Nov
29
2012
Beneath The Tree
Posted in Salvation 2 Comments
Today we chose our Christmas tree.
Frazer Fir…nice shape…right height.
We decorate the house for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.
We decorate the Christmas tree the following week.
There is something so wonderful about a Christmas tree.
To think that strands of lights and a collection of ornaments can bring such joy.
We have a tin star at the top of our tree…which took the place of the angel from years ago.
I like the tin star better.
It is more rustic and matches the primitive ornaments.
I just told my husband that the days leading up to Christmas are so special to me.
The anticipation…the waiting…the atmosphere that permeates everything.
Special to my children has always been what is beneath the tree.
The gifts to each other…the colorful wrapping…filling up the corner of the living room.
There is one box that always comes out each Christmas with the rest of the decorations.
I wrapped it in gold paper.
It has a gift tag which reads:
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
I wrapped that box up years ago to remind us all of the first Gift of Christmas.
It is there right next to the tree…before everything else.
It is there right next to the tree…when everything else is gone and put away.
It is there.
I received a Christmas card from a dear friend years ago, which I saved…and framed.
The frame is rectangular and the card is opened up inside.
The card has five panels…each depicting the stages of a Christmas tree.
Very simply drawn it begins with a beautifully decorated tree.
It reads: For 2000 years Christmas has come and gone…
The next three panels shows the tree losing needles and branches…looking less like a tree.
The last panel shows all the branches, needles, and ornaments around the base of the tree.
What is left is the thin trunk and one lone branch in the middle.
The Christmas tree became a cross.
The star, that was at the top of the tree, slipped down the trunk to the middle branch.
It resembled a crown.
The last panel read: Yet God’s real truth still shines through.
I have saved that card for over twelve years.
It captures the meaning of Christmas so perfectly.
The wood of the manger becomes the wood of the cross.
The infant Jesus is The King.
The great I AM!
The child that Mary bore…the Son of God…bore our sins on the cross.
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
No wooden cattle trough could have held Jesus for long.
No wooden cross could have held Him for any length of time either.
No grave could hold our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
God’s truth shines through.
We must see the cross beneath the tree.
It is always there.
Without Christmas, there would be no Easter.
Without the manger, there would be no cross.
Without the cross, there would be no gift.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23)
The gift of eternal life…planned at Christmas…redeemed at Easter.
Easter beneath the branches of the Christmas tree.
Glorious!
What a charming story about the card I sent to you so many years ago. How wonderful that it had a special and lasting impression on you. Thanks for sharing it! Karen
Karen,
Your card has always been very precious to me…as are you!
Besides what your card reminds me of…it makes me think of you every time I look at it!
That is a good thing!
Gina