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The ornaments to print out for the Jesse Tree
Understanding the  Jesse Tree

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent
King David
1 Samuel 16:4-13 (NRSV)

Samuel did as the LORD had commanded him. When he entered Bethlehem, the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and asked, “Is your visit peaceful, O seer?”  He replied: “Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. So purify yourselves and celebrate with me today.” He also had Jesse and his sons purify themselves and invited them to the sacrifice. As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the anointed is here before the LORD.”  But the LORD said to Samuel: Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The LORD looks into the heart.  Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel, who said, “The LORD has not chosen him.”  Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”  Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he arrives here.”  Jesse had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth with beautiful eyes, and good looking. The LORD said: There—anoint him, for this is the one. Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David. Then Samuel set out for Ramah.

In the choosing of David as king, we see two wonderful themes for our spiritual reflection this Advent.  The first is how the Lord said to Samuel to not judge from appearance because God looks into the heart.  Human beings always judge by appearances and has formed a culture that cares less about the truth and more about the look or the presentation.  Integrity is no longer praised, and duplicity is tolerated as how business is done.  As we are called to see the world the way God does, we are challenged to go beyond appearances.  We are called to look harder at life, reflecting on all that is and to go beyond so to reject the shallow and flashy things that lack depth, meaning and soul.  The second is similar in that God seems to choose the least likely.  Often times people in an heartfelt but misguided humility, do not consider themselves worthy of a call by God to do something.  However, a quick glance through the scriptures shows that God does just that.  He choose the least worthy, the least likely, the smallest and sometimes the weakest.  He does this all to show that it is through His power that it all happens and not really by our own efforts.  This Christmas may we look deeper at the meaning and soul of Christmas and go beyond the appearances and showy images given to us by the culture.  As we look at the manger in Bethlehem with Mary and Joseph, may we see that God continues to choose the lowly and insignificant to do His will.

When David became King he was a great leader for God's people. David also loved God and wrote many of the Psalms. The psalms are songs of worship to God. David loved worshiping God with songs and played the harp. The psalms remind us of God's greatness, his power over-all, his love, and his goodness. They remind us He is faithful and has an unfailing love. We remember God's faithfulness and love at Christmas when we remember that Jesus came, just as God promised.

Together as a family discuss the challenges of living in a culture that prizes appearances over what is in the heart.  Talk about the differences of these two views and places where these two views are experienced.  What would be some virtues needed to move beyond appearances and to see the world the way God does?  Also explore how God chooses the least likely and name some important figures in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, in the history of our Church with the saints and even today.  How have you responded or not responded to being called by God?