The Jesse Tree

I have just finished reading "The Jesse Tree" by Geraldine McCaughrean.

A lonely, grumpy, old man is carving the symbols which will be hung on the Jesse Tree during Advent. He is working in the cool dark confines of the church building in the height of summer. Outside the church walls the summer glows and laughs as he works silently on. One day a boy disturbs his world, he skips into the church full of life, and questions.

Each day, for 24 days, he arrives and asks the man to tell him the story behind the different symbols he is making - a boat, an angel, a sheep, a ladder, a star. The man, at first reluctantly, tells the stories of a garden, a flood, a dream, a rescue... many stories leading up to and, including, the incredible birth of Jesus.

As the stories are told the man changes, the arrival of the boy each day is no longer disruptive, but is a touch of grace in his lonely life. He is reminded of the importance and power of the stories symbolised on the tree and the need to pass them on to the next generation.

Thousands of years ago The Jesse Tree was the bible for those who could not read. The priest would point to the symbols and tell the stories of the Old testament and Jesus birth, and as the symbols were hung on the tree people would see how the birth of Jesus was not a beginning, but a completion of God's plan and design.

The book was another encouragement for me to continue telling the stories of the Bible, within the context of relationship. As we tell, both we and our listeners, may be touched by God's grace.