An Easter Tree

I totally forgot about this! I came across it when I was looking up the recipes on the computer (so I would not have to type them in) for the Resurrection Cookies and Rolls. A little late for this year, but hopefully NEXT year!

Easter Tree

A personal note to all:
The basic idea is to go through the story of the Bible from creation (Genesis 1) to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus - with the final ornament coming after the resurrection - the promise of eternal life with God in heaven at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19).

I highly suggest that you pray to God before starting an Easter tree. Allow God to reveal to you what He wants your tree to look like and which Scriptures to use. Also, work with the children. After you have picked out Scripture ask if they have any ideas on what the ornament could be.

Once they get older, have them create their own Easter tree - searching Scripture and doing one ornament per week and then ornaments for Holy Week. There are several different aspects of the Bible (and Jesus' life, death, and resurrection) that are not mentioned in the list below, but would be a wonderful aspect to study and meditate upon!

(One take on this is to possibly go through and write all the Scriptures dealing with the promises God made - like a mansion for the promise of a mansion with many rooms. You could also have a life of Jesus tree and go through picking out certain events - including parables - from the life of Jesus and create an ornament for each one.)

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From No Ordinary Home

Easter Trees can seem like a wonderful idea until you sit down to design and create forty individual ornaments! Many families who have adopted the idea started by making one ornament per week for the six weeks of Lent and then added the seven ornaments of Holy Week. Others have done only the Holy Week Ornaments, and still others have done one for each week of Lent and one for Holy Week.

The exciting thing about starting small is that each ornament is given the family's full attention. Every year the family can add new ornaments, and Mom does not need to feel that the producing of Easter tree ornaments has taken over her life!

These are the ornaments I would choose to start and Easter tree the first year.

WEEK ONE
The Fall of Man - Genesis 3. An apple or something to represent Adam and Eve or the serpent.

WEEK TWO
Passover - Exodus 12. A lamb.

WEEK THREE
Samuel anoints David - I Samuel 16. Two beads glued together to form a horn.

WEEK FOUR
The baptism of Jesus - Like 3. A dove.

WEEK FIVE
Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5-7. A miniature lamp.

HOLY WEEK

Sunday: Palm Sunday - Matthew 21. A palm branch.

Monday: Cleansing the temple - Mark 11. A whip.

Tuesday: Jesus anointed - John 12. A small beaded box.

Wednesday: Judas plots - Matthew 26. A bag with silver coins.

Thursday: The Last Supper - Luke 22. A loaf of bread and a cup.

Friday: Crucifixion - Luke 23. A cross.

Saturday: Mystery Saturday - I Peter 3:18-22. No ornament.

Sunday: HE IS RISEN! - Mark 16. A clay tomb - empty.

Monday: The marriage supper of the Lamb - Revelation 19. A place mat with gold silverware.

IF however you want to create an ornament for the entire forty-two days, here are suggestions to get you started.

Day 1: Faith - Matthew 17:20. Have a hallowed out log and bare branch form a tree. Drill a hole in the log and put a mustard seed in it. Place the branch in the hole so that it resembles a small tree.

Day 2: Creation - Genesis 1. A small globe with a dove glued on top.

Day 3: The Fall - Genesis 3. An apple or something to represent Adam and Eve or the serpent.

Day 4: Noah and the Flood - Genesis 6-9. An ark ornament or an animal.

Day 5: Abraham and Sarah - Genesis 12. A picture of an old man and woman or a star ornament to illustrate the covenant.

Day 6: Abraham and Isaac - Genesis 22. Twigs tied together with a plastic knife on top.

Day 7: Jacob and Esau - Genesis 27. An ornament of twins.

Day 8: Jacob's ladder - Genesis 37. A toy fire truck ladder.

Day 9: Joseph - Genesis 37. A coat of many colors.

Day 10: Moses - Exodus 3. A bush.

Day 11: Passover - Exodus 12. A lamb.

Day 12: Ten Commandments - Exodus 20. A cardboard version of the tablets.

Day 13: The Judges - Judges. A courtroom gavel.

Day 14: Israel desires a king - I Samuel 8. A coat-of-arms patch.

Day 15: Samuel anoints David - I Samuel 16. Two beads glued together to form a horn.

Day 16: David as a musician - Psalms. A golden harp.

Day 17: Solomon - I Kings 7-9. A cardboard temple.

Day 18: The Prophets - Jonah. A ceramic whale.

Day 19: Enslavement - II Kings 25. Heavy chain links.

Day 20: Daniel and Lions - Daniel 6. A lion.

Day 21: Nehemiah - Nehemiah 2. A clay wall.

Day 22: 400 years of silence - Between testaments. A scroll with a lock glued on it and a moon hanging from it to signify spiritual night.

Day 23: The annunciation - Luke 1. An angel ornament.

Day 24: The birth of Jesus - Luke 2. A picture of a mother and child.

Day 25: The boyhood of Jesus in Egypt - Matthew 2, Luke 2. A pyramid and palm tree.

Day 26: The baptism of Jesus - Luke 3. A dove.

Day 27: The temptation of Jesus - Luke 4. A snake wrapped around a cactus.

Day 28: The first miracle - John 2. Two wedding rings.

Day 29: Feeding the 5,000 - Matthew 14. A basket with fish in it.

Day 30: Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5-7. A miniature lamp.

Day 31: Do not worry - Matthew 6:26-34. A bird.

Day 32: Woman at the well - John 4. A clay well.

Day 33: Raising of Lazarus - John 11. A clay man wrapped in strips of cotton.

Day 34: Palm Sunday - Matthew 21. A palm branch.

Day 35: Cleansing the temple - Mark 11. A whip.

Day 36: Jesus anointed - John 12. A small beaded box.

Day 37: Judas plots - Matthew 26. A bag with silver coins.

Day 38: The Last Supper - Luke 22. A loaf of bread and a cup.

Day 39: Crucifixion - Luke 23. A cross.

Day 40: Mystery Saturday - I Peter 3:18-22. No ornament.

Day 41: HE IS RISEN! - Mark 16. A clay tomb - empty!

Day 42: The marriage supper of the Lamb - Revelation 19. A place mat with gold silver.