A domestic Advent custom of recent date — it took its present form in the twentieth century — drawing on the medieval art of the Jesse tree and the mystery plays' Tree of Life, and taking its name from Isaiah's prophecy that a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse. It is a teaching devotion above all, meant to set the coming of Christ inside the whole history of salvation, and it belongs to the home rather than to the liturgy.

Use a small evergreen, a bare branch set in a pot, or a felt or paper hanging. Prepare one symbol for each day of Advent, drawn from the genealogy of Christ and from the key figures of salvation history — creation, Noah's ark, Abraham, Jacob's ladder, Moses, David's harp, Isaiah's tongs, and so on to Mary and Joseph. Each evening gather the household, hang the day's symbol, read the Scripture passage it stands for, say what it has to do with Christ, and close with a short prayer or an Advent hymn. Keep it brief enough that children can attend to it all the way to Christmas.

About 10 minutes

general