Advent- Christmas Tree

 During Advent I want to take four non-sacred aspects of Christmastime and look at how we can use them to point ourselves and our families to Christ.  We will look at Christmas lights, Christmas trees, Christmas food and Christmas presents.  Hopefully, these four things will train your eyes to remember Jesus well.

My wife insists upon having a real Christmas tree.  She loves the look and the smell of the tree in our living room.  I like it too, but I could easily be persuaded to buy an artificial tree rather than purchasing a $60 tree every year.  That said, the real tree is better.

Besides, the tradition of the real tree has been cemented.  Our oldest adores the tree and everything about it.  

Don't get me wrong, I love our Christmas tree, just not as much as Christine does.  The real tree is her tradition.  My tradition is having mostly original ornaments rather than glass balls.  I love all the "Baby's Firsts" and preschool project ornaments.  The hokier the better for me.  Part of this is that the balls remind me of divorce.  When my parents split, one of them got the family ornaments and the other bought glass balls.  But the main reason I love the original ornaments, from the Hallmark to the hokey, is that each one has a story.  Decorating the tree with Joshua and Anna is a kinetic story time where they learn our family history.

We have an angel (from a thrift shop) atop our tree.  We have this and not a star because as a very young boy I was adamant that the wise men and the star aren't supposed to be there until after Christmas.  Even the nativity set was assembled with the wise men still on the way.

Our tree is lovely to me.  Our tree tells a story, but can it tell a better story than the history of the Matt Ray family.

If you grew up in the Southern Baptist Church, like I did, you know what special music is.  Special music was that portion of the service when a group or soloist sang to the congregation.  My Mimi often sang the song "He Grew the Tree" by Barbara Mandrell.

I loved to hear my grandma sing of God's sovereignty and foreknowledge and planning.  The song's chorus says, "He grew the tree He knew would be used to make the old rugged cross."  Then it says, "Nothing took His life, with love He gave it.  He was crucified on a tree that He created.  With great love for man, God gave with His plan.  He grew the tree so that we might go free."

"The reason the Father loves me is that I lay down my life... only to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord." John 10:17-18a

This Christmastime as you look at your tree, real or artificial, remember that He grew the tree He knew would be used to make the old rugged cross.  The lively and bright green tree of Christmas becomes the deadly wood shrouded in darkness at midday on Good Friday.

Let your tree point you to the cross during Advent today.