Apple of the garden. Rainbow of hope. Tent of promise. Ram of substitute. Ladder of heaven. Manger of Jesus. The Jesse Tree is filled with symbols telling the story of Jesus from creation to His second coming. Above all else the story of the Bible, Old and New Testaments alike, is the story of Jesus. He is the Seed, the Root, the Life, and the Firstfruit of Jesse’s tree.
Watch our Recast as our midweek children retell the story of the Jesse Tree, Christ’s family tree. Our readers take you through stories of Scripture readings, our midweek students summarize the stories through rhyme and sing us a song that points us to Jesus.
7I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,
the praises of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord has granted us,
and the great goodness to the house of Israel
that he has granted them according to his compassion,
according to the abundance of his steadfast love. 8For he said, “Surely they are my people,
children who will not deal falsely.”
And he became their Savior. 9In all their affliction he was afflicted,
and the angel of his presence saved them;
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. 10But they rebelled
and grieved his Holy Spirit;
therefore he turned to be their enemy,
and himself fought against them. 11Then he remembered the days of old,
of Moses and his people.
Where is he who brought them up out of the sea
with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is he who put in the midst of them
his Holy Spirit, 12who caused his glorious arm
to go at the right hand of Moses,
who divided the waters before them
to make for himself an everlasting name, 13who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in the desert,
they did not stumble. 14Like livestock that go down into the valley,
the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
So you led your people,
to make for yourself a glorious name.
Psalm
Psalm 111; antiphon: v. 9a, b
1Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 2Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them. 3Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever. 4He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful. 5He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever. 6He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 7The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy; 8they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 9He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name! 10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!
Epistle
Galatians 4:4–7
4When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Gospel
Matthew 2:13–23
13When [the wise men] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
19But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Introit
Jeremiah 31:15–17; antiphon: Hosea 11:1
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”
Thus says the Lord: “Keep your voice from weeping,
and your eyes from tears,
for there is a reward for your work, declares the Lord,
and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
There is hope for your future, declares the Lord,
and your children shall come back to their own country.”
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
Collect of the Day
O God, our Maker and Redeemer, You wonderfully created us and in the incarnation of Your Son yet more wondrously restored our human nature. Grant that we may ever be alive in Him who made Himself to be like us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
7How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” 8The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see
the return of the Lord to Zion. 9Break forth together into singing,
you waste places of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.
Psalm
Psalm 2; antiphon: v. 7
1Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain? 2The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, 3“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
4He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision. 5Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you. 8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession. 9You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
10Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling. 12Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessèd are all who take refuge in him.
Epistle
Hebrews 1:1–12
1Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”?
Or again,
“I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son”?
6And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
7Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire.”
8But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
10And,
“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment, 12like a robe you will roll them up,
like a garment they will be changed.
But you are the same,
and your years will have no end.”
Gospel
John 1:1–18
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15(John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
Introit
Psalm 98:1–4; antiphon: Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Collect of the Day
Almighty God, grant that the birth of Your only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free from the bondage of sin; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
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