Original Christmas Tree – LK 2:11-12
The Cross
What comes to our mind when we stop and think about that symbol that is perhaps one of the most popular symbols of the Christmas season.
I am talking of course about the Christmas Tree.
Yet in my mind, I am convinced that the original Christmas tree was not pre-lit or artificial, it was not decorated with ornaments or lights but it was the tree that had the one light on it…the light of the world.
It was the original Christmas tree that set us free....Yes the cross.
To me the cross will always be the original Christmas tree because Christ came to this earth for the very purpose of giving His life upon that tree at Calvary... the cross.
Let us look again to see that purpose for which God sent His Son to this earth.
Lk chapter 2 and verse 11 says
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
LK 2:11-12
The message sent to earth was this
“ A SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN TO YOU”
The angel said you will find a baby BUT the angel did not say
“God is giving you a baby”…
The message from God was this:
“I am giving you… a SAVIOR.”
Sometimes we loose sight of that at Christmas.
We see the sweet little baby and forget that Christ’s whole reason for coming was to be our SAVIOR.
Let us be reminded that…
God did not place our gift under the tree but instead He placed our greatest gift on the tree.
-Christ on the cross-
Christmas is really about a Savior and therefore the original Christmas tree is the cross.
Perhaps that seems a little graphic for some to imagine and yet it is absolutely nothing less than the truth of God’s love for us.
Make no mistake about it the whole reason for Christmas is that we all needed a Savior…not a baby.
The gift God gave was not just a simple babe born in a manger but a savior sent to fix the broken lives of the people God loves.
Lives broken because of their sin but repaired by the love of God in Jesus Christ.
The story is told of a mother who is decorating the Christmas tree and nearby is her teenage daughter.
The mother says
“I still have a lot of decorating to do here, I don’t know how I will get it all done.
The daughter replies
“Well, I can help...if I don’t have to go visit Uncle Jim with you.”
The mother responds
"Nice try, but your going!"
The daughter says
"But mom why do I have to go there?”
“There are murderers there and people who beat their wives and all sorts of people."
The daughter then picks up an ornament and notices it’s broken.
She sighs with sadness and disappointment over it’s being broken.
The mother comes over to the daughter and observes the broken ornament. She shares with her daughter how special the ornament is and that her father had made it when she was only six years old.
The mother additionally shares that this was Uncle Jim’s favorite ornament.
When he was a little boy he would take it from the tree and hold it and enjoy it so much.
The mother then looks at the ornament and then at the daughter and says
"You, know this ornament reminds me of your Uncle Jim. He is broken, just like this ornament.”
“Uncle Jim is precious to God because God made him.”
Then the mother smiles and says
“God can fix Uncle Jim’s brokeness.”
She hugs her daughter and says
“we can fix this ornament.”
The daughter says
"Yes, mom let’s do that and as soon as we are done let’s go visit Uncle Jim together.”
Do you know anyone... whose life is broken... like that precious ornament?
Do you have a son or a daughter…
a mother a father whose life is broken and needs repair.
Aren’t you grateful for Jesus and that original Christmas tree that brings restoration to broken lives?
Every one of us has been a broken ornament at some time.
A precious ornament of God’s creation, yet broken because of our sin.
Rejoice this Christmas because of Christ on the original Christmas tree we are no longer broken.
God restores us through Jesus Christ.
Let’s think about the Christmas tree for just a moment.
If you had to choose a part of a tree that you would say is the most humble part of a live Christmas tree what would the most humble part be?
The trunk most would probably agree.
In every Christmas Tree I see three parts of the tree.
The Trunk - Which would be the most humble part.
The center part with all its branches makes up the bulk of the tree, which represents the fullness of that tree.
Then there is the top of the tree or its pinnacle...it’s high point.
Which reminds me of the most celebrated place on the tree.
Also it is true with the life of Christ.
We see the humbleness with which He came to be lain in a manger.
The manger made of wood…that was the humble cradle of Christ’s birth.
Then we see that center part of Christ’s relationship to us… the FULLNESS of God’s beautiful love at the cross where Christ gave His life to repair our broken lives.
That is the fullness of God’s love.
Then we see the Crown - the high point of God’s rein and rule over life and death that He was not defeated on that tree at Calvary but that at the cross of Christmas He truly showed Himself to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
There on the true cross of Christmas He conquered death and gave the victory to all who trust Him.
Consider the
I. Humble Cradle of our Lord
This Christmas remember the humbleness of Jesus coming to us.
Placed in that wooden manger because there was no room for Him in the Inn.
Jesus came to us in a very humble form. He came as a child.
Some might say it was a weak form but what God was bringing about was anything but weak it was the strong power of God that was lain humbly in a manger.
Do you realize that in order for us to receive God’s magnificent mighty power we must come humbly to God.
We must each of us humbly admit that we are broken because of sin and that only God through Jesus Christ can put us together again.
This Christmas remember
the humble cradle.
Not only that, but also remember
II. The HONORING CROSS
Jesus came to earth to do the will of God the Father.
This is how the Son honored the Father by obedience to God’s will.
As you look at the Christmas tree this year I hope that it reminds you of the obedience Jesus had to honoring the Father even to the point of placing His life on the original Christmas tree…the cross.
Do we honor God with such obedience?
Philipians reminds us that Jesus who came humbly in human form was fully obedient to honoring the Father…
For Philipians 2:8 says
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross! (Phil 2:8)
It was his
Humble Cradle
and
His Honoring the Father on the Cross
That makes the celebration of Christmas possible.
Beyond the cross of Christmas…
that original Christmas tree we find the sweet words…
Rejoice…Rejoice Immanuel –
Immanuel which means God is with us.
This Christmas let’s remember the
Humble Cradle
The
Honoring Cross
And the
III. Heavenly Crown
Do you remember the question King Herod was asked by the magi…
(by those wisemen) as they
where on their quest to find Jesus?
Mt 2 says
Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
2 and asked,
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?…
(MT 2:1-2)…
The magi didn’t ask
“Where can we find the baby?”
They knew all to well they would find more than a baby…they were looking for The King.
You see Jesus really is King of kings and Lord of lords
His is the crown of heaven and of earth because Colosians says to us that He is Lord of all.
Colosians 1:15
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
AND DON’T MISS THIS PART…
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Jesus wears the heavenly crown as ruler over all creation, heaven and earth and because of God’s great love for you…He sent a Savior…
Broken as you were…
Jesus through His work on the cross… the original Christmas tree…has made you whole…if you have trusted Him.
Don’t miss the greatest gift of Christmas…
Remember
The humble cradle.
A manger
Remember
An honoring cross- The Obedience of Christ
And never forget the
heavenly crown
For He is…King of kings and Lord od lords…
Lord of all.
Thank you Jesus for the original Christmas tree.
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The illustration of the broken ornaments comes from a film clip available at sermonspice.com and produced by worshipfilms.com
