2013 Jesse Tree: Jeremiah

Scripture: Jeremiah 1:4-10
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Event/Theme: Jeremiah
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Symbol we use: Jeremiah is known as the suffering servant, so our decoration today represents tears shed for a sinful nation. We use strands of beads, but tinsel would also be very appropriate.
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Meditation: What excuses do you use when the Lord asks you to do something difficult? Jeremiah's excuses were that he was young and didn't know what to say. God, of course, was not deterred by his excuses any more than he was when Moses argued against His choice to send him to free the Israelites from Egypt. Time and again the Lord chooses those who specifically do NOT seem qualified for the job ahead of them. Wouldn't it be easier for all of us if He would stick with those who have the natural abilities for the particular role He asks us to play? Yet He doesn't ask individuals to complete a task they are ill-equipped for and then sit back to watch them fail. He calls the unqualified so they depend on Him and follow His directions (because they know that without Him they will certainly fail!).
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Are you willing to step far out of your comfort zone if God asks you to? You will have to depend on the Lord, yet with Him you can perform miracles that would never be possible on your own. Yes, the road is difficult and might even end in martyrdom. But you will accomplish the impossible along the way and we have the hope of heaven to sustain us through every trial.
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Jesse Tree Week 1: The Patriarchs
Sunday: Root of Jesse
Monday: Creation
Tuesday: Fall of Mankind
Wednesday: Noah
Thursday: Abraham
Friday: Isaac
Saturday: Jacob
Jesse Tree Week 2: The Formation of a People Set Apart
Sunday: Joseph
Monday: Moses
Tuesday: Israelites at Mt. Sinai
Wednesday: Joshua
Thursday: Gideon
Friday: Ruth
Saturday: Samuel
Jesse Tree Week 3: The Formation of a Nation Set Apart
Sunday: King David
Monday: Elijah
Tuesday: Isaiah
Wednesday: Jeremiah
Thursday: Daniel
Friday: Nehemiah
Saturday: Jonah