Jesse, the root of the family tree
8th December “A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch will grow from his roots. The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him.” (Isaiah 11:1) Jesse was the father of King David and another direct ancestor of Christ. In the Fir
Ruth, the faithful foreigner
7th December “Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. He slept with her, and the Lord granted that she conceive, and she bore a son.” (Ruth 4:13) In St Matthew’s version of Christ’s family tree, he includes four women, one of whom w
Judah, the lion and leader
6th December “The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the mace from between his feet, until it comes to whom it belongs, and the obedience of the peoples is his.” (Genesis 49:10) Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob and we find his story
Jacob, the ancestor of kings
5th December “God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and become numerous. People and assemblies of people shall come from you. Kings shall come forth from your loins.” (Genesis 35:11) Jacob was the second son of Isaac and his beloved
Isaac, the beloved son
4th December “These are the descendants of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah.” (Genesis 25:19-20) Isaac was the beloved son of Abraham and his wife, Sarah. Isaac’s moth
Abraham, our father in faith
3rd December “Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, it declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.” (Galatians 3:8) St Matthew’s gospel begins his version of Christ’s
Noah, the herald of righteousness
2nd December“Nor did he spare the ancient world, even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, one of eight, when he brought a flood upon the world with its godless people.” (2 Peter 2:5) The story of how Noah saved his family and various
Adam and Eve, our first parents
1st December “Just as in Adam all die, so all will be brought to life in Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:22) We begin this Advent with the famous story of the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The book of Genesis, as interpreted in the New Te
The Twelve Prophets (Sirach 49:10)
The Twelve Minor Prophets were a group of the most famous prophets in Jewish history. The short books named after them were collected together in the Old Testament.
King Josiah the Reformer (2 Chronicles 34-35)
King Josiah of Judah was a young royal who introduced religious reforms in his kingdom, prioritised the Law of Moses and focused on social justice.