Dear Friends near and far,
Tomorrow, Sunday, November 29, 2020, begins the new liturgical year in western liturgical Christianity. In the three year cycle of Years A, B, and C, tomorrow is the first day of Year B. Those of my friends who attend the Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill, NC know that there is a 35-year tradition of celebrating the First Sunday of Advent as "Jesse Tree" Sunday. We gather as a parish to color, glue, paint, beribbon and otherwise decorate a set of designs based on the Old Testament that were and still are thought to foretell the coming of a Messiah to redeem Israel. I want to stress that even though some families thought of this as a children's project, parishioners of all ages discovered the joy of creating these "ornaments." These were hung on an artificial tree in the parish parlor. [A real tree was banished long ago by the fire marshall on the grounds of safety.]
The Jesse Tree at Chapel of the Cross with its Old Testament references is a reminder that Advent is a time of expectant waiting. This waiting is not just for the yearly celebration of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem but also for the time when Jesus Christ is received into the hearts of all who believe in Him and as a reminder of His coming again.
As we are all too aware, this Advent is different from Advents of years past. We cannot gather as a parish to share this activity. So a booklet of designs and the scriptural references has been created. The booklet is now on the next blog-all 60 pages of it.
It is intended to be read over first. Once the designs are chosen, the patterns are all included in the second half of the booklet. They will need to be printed out on card stock or heavyweight construction paper. The directions are included, as is a materials list. There is a Table of Contents at the beginning to help with finding special patterns, especially old favorites that are part of Year B.
What is new this year is the addition of one or two patterns for each of the four Sundays of Advent that is linked to the Old Testament or Gospel lesson for that Sunday.
Since there is new material as well as redesigned material, feel free to add comments to the blog as to what does or not work for you or your family.
With all good wishes for a blessed Advent,
Suzanne Sauter
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