Jesse Tree Advent—Daily Christmas Devotionals

Download Printable Daily Coloring Pages
Advent is a special time of anticipation for the birth of our Savior and also his return. During this season, we celebrate and remember the story of how God came to us to show us his love and bring us into union with him.

HOW TO INCORPORATE A DAILY FAMILY DEVOTIONAL

Choose a time that will always work for your family to gather together each day of December and set it aside for devotion. This might be first thing in the morning, at breakfast time, or it might be at dinner time. Keep it simple. Read the scripture and pray.

If you feel inclined, have a brief conversation about the verses you read and how they point to Jesus. (NOTE: It is okay that your children do not understand everything you're reading. They are observing your devotion and awe at God's story and treasuring the word with you. The LORD will use this experience to grow them in grace and truth in his own time, as He will each of you.)

Choose one of the optional weekly activities to do alongside your readings if you have time. Often, these fun activities help create memories that your little ones will treasure. Finally, hang the daily ornament* on a tree or banner to view and meditate on until Epiphany (January 6).

*Artwork by Annelise Delgado

December 1: Creation’s Light

Jesus, the Light
READ: Genesis 1:1-4, Colossians 1:15-17, 2 Corinthians 4:5-6

LEARN: Jesus is the light that shines into the darkness of the world to reveal the glory of God. He has shown into our darkened hearts to illuminate the glory of God revealed in the good news of Jesus Christ.

PRAY: O Lord Jesus, you are the world's light, and all things were made by you and for you. Shine your glorious light into our hearts. Amen.

December 2: Adam and Eve 

The Bride of Christ
READ: Genesis 2:4-7, 15-25; Ephesians 5:25-32

LEARN: God created humankind with the intent of marriage in mind. The unique and immense love expressed between a husband and wife in marriage is a profound image of God’s love for his people. It was not good for Adam to be alone; even God desires to be with his people.

PRAY: Creator God, in the beginning, you ordered all things and showed us the patterns in which we should live. Help us to understand the profound mystery of what it means to be united to Christ as his bride, the church, and help our lives to reflect that truth. Amen. 

December 3: The Serpent

Sin comes into the world
READ: Genesis 3:1-13, Romans 3:9-23

LEARN: God designed humankind for righteousness, but all sin. Since the serpent deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Paul teaches that all people are under sin. “Their throat is an open grave,” making excuses for our wrongdoings.

PRAY: Righteous God, we have sinned against you, your creation, and your people. We will no longer make excuses for the wrongs we have done but confess our sins before you and plead for your mercy. Amen. 

December4: Ark

Jesus as the Ark
READ: Genesis 6:5-8, 7:17-23, 9:12-17; 1 Peter 3:18-22

LEARN: God saved Noah and his family from widespread wickedness on the earth by placing them in the ark and flooding the Earth. He didn’t save them as much from the flood as from the people. Peter reflects on the flood when he thinks of Jesus as an ark that rescues us from the wickedness of the world we live in according to our faith enacted through the rite of baptism. Baptism saves you, not as religious obedience, but as a pledge of allegiance in heart and mind to God.

PRAY: Lord God and King, we thank you for rescuing Noah from the wickedness of the world. We pledge our allegiance to you and no other and pray you rescue us from the wickedness of this world through the ark, which is Christ. Amen. 

December 5: Tower of Babel 

The Holy Spirit
READ: Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2:1-12

LEARN: God confused the world's languages at Babel because the people were working together to make their fame great in the world.  This was not by design; it was because of human social rebellion. But when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the church at Pentecost, he reversed the trajectory of human separation by healing the division caused by the separation of languages at Babel. In Christ, people of all nations and languages come together to worship Christ.

PRAY: Holy Spirit, we praise you for the unity we have in the Gospel. We thank you that we can worship alongside those of different ethnicities, nationalities, and languages and that all nations are called, welcome, and present in your eternal Kingdom. Amen. 

December 6: Stars

The Promise to Abraham
READ: Genesis 15:1-6, Romans 4

LEARN: Abraham was promised countless offspring. The nation of Israel came out of Abraham and Sarah, but the promise of blessing was not just for Israel. God promised to bless the nations through Abraham. The Apostle Paul teaches that Abraham’s children are those who have faith like Abraham, not those who are Abraham’s descendants by bloodline. This meant that all could be saved through faith!

PRAY: Lord, God of Abraham, we thank you for your promise to bless all nations through Abraham. We believe and have faith in Christ like Abraham had faith in Yahweh. We thank you for the promise of blessing for us who “believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” Amen. 

December 7: Ram 

The Lamb of God
READ: Genesis 22:1-13, John 1:29

LEARN: Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the world's sins. This image appears in many places in the Old Testament but is very clear in the story of Abraham’s obedience. Abraham was going to obey God by sacrificing his son Isaac, but God provided another sacrifice, a ram caught in the thicket. Like Isaac, we were on our way to an eternal death, a separation from God forever, but God provided another in our place, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died to take away our sins.

PRAY: Redeemer God, thank you for providing a lamb to take our sins. We thank you for not leaving us to suffer in our sins, but just as you provided the ram to save Isaac, you provided your son Jesus to save us. Amen. 

December 8: Joseph 

Suffering for God’s Purposes
SUMMARIZE the life of Joseph from Genesis 37-50.

READ: Genesis 45:4-28, Hebrews 2:10-18, 2 Corinthians 12:9

LEARN: Joseph suffered unjustly in many ways but was faithful to God in all of it. God blessed him by making him second in command to Pharaoh so that he could rescue his family from a great famine. Likewise, God continues to use suffering in the world to grow his people in holiness and to accomplish his good purposes.

PRAY: Sovereign God, we are thankful in all circumstances, even in our suffering. Use any pain, trials, or trauma we have suffered to grow us in holiness. And use us, even in our weakness, to make your Kingdom known to the world. Amen. 

December 9: The Ten Commandments

The Greatest Commandment
READ: Exodus 20:1-17, Matthew 22:36-40

LEARN: God gave Israel the Ten Commandments. The first commandments have to do with fidelity to Yahweh, God. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he made the connection that loving God with all of our hearts is like loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

PRAY: Just God, increase our love for you so that we might love you with all of our hearts, souls, and minds. Let our love for you outpour into love for our neighbors, and let our obedience to you be a reflection of love, not law. Amen. 

December 10: Tabernacle

Jesus as the Tabernacle
READ: Exodus 40, John 1:14

LEARN: As the Israelites crafted the Tabernacle as a place for Yahweh to dwell among his people in the wilderness, so Jesus, who was God, became human and was born to the Virgin Mary to dwell among us as God with us. In Jesus, we observe the fullness of God’s glory.

PRAY: Lord God, thank you for not leaving us alone, apart from your presence. You have made a way for us to see your glory and dwell with you even in a sinful world. Amen. 

December 11: Slingshot

Jesus and David
READ: 1 Samuel 17, Mark 12:35-37

LEARN: To put an enemy under your feet is to conquer the enemy. David put Goliath under his feet when no one else in Israel dared confront him. David eventually was anointed as King of Israel. Like David (king/lord) was to sit at the right hand of Yahweh (LORD) until Yahweh conquered all of Israel’s enemies, Jesus sits at the right hand of God until he conquers all of the enemies of the Kingdom of God.

PRAY: LORD Jesus, we thank you for reigning at the Father's right hand, and you will do so until all of your enemies are conquered. You are the great King who rules forever on David’s throne. Give us confidence in your power and perseverance as we await the day of your ultimate victory. Amen. 

December 12: The Wolf with the Lamb

The dividing wall of hostility
READ: Isaiah 11:6-10, Ephesians 2:13-18

LEARN: The LORD promised through Isaiah that a day of peace is coming when the wolf and lamb lie down together and an infant plays beside a cobra’s pit. These figures demonstrate not a change to the biological nature of animals but peace between enemies. Paul further teaches that the walls of hostility that divide humans are torn down when we enter the Kingdom of God. There is one people of God with no division or superiority due to ethnicity or social standing.

PRAY: King Jesus, you have united all people to yourself through your death, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of God on high. We pray that there be no division in the body of Christ and that you would even heal apparent divisions that persist due to human sinfulness and finitude. Amen. 

December 13: The Good Shepherd

The Provider
READ: Psalm 23, John 10:14-18

LEARN: Jesus is not precisely Yahweh (the covenant name of God in the Old Testament, translated as LORD). The entire godhead identifies with the name Yahweh, while Jesus is the Son in the godhead. As Yahweh is the shepherd of Israel in the Old Testament, Jesus claims this position as the Shepherd to all of God’s people. He is the good shepherd who provides, brings peace, directs, and even lays down his life for his sheep.

PRAY: Jesus, Good Shepherd, thank you for providing all that is needed for an abundant life. Thank you that you sacrificed for your sheep, even to the point of death on the cross, that we might live forever with you. Amen. 

December 14: The Walls

The New Jerusalem
READ: Nehemiah 2, Revelation 21:10-27

LEARN: After Israel was in Exile for seventy years, they were allowed to return home to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and its walls. Persia's other provinces feared that the Jews would rebel against Persia when they rebuilt their defenses. The New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 also has walls with gates, but these are not defenses. They are open so the nations can enter in and for the kings of the earth to bring glory to the Almighty and to the Lamb.

PRAY: Almighty God and Christ, the Lamb, we praise you for your light that leads the people of the earth into your holy presence. May your light shine now and forever until we enter into your holy city once and for all. Amen. 

December 15: Plowshare

Peace for Today
READ: Isaiah 2:1-4, Matthew 26:47-54

LEARN: Isaiah prophesied peace for the nations in the final days. “They will beat their swords into plows,” abandoning warfare and returning to a peaceful agricultural life. For this reason, Jesus corrected his disciple for attacking the priest’s servant with the sword. The Messianic age should be characterized by peacemaking as much as possible as we await a time of ultimate peace in Christ’s eternal Kingdom.

PRAY: Lord, we know there is much violence in the world. But we ask you to make us people of peace who avoid violence as often as possible. We look forward to your eternal Kingdom when all violence and conflict are put away, and we live in peace with you forever. Amen. 

December 16: Jesus’s Family Tree

The Fulfillment of All We Have Read
READ: Isaiah 11:1, 10, Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 24:25-27

LEARN: Jesus is the shoot that grows up from the stump of Jesse. This means that he is the King in David’s line who is heir to the throne of Israel. This is evidenced clearly in Matthew’s genealogy. Jesus demonstrated to the Emaus disciples that he fulfills every Old Testament prophecy regarding the Messiah, including the prophecies about David’s throne.

PRAY: Jesus, we believe you are the Christ, the Messiah of Israel and heir to David’s throne. We recognize that you fulfill every prophecy of the Messiah in the Old Testament, and we praise you as King over all, seated in the heavens. Amen. 

December 17: John the Baptist

Prepare the Way
READ: Malachi 4:5-6, Luke 1:12-17

LEARN: Elijah is the prototypical prophet in the Old Testament. He was also a miracle worker. Elijah means ‘My God is Yahweh,’ an appropriate name since Elijah’s mission was to prove to the Israelites that Yahweh (the covenant name of Israel’s God) is God, not the Baals. Jesus’s name means ‘Yahweh saves.’ The Jewish people believed that Elijah would come again to point people back to Yahweh, who saves them. This is why John the Baptist comes in the spirit of Elijah with a message of repentance to prepare the people of Israel for the coming of the Lord Jesus.

PRAY: Yahweh, you are the God who saves. Turn our hearts to you this season as we anticipate the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. 

December 18: Nazareth

The Annunciation
READ: Isaiah 7:14, Luke 1:26-38, Matthew 1:23

LEARN: Luke and Matthew saw a picture of Mary’s virgin conception by the Holy Spirit within Isaiah’s prophecy. An annunciation is a formal announcement of something. The Annunciation celebrates the angel Gabriel visiting Mary to announce that she would be the Savior's mother. Mary was the first to hear and believe that God would do what he promised to the world.

PRAY: Lord, God, we thank you for the Annunciation, for the miraculous conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit, and for the promise that he would be the Son of God. In everything you call us to, I pray that we would be like Mary, responding, “May it happen to me as you have said.” Amen. 

December 19: Angels

The News of Christ’s Birth
READ: Luke 2:8-15

LEARN: Fear is a common response to seeing angels in the Old Testament, to which they usually respond, “Do not be afraid.” Angels proclaim good news, often the rescue of God’s people. In Luke, the Israelite Shepherds receive the good news that the Messiah, their King, was born. Hearing this good news, they left immediately for Bethlehem to experience all the angels said.  

PRAY: Lord, I pray we will not fear as you reveal yourself to us. We thank you for being born in Bethlehem, according to the prophets, and for the angels confirming your position as the Messiah and Savior of Israel. As we near Bethlehem, in anticipation of Jesus’s birth, I pray that we will experience great joy. Amen. 

December 20: Bread and Wine 

The Lord’s Supper (Eucharist/Communion)
READ: Zechariah 13:7, Mark 14:22-27, John 6:26-40

LEARN: Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper celebration (aka the Eucharist, meaning thanksgiving) as a time of thankfulness for the New Covenant established in his blood. But, Jesus notes, quoting Zechariah, that the sheep scatter when the Shepherd is struck down. The Lord’s Supper is a regular sacrament for regathering God’s people in the absence of our Shepherd, Jesus. Many contemporary churches call the Lord’s Supper Communion because it unites God’s people so that we will not be divided as we await Jesus’s return.

PRAY: Lord Jesus, as you are absent bodily from us, we thank you for the Eucharist celebration that binds us together in communion with you under the New Covenant. We thank you for your shed blood that provides atonement for sins. Amen. 

December 21: Rooster

Peter’s Denial 
READ: Mark 14:26-31; 66-72; John 21:14-19

LEARN: Peter doubted Jesus because he did not understand why Jesus had to die on the cross. The disciples were scattered, going their own ways. But in his resurrection, Jesus found the disciples. Peter returned home, and Jesus appeared to him while he was fishing. There, Jesus told Peter to shepherd the people in his absence. Peter’s doubt was turned to confidence so Christ’s sheep would not be left without a Shepherd.

PRAY: Jesus, we thank you for establishing your Apostles over the church to lead and guide us. They are men like us, but you have filled them with your Spirit to persevere through doubt and trial. We pray that we, too, would be filled with your Spirit to persevere in all things. 

December 22: Crown

Jesus’s Kingship
READ: Isaiah 9:6-7, Revelation 4:8-11

LEARN: Isaiah prophesied that the child to be born would reign forever in righteousness on David’s throne. That child is Jesus. In the heavenly throne room where Christ is seated at the Father's right hand, the elders of God’s people continually submit their authority to Christ’s ultimate authority.

PRAY: Lord Jesus, we agree that you are King of Kings, ruler of all things in heaven and on earth. We submit ourselves to your Kingship and pray you direct us in all righteousness. Amen. 

December 23: Cross

The Example of Christ
READ: Isaiah 53; I Peter 2:21-25

LEARN: Jesus’s death on the cross justifies us (makes right). According to Isaiah, “my righteous servant will justify many, and he will carry their iniquities.” He carries our sins (iniquities) to the grave. But Christ’s suffering was for more than justification. Peter notes that his sinlessness and honesty are examples for us “so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness.”

PRAY: Lord Jesus, you are the man of sorrows who was pierced for our transgressions and has carried our griefs. Help us to live righteous and honest lives according to your example. Amen. 

December 24: Pearl

Gaining Christ
READ: Matthew 13:45-46; Philippians 3:7-11

LEARN: The Apostle Paul sees nothing in this world as having any value compared to the reward we receive in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the finest pearl. When we find Jesus, we give up everything in this life, considering it like rubbish, in order to have Jesus. Our greatest purpose in life is to know him and the power of his resurrection.

PRAY: Jesus, you are the greatest reward. We give up everything to receive you and your Kingdom. Our greatest purpose in life is to know you and the power of your resurrection. We ask that you make yourself known to us so that we might experience your power. Amen. 

December 25: Baby Jesus

Christmas

READ: Luke 2:1-7, Philippians 2:5–8, 2 Peter 3-4

LEARN: The incarnation is the historic Christian doctrine that Jesus of Nazareth is the eternal Second Person of the Trinity, that he has taken upon himself a human nature by being born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. On Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus because of the profound theological necessity of his birth. Jesus is God-become-man. Because Jesus joined us in our human nature, we are able to partake in the divine nature through communion with him as the Holy Spirit dwells in us. In On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius, he writes, “For the Son of God became man so that we might become god.” As we spend time with God through prayer and worship, partake of the sacraments, be His body (the church), and love Him by keeping his commandments, we will be changed to be more like Jesus. His presence in us is a free gift, but unless we cooperate with it, we will not be changed to be like him.

PRAY: Father, we thank you for loving humankind so profoundly that you would send your son to be born to Mary and dwell with us on Earth. Through Jesus, you have granted us your precious and very great promises that we might become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption through those promises. Help us make every effort to confirm our calling and participate with the Holy Spirit. Amen.