It is so pretty!
My husband and my sister's husband have gone to the hills the past two years to get a tree for us. At first we thought this type was pretty Charlie-Brownish, as it's branches are far from each other, but it has grown on us and we are appreciating it now. There is lots of room for the ornaments to hang down.
We used to have a hitchin' post in our back yard, as part of the landscape. My husband does all types of landscaping and pruning and he would bring home fresh logs to renew the post when the old wood got too weather-worn. One time, he replaced the elements with birch bark and we were surprised when it put out new leaves. It is an illustration of how tenacious, and yet
fragile life can be.
I have been thinking about the fact that God came to earth as a baby. He, at that moment, was the embodiment of the reality that life is both enduring and fleeting. He was vulnerable, and He had many enemies - from His rebellious creation, Satan, to the wicked Herod (one seeking to usurp His throne, the other seeking to cling to the one he had, unwilling to have even the long awaited Messiah take it away.)
And yet His Father intervened and sent an angel to warn the man who He had chosen to raise His Son on this earth - to be His earthly protector until the time came when He would fend for Himself - to flee the danger that was so near. And so, obedient Joseph fled with his wife, Mary, and his Son, Jesus, to Egypt --- out of the clutches of evil.
So many times in Jesus' life Satan and his children tried to kill Jesus. But time after time, Scripture makes it clear that it was not time for Him to die yet, and so He escaped.
And then, when the time was right, Jesus made no attempt to flee, and He rebuked Peter when he tried to thwart the arrest. Jesus told Pilate that the only power he had over His life was available because His Father was allowing it.
Only then - at the fullness of time.
After the mock-trials - illegal, full of trumped-up charges and false witnesses - brutal beatings and mockings, the Life was nailed to a cross. But even there, things did not go as expected. Jesus stayed there just long enough to pay for the sins of a lost and wicked people, just long enough to satisfy the wrath of a just and holy God - my God, your God (whether you acknowledge Him or not,) and then, much sooner than He should have - much sooner than the criminals on either side of Him did - He gave up His life.
Didn't cling to it - gave it up.
The very ground that He created shook and the skies that He spoke into existence sobbed at His death. When the Light was put out, the sun went dark as well. The universe grieved and Satan celebrated. His celebration was short-lived; (Eat, drink and be merry...) because, just when it seemed that he had won, that he didn't have to worry about the woman's Seed any longer, the Seed came back to life! And, unlike the new growth on our Christmas tree - that is, by it's very predicament, doomed to return to the dust - this life, this renewed life, is for keeps. He is alive even now, holding all creation together, keeping watch over those of us who are a part of His flock, calling to those who have not yet bent the knee to Him, but will.
The King of kings and Lord of lords in a manger! What a glorious season this is!
What a glorious Savior He is!
No comments:
Post a Comment