There are 20 Jesse Tree symbols hanging on two walls in the church for Advent.
They portray the spiritual heritage of Jesus. The Jesse Tree is named from Isaiah 11:1:
“A shoot shall come out of the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”
Jesse was the father of King David. A branch is a sign of new life and new beginnings. Jesus was a descendant of King David and Christians believe that Jesus is this new branch.
The tradition of decorating Christmas trees actually predates the arrival of Christianity in western Europe and was adopted by the early Church. In order to associate the custom more clearly with Christianity, people made Jesse trees, which are Christmas trees with decorations related to the events of Jesus’ birth and the prophecies about him in the Old Testament. Many parishes and families make Jesse trees during Advent to remind them of these events as they prepare for Christmas. It helps to connect the Advent season with the faithfulness of God across four thousand years of history.
The first Jesse trees were large carvings, tapestries or even stained glass windows put in Churches that helped people to learn about the Bible from creation to the Christmas Story. But now Jesse Trees are used as a kind of Advent Calendar. You can use a normal Christmas Tree or a banner in the shape of a tree. Each day through advent (or sometimes just on the four Sundays of advent) a special decoration or ornament that tells a story of the spiritual heritage of Jesus, is hung on the tree.