The Messiah Tree

Every year at Christmas time, people who do not regularly attend church come to special services and productions. Many churches have Christmas trees in their lobbies. A uniquely decorated themed Christmas tree is an added witness to people attending church at this season, who do not know Christ and are not aware of the many prophecies that He has fulfilled.
      We being by stringing lights upon the boughs; multi-colored lights symbolizing believers of every nation who shine as lights in this world.
      What makes us believers? Above us, on the uppermost branch, we tie a simple cross constructed of two sticks, representing the sacrificial death of our Lord. Below it we attach a brilliant red streaming ribbon that flows down upon all sides of the tree, symbolic of the blood that was shed for the lights that He has made of you and me.
      Then the ornaments are attached between the ribbons and among the lights. These are little pieces of beautiful colored papers, each one rolled at both ends like a scroll. Gold strings anchor them to the boughs. The gold is symbolic of the value of the words that are written upon these scrolls; for each one bares a prophecy of the coming King who has fulfilled over three hundred of them. “For He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities,” is one from Isaiah 53.
      And so the testimony can be read by those who may not know that this One whose birth we celebrate is not just another prophet, but God manifest in human flesh, Immanuel, God with us. (I Timothy 3:16, Isaiah 7:14) whose coming was ordained and predicted throughout the pages of the Holy Scriptures.
      And when the testimony is complete, other ornaments can be added, each one representing the events of our Savior’s birth; angels blowing trumpets to proclaim His coming then – and now, wise men and a star, shepherds, manger scenes, a Lion of Judah and a Lamb of God.v      And when these things are done, we sprinkle straw at the base of the tree. In this humble cradle we nestle a baby, a doll yes, but representing pure, sinless innocence with eyes looking upward to the cross on the peak. Our eyes look upward as well to contemplate the legacy of our Messiah tree wondering; when the celebration is over, how can we bear to take it down?

Copyright 2005 by H.D. Shively