Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Born to Die
Around the corner from our house in California, a huge star always brightens the sky at Christmas time. It's placed in a Sequoia tree near the top--and the tree must be 40 feet tall. The owner gets the thing up there using one of those crane deals that tree workers use to take down a tree branch by branch. That's the guy's business. Trees. For years he's used the accoutrements of that business as a ministry to light up our neighborhood with the Christmas star.
I was driving by his home last week when I saw him at his mailbox. I stopped to thank him for the star. "We love seeing it every year. Thank you for going to all that trouble to put it up. It's a blessing for us."
He was happy to hear my words.
Fast forward to last night, at our Coeur d'Alene, Idaho home. I was driving up the long incline that eventually leads to the turnoff for our bay on the lake. On my left, way up on the hill I spotted a large bright cross. Wow. Never seen that before. The thing must be really big for it to look so substantial from as far distant as the highway.
The cross--at Christmas time. The sight made my soul sing. How apropos is the cross in December. After all, Jesus came to die. He was born in a lowly state--to die in an even lowlier state. For me. For you. For all who will accept Him.
The star at Christmas makes me happy. The cross at Christmas reminds me of what this season is really about. The Savior coming here. Lying in wood as a baby ... so He could die on wood as a man.
The star made me smile. The cross made me want to get down on my knees and say, "Thank You, Jesus, for this season. Thank You for coming here to earth. For being born ... so You could die."
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8 comments:
A great thought. It's taking Christmas out of its box and letting His Whole story reach across our commercialized holidays!
Many believe he was born, but it's the fact he died and was born again that makes his birth so miraculous.
Thanks for the reminder Brandilyn!
tina f
Amen, sister. (If you have a spare moment, please visit my blog for some Christmas posts; hopeofglory.typepad.com/into_the_fire)
Great post, B. A wonderful devotional for my A.M.
Oops. I meant rose again. LOL. It's Us who get born again. :)
Great post. We talked about the Magi gifts in Sunday school last Sunday. We discussed in length the gift of myrrh and its use as a burial aide. Your post resonates with that topic.
can't imagine bringing a child into the world to be martyred.
Have a blessed Christmas, Brandilyn.
High up on one of the foothills west of Denver shines a great big cross. You can see it from the easternmost reaches of the city. Living on the west side of town, I get a nice view. It will be especially nice with the fresh falling snow.
I also love how you thanked the man for putting up the star. Seeing homes and trees lit up is a blessing! Fewer people are making the effort.
A quote from Peter Larson:
"Despite our efforts to keep Him out, God intrudes. The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: a virgin's womb and an empty tomb. Jesus entered our world through a door marked 'No Entrance' and left through a door marked 'No Exit.'"
This says it all, I think.
I wrote a couple "Christmas Speculations" along this subject on my blog as well. It's amazing when you really think about how the two events are completely tied together. God is awesome!
Sigh...must have been Bloggers day to mess with me. That last comment was from me, Brandilyn. Blogger just didn't like me that day. LOL!
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