This time of year, Christmas trees (which we love and should love) are everywhere. They can lift our spirits, recalibrate our thoughts and have enamored countless generations of children in anticipation and joy. Add a carol or two, a few angels on high with some lowly shepherds and the combination is fantastic!
For those who wish to look a little deeper into the events inspiring this much-loved holiday, heaven's interface with earth becomes increasingly apparent. Magi and a star from the East; angelic visits, dreams and songs; instructions and miracles for unlikely people who become the lead characters in a story that never grows old. Wow!
Still, there's more to the story and the celebration. From ancient times and sacred texts predictions and descriptions of these events abound. Studied by scholars and proclaimed by clerics for centuries, the amazing convergence of history, scriptures, culture and hope all congeal. To even a casual observer, a plan so brilliant and well-ordered emerges arresting one's imaginative and analytical powers. Joy to the world … God actually has, and is working, a plan!
It's still a common expression in our day … you can't see the forest for the trees. Nothing could be more applicable in this season of celebration. The Christmas plan, like the Christmas tree, is inspiring and alluring. It is captivating. However, the plan is not the focus heaven is inviting the world to see. Heaven's point is not the plan nor its components. Heaven's only point is a person. Jesus of Nazareth is the Christmas Forest; everything else is just Christmas trees.
