Wake up!
It’s time to make our way toward Bethlehem.
Imagine what that was like for the magi, leaving on their long journey, following a star that promised a king. They hoped in that promise and acted in faith: not knowing where they would end up or how far they had to go.
The Magi Journeying, by James Tissot. Brooklyn Museum, public domain.
In that sense, their journey echoes the journey of Abraham and Sarah two thousand years earlier. Leave everything and go to the land that I will show you, God said. At the end was untold blessing, including the king those wise men would search to find.
Christmas wraps up all the hopes and expectations of salvation history, not just from the time of Abraham but from the time of creation — and presents them to us in a mother and child in the little town of Bethlehem.
We’re on a similar journey today: knowing that Jesus has been born, but awaiting his coming again as King. One way to enter into the spirit of expectation and recall the real meaning of Christmas is to travel through Scripture following the “Jesse Tree” — named for Isaiah’s prophecy that the Messiah would come like “shoot from the stump of Jesse,” father of King David (Isa 11:1). This Advent tradition offers daily readings that depict the ancestors of Jesus or stories that show how all the Old Testament points to Christ.
Try one of these Advent reading plans
Here are two such reading plans to choose from.
- The first is a traditional “Jesse Tree.” Starting with Creation, it traces not only the lineage of Jesus from Jesse, but also the history of salvation as it points to his coming.
Download the “Jesse Tree” Advent Reading Plan
- The second is one I created to trace the fulfillment of God’s curse on the devil and promise to Eve after the Fall, that the woman and her “seed” will bruise the head of the serpent (see Gen 3:14-15). Subsequent generations of mothers and sons in salvation history give hints of the one who is to come, born of a woman, to defeat the devil … until the prophecy is fulfilled in Mary and Jesus.
Download “The Woman and her Seed” Advent Reading Plan
Or reflect on the Mass readings
Of course, you can also follow the Sunday Mass readings, which have been carefully chosen to help prepare our hearts for Christ’s coming. Here are two ways you can do that:
- Sign up for the online Pray More Advent Retreat and watch my weekly video reflections on the Sunday readings. Each talk comes with a transcript and a free downloadable lectio divina guide.
- OR: Click on the graphic below to download a printable checklist to guide your reading.
Blessings on you as you welcome the Word this Advent!
© 2019, 2024 Sarah Christmyer
Make a spiritual pilgrimage through the Old Testament during Advent or in the new year. In Becoming Women of the Word, you will walk alongside women of the Old Testament who pave the way for Mary, mother of our Lord. Learn how Eve picks up again after the Fall … how Sarah trusts in the impossible … how rival sisters Leah and Rachel cope with unmet longing. Find a soul sister in Miriam or Rahab, Deborah or Ruth. Learn to pray with Hannah; from Esther learn to act boldly when you’re afraid. And from Judith – well, you’ll need to read to find out. Available from Ave Maria Press or wherever books are sold.
Oh that depiction of Eve and Mary is one of my all time favorites!! Thank you for sharing.