My Mother-in-Law’s Christmas Tree
My wife Carolyn’s mother is in an assisted living facility in Sanford, N.C. She told Carolyn to throw away her Christmas tree several years ago. We had a large tree in our living room, and Carolyn decided to dispose of it and get a smaller tree. She decided to bring her mother’s tree here for us. It wasn’t the prettiest tree and since it had been sprayed with artificial snow, it made a mess every time it was moved.
We decided to decorate this tree with all the hand-made ornaments and special ornaments that reminded us of all the churches we had served. There were literally hundreds of ornaments. None of them matched, but each one had a special memory. A string of lights wouldn’t burn so I had to replace it with another string. This tree when finished didn’t look like a storefront tree where everything matched, but it was still very beautiful.
Take time to read Isaiah 53:1-9. The Book of Isaiah was a vision given by God and recorded by the prophet Isaiah whose name means “Yahweh is salvation.” (Isaiah 1:1) Like our modest tree, the Messiah didn’t meet the world’s expectations in any way. (Isaiah 53:2) Jesus was despised and rejected.” (v. 3) In an amazing display of love, He still chose to be “pierced for our transgressions.” (v. 5) Jesus endured the pain and punishment, so we might have peace. Nothing is more beautiful than that.
After serving churches for 45 years, we have a multitude of remembrances. Some of the ornaments are not perfect, as the tree is not perfect, but it reminds me that we worship and believe in a perfect Savior. After decorating this tree, I stood back and praised God for His glorious love. Sparkling ornaments could never match the beauty of His sacrificial gift – Jesus.
Prayer – God, help me see the beautiful love reflected through the magnitude of Your sacrifice. Help me make praising Jesus part of this Christmas celebration. Amen.
Psalm 63:3 – “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”
By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Images: Aaron Burden, Arun Kuchibhotla/Unsplash, Tommy Herndon & Reuben Teo/Unsplash
