Acts 5:30-31 ESV: The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
John 8:12 ESV: Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
From outside the big picture window, the glow of the Christmas tree, wrapped lovingly in warm lights, shines for all to see. This is the image most of us envision when we think of the Christmas season. But if we think back to the very first Christmas, to the babe in a manger, we know that’s not quite the picture that God would paint. No; It is not an evergreen green tree decked out in tinsel and ornaments that signifies the reason for this season. In fact, the kind of tree that marks what Christmas is really all about looks quite different. There was a tree that very first Christmas…a promise, a prophecy, rather, of a different kind of tree. It was a tree that would serve it’s purpose some 30 odd years later. It was a tree that took the form of a cross. It was a tree that would take the nails that held the Savior of the world upon it. It was a tree that would be wrapped in light…the Light of the World.
We cannot celebrate Christmas, the coming of a newborn babe, without looking ahead to the cross. For it was to die that Christ was born. It was to be the Savior of the world that He suffered a sinner’s death on a tree. It was to pay the price for the forgiveness of our sins.
The light of the tree was Christ on the cross. It is this Light that gives us hope in this Christmas season. It is this Light that gives us hope all year long. The tree is not a merely a place to lay gifts. The tree is a symbol of why the Christ child was born to begin with- to go to the tree willingly to give us the greatest gift, the gift of forgiveness, redemption, and salvation.
The lights are not just placed on the tree so that we have something beautiful to look at. The lights are a reminder of the beauty of the ultimate sacrifice- the Light of the world that would hang on a tree for you and for me.
As you sit in awe of the Christmas tree this year, you must remember this:
We have a hope. A hope that cannot be stolen. A hope that brings light to the darkness. A hope that came as a wee little babe. A hope that came with purpose. A hope that went to the tree. A hope that was resurrected on the third day. A hope that is alive and lives. A hope that redeems and restores. A hope that offers us everlasting life.
Jesus. It is He that is our hope. The Light of the world! May He make His face to shine upon you all throughout this Christmas season and always!
Brittney Morris
Connect with Brittney
How do we heal from the SBC Sexual Assult Scandal?
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I repeat, God is a good God! We say this phrase quite frequently. Sometimes the statement rolls off our tongue and is spoken with conviction.
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Love Week Posts:
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Before we can love someone else in a healthy way, we must learn to love ourselves.
How do you see yourself? Our perspective about ourselves determines the way we seek to love. We either embrace or deflect true love for ourselves depending on how we view ourselves. If we seek love in all the wrong places, then ask ourselves, “I am worthy of love?”
