2013 Jesse Tree: Mary

Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
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Event/Theme: Mary
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Symbol we use: Just as we give flowers to our mothers, it seems appropriate to represent Jesus' mother with a flower. We decorate our tree today with rose ornaments. Also appropriate would be ornaments of the Holy Family as we read about the very beginnings of that family relationship.
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Meditation: Every woman who becomes pregnancy is changed by the experience. No matter how the pregnancy begins or how it ends, it affects her body, her mindset, and her future. The change in Mary's life began before conception with a visit from the angel Gabriel. Mary's pregnancy began with a test of her faith. Even before it began she was asked to receive a Child unlike any other through means that even her fiance didn't believe (who would??) until he received confirmation of the miracle by an angel. She had to trust the Lord from the very beginning to protect her life and the life of her Child within a culture that generally stoned to death every woman discovered to be pregnant outside of marriage. Rather than dismiss the angel's message as impossible, worry about the consequences, or get caught up daydreams about her role as the mother of the long-awaited Messiah, Mary submitted herself to the will of God, then actively showed her belief in the message by rushing to serve her cousin Elizabeth. Mary is not the only woman in history to have been changed by pregnancy and childbirth. Yet the Child she raised and her response to the circumstances affected how they changed her. As we encounter different circumstances each day, will we choose to respond like Mary with faith, trust, and a willingness to serve?
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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
Jesse Tree Week 4: Christ Jesus is Almost Here!
Sunday: Mary
Monday: Joseph
Tuesday: Shepherds
Wednesday: Merry Christmas!