Create a fun Names of Jesus poster and ornaments craft to teach your kids about the true majesty of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!
This post is a part of the Bible Christmas Crafts for Kids series. The Names of Jesus craft is created by my good friend Tauna Meyer at Proverbial Homemaker.
There are many ways you can bring the names of Jesus ornaments into your Christmas celebrations, but this one is a little different, because it’s based on the Jesse Tree. Several years ago our family began the Jesse Tree tradition at Christmas time. If you aren’t familiar with it, the Jesse Tree is an advent reading plan that starts with creation and takes you through the Bible starting with Genesis, telling the story of God’s redemption plan for His people.
We love that it gives us a more complete picture of the Christmas story! We read the day’s passage from the Bible and hang up the ornament that has a symbol from the story to remind us. We’ve tried many different variations of the Jesse Tree over the year and it continues to be our favorite and most meaningful Christ-centered tradition.
The Stump of Jesse and the Branch of Hope
One funny thing about doing the Jesse Tree for several years is that now, for us, a tree stump with a branch is a symbol of Christmas! And now a scripture that nobody would ever initially associate with Christmas is filled with meaning and gets us in the holiday mood. It’s about the stump and the branch, from Isaiah 11:1-2.
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
[Click here to get a scripture art print of Isaiah 11:1-2]
It’s a beautiful picture! Out of sadness, death, and destruction comes a living branch – one that will bear much fruit. That branch is Jesus! This passage is all about Christmas. Jesus humbles Himself and becomes man, entering our timeline as a young shoot of life springing up, bringing hope to a sinful and dying world!
Learning the Names of Jesus
This year, we decided to add another element to our family traditions. I’ve always wanted to spend a Christmas season focusing on the names of Jesus, so the kids and I came up with a fun way to do that!
(FYI I’m not a particularly crafty mom, so for me to do a craft or activity, it has to be pretty easy. This fit the bill!)
The names of Jesus ornament poster shows the stump of Jesse from Isaiah 11:1-2. Twenty five simple foil “leaves” bear the names of Jesus and are pinned it to the foam board. Starting December 1, a leaf is taken down and the corresponding scriptures are read and discussed. That’s it! Easy peasy.
Names of Jesus Poster and Ornaments
Materials
- Black poster board or foam board
- Festive poster border strips (optional)
- Aluminum foil
- Sharpie markers
- Courage (for using Sharpies with kids)
- Silver map pins or clear tacks
- Card stock
- Black glitter glue (optional)
- Hole punch
- Ornament hooks
- Glue sticks or Elmer’s glue
- Scissors
Foam Sheet
Teacher Created Resources Christmas Border Trim, Multi Color (4157)Sharpie Permanent MarkersNeenah Bright White Card Stock, 65lb1-Hole PunchChristmas Tree Ornament HooksWestcott Recycled 8-Inch Straight Scissor (16451)Reynolds Wrap Aluminum FoilMap TacksBlack Glitter GlueElmer’s Multi-Purpose GlueElmer’s Glue Sticks
Creating Your Names of Jesus Poster and Ornaments
Creating your Names of Jesus ornaments poster is pretty easy. Once you have everything together it takes about an hour or so not including drying time.
A few tips: Foil can have sharp edges so be careful and let your kids know, too. Foil is pretty forgiving so as you shape it just keep bending and squishing to make it fit the shape you want. If you do have trouble with the glue, one suggestion was a mix of half Elmer’s and half water.
1) Draw an image of the stump and branch on foil and cut it out.
2. Add poster border to your names of Jesus poster.
3. Write the Jesse Tree verse on your stump.
4. Make leaves for your Names of Jesus ornaments.
5. Let your kids decorate their Names of Jesus Jesse Tree ornaments.
6. Write the names of Jesus on the leaves, punch a hole in each, and hang the leaves.
Names of Jesus with Scripture
Here is the simple list that we’re using for our names of Jesus ornaments including scriptures you can read with them!
- Jesus – Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
- Christ / Messiah – John 20:31 “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
- Savior – Luke 2:11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
- Son of God – I John 4:14 “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”
- The Word – John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
- Immanuel – Matt 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”
- Deliverer – Romans 11:26 “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob’”
- Lamb of God – John 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
- Way, Truth, & Life – John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
- Redeemer – Isaiah 44:24 “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: ‘I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself.’”
- Wonderful Counselor – Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
- Mighty God – Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
- Everlasting Father – Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
- Prince of Peace – Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
- Lord of All – Acts 10:36 “As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all).”
- King of Kings – Revelation 19:16 “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”
- Good Shepherd – John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
- High Priest – Hebrews 2:17 “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
- Morning Star – Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
- Alpha and Omega – Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
- True Vine – John 15:1-11 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser…”
- Light of the World – John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
- Unspeakable Gift – 2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”
- Bread of Life – John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
- Immanuel – Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).”
6. Display Your Jesse Tree Names of Jesus Poster and Ornaments
Take a picture of your Christmas Advent Calendar and share it on social media with the hashtag #BibleRoadTrip. You can tag me as well! I’d love to reshare it. I’m on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Combining Your Names of Jesus Ornaments With the Jesse Tree Tradition
You can certainly do this activity on its own but you can also combine it with your Jesse Tree activities. During Christmas, we’ll do our Jesse Tree activity as usual (we read the scripture, discuss, then build the symbol with Legos!). Then we’ll follow it up with choosing a names of Jesus ornaments leaf, reading the passage, and talking about that name for Jesus. Another idea is to do the Jesse Tree in the morning and the names of Jesus at night.
Of course, you could try to match up the names of Jesus to the Jesse Tree passages and the Bible stories they tell. I think you could do that for some of them but for others it would be a stretch. I started to do that at first but ended up deciding against it. My main goals with this activity are really to teach them some of the more common names of Jesus, and also to reinforce that the Jesse Tree (and Christmas) is ALL about Christ. Plus, since different Jesse Tree plans can vary on which stories they use and how many, I think it’s just easier to combine them more loosely.
I hope you enjoy this activity as much as we have already! It’s a fun and simple way for your kids to make names of Jesus ornaments and add a beautiful and meaningful tradition to your Christmas this year.
Tauna is a Jesus follower, wife, mom, [domestically challenged] homemaker, homeschooler, and writer. Her passion is to help women pursue God’s call on their lives (no matter the learning curve) and rely on Him to equip us for the task! You’ll find her at ProverbialHomemaker.com, bringing you encouragement and tools for your journey.
Connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Your 12-month Bible verse calendar has themed devotions focusing on:
- The Bible
- Love
- The Church
- Resurrection
- Jesus
- Prayer
- The Holy Spirit
- The Fruit of the Spirit
- Salvation
- Our Father
- Thanksgiving
- Advent
Want a sample calendar? Grab your free Christmas Advent calendar here.
Books Make Great Gifts!
Teach the kids about the Bible and Christian history…
…with fun books they’ll love reading!
Introduce your children to engaging stories written in an engaging narrative they’ll want to read. As they learn more about God’s Word and gain real-life heroes, they will learn to apply Scripture to their own lives. And, give yourself the gift of a book that will help your kids learn and love the Bible.
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