of Josephs story that point us to the one that God promised would come but the most striking similarity is how they both saved people through their 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 Josephs day, the promise to Abraham was preserved. Josephs brother Judah was saved from the famine and one day one of Judahs 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

The Story: Moses had left Egypt where his relatives, the descendants of Abraham, were still living. 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. While Moses was out watching his sheep one day he saw a curious site, 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 Abrahams descendants in Egypt and that he was going to rescue them. Moses was the man that God had chosen to go and 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 Gods people. God used Moses his spokesperson and a prophet to Pharaoh and to the Israelites and Moses lead Abrahams descendants out of Egypt, out of slavery and to the land that God had promised them.

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The Shadow: Moses rescue of Gods people points us to another, more important rescue of Gods 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 had been 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 cry from slavery 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 todays story? 2. What does Jesus rescue his people from?

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December 10

The Lamb of God

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 Story: The time had come for Gods 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 Gods 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 Gods people because Pharaoh had finally decided to let them out of their slavery.

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The Shadow: 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 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 Story: Pharaoh had let the Israelites leave Egypt but he changed his mind. They Israelites had left and were on their way to the land that God had promised to give to Abrahams descendants. Pharaoh orders men from his army to go after Gods people and either bring them back or kill them in the desert. The Israelites had come 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. Why did you bring us out here? We could have just stayed in Egypt. Moses told them to be still and wait to see what the Lord would do for them. The wind started blowing; the pillar of fire that they had been following picked up and blocked the way of the Egyptians. 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 couldnt 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 Pharaohs army that had come out to kill or capture Gods people lay dead on the shore.

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The Shadow: Throughout the Bible it seems that God loves to make a way where there is no way. The descendants of Abraham were trapped and had no way of escape. They were either going to be killed or captured or drowned 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 Gods wrath that justly comes like an angry army against those that rebel against him. On the other side we have Gods 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. 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

The Story: 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, keep them from doing what they wanted to do. They were what God knew was best for them. They also told Gods people what he is like. God is holy and he wants his people to be holy. The Law told how people should relate to God and how they should relate to each other. He gave them (and us) the Law because he loved them (and us).

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The Shadow: 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 because 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 said. 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 Gods 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: God was leading his people into the Promised Land so they came to a large city called Jericho. Joshua, who had taken over after Moses died, sent spies into Jericho to see what they were facing in that city. The king of Jericho knew that they were there and knew that they were spies. If he had found them he would probably have killed them. The spies had gone into the house of Rahab and were hiding there. Rahab helped the spies escape and in return she asked that the Israelites would show mercy to her and her family when they came in to take over the city. Since she hid them and had helped them escape by lowering a red rope from her window the spies told her that they would not allow anyone in her home to be hurt. They asked her to leave the red rope hanging from her window so that when the army of Israel came in they would know to spare anyone who was living in that home.

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The Shadow: 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 which home they should show mercy to. We know that Jesus blood on our lives, also red, 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 dont have to be a direct descendant of Abraham we only need to have the faith of Abraham. It also means that we dont have to get our lives cleaned up before we come to God. God will take us just where we are and rescue us. God rescued Rahab and even considered her enough to bring her into the family of God. Even more surprising is the fact that she is listed as one of the ancestors of Jesus in Matthew chapter 1 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 Rahabs 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: 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. And then a 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 Naomis 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 had set up a law that said if someones husband dies and there is no one around to care for her then her husbands closest relative should step in and care for her. Naomis 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.

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The Shadow: Ruth, like Rahab in yesterdays story, is a foreigner and someone that would have been considered outside the family of God. Her story shows that God is not so much interested in a biological group of people but is interested in a people that trust him. Also like Rahab, Ruth is listed as one of the ancestors of Jesus. God chose an unlikely women 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 to be born as a child, to be 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

Prophecy #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, Abrahams 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

Prophecy #2 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. Gods 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 Gods 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 paper and stone people obeyed God out of a sense of duty, fear or reward. In the new covenant Gods people would 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 has given us himself 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

Prophecy #3 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

Prophecy #4 Todays passage is another place we can see that Gods 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 biologically Jewish. Jesus came to be the savior for different types of people all over the world. Later on in chapter nine Isaiah tells us that God is sending a child into the world - this rescuer will first come as a tiny baby and 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 does tell us that Jesus will reign and rule on Davids 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

Prophecy #5 The prophet Micah tells us that the one whos 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 expected 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

Prophecy #6 In the verses just before todays 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

Marys 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

The Story: 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, God with us, 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 Lords 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 Story: The ruler of the Roman world decided that it was time to count all the people in his empire. This meant that Joseph, Marys 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

The Story: 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

The Story: When the day had 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 wouldnt he pick these lonely men out tending their sheep to bring the good news to first? 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 couldnt 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). Lets 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

The Story: Today as you celebrate the birth of our Savior, do so with the same spirit that Simeon and Anna had. Both of them had 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 gifts or look over the gifts 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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