Object: For this lesson, you may want to cut a piece of construction paper into the shape of a tree, and give each child a "branch" to take home. If your church has a Christmas tree in the sanctuary during Advent, you might distribute small pieces from the branches of the tree.

Text: "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse ..." (Isaiah 11:1)

I’m giving you these branches because I want you to remember to do something this Christmas season. If you will be seeing your grandparents or older relatives for the holidays, I want you to ask them to tell you something about your family tree. I don’t mean the kind of tree that grows in the yard near your home. A family tree is something that tells you where you came from. It tells you about your ancestors ... the people in your fam…