Christmas Ornaments

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.”
I Corinthians 13:13 NIV

Yesterday was a Christmas shopping day. I cannot believe the hundreds of ornaments that are for sale. Some are silver and others are gold. Some are shiny and colorful while others are covered with glitter and glitz! Some ornaments are cute and some look like sweet treats. Others remind us of snow. There are bangles of all sorts that depict Santa, reindeer, elves and snowmen. Very few Christmas ornaments are religious.

I personally am greatly disturbed by ornaments that look like penguins, mice, campers, fishermen, professional people, sports enthusiasts and Disneyland! If you happen to like those ornaments please accept my apology. It was not my intent to offend you. I’m sure your tree is lovely!

When I was a child I was given a very special Christmas ornament. It was a small burgundy horn. This little trumpet was placed on our tree every year. When I started a home of my own, my mother graciously gave me my precious ornament. This horn would now hang from my Christmas tree. When my two children were little they loved blowing long and loud blasts before hanging the horn on the tree. I might add that they enjoyed hanging it within their reach so that it would be handy for future concerts. As the Christmas season progressed my endurance for their questionable music diminished to zero and at that point I would take the horn and place it on a very high branch of the tree. It was my good fortune that they never turned the tree over trying to reach the heirloom horn. Now as you might have guessed, my grandchildren love the horn and when they are around it becomes their favorite ornament.

Our ornaments carry with them memories of Christmases past. Some are beautiful and others are handmade by our children. Some remind us of the person who gave the ornament to us. As we hang each ornament on our tree we relive the emotional sentiment attached to each one.

This year as I hang ornaments on my tree I want to remember that my life displays its own set of ornaments. Those ornaments hang there everyday for everyone to see. Long after I am gone others will remember the ornaments that have exemplified my life. I wonder if there will be shiny superficial ornaments of pride and self-centeredness. Will there be dark, unattractive ornaments of fear and anger? Will my ornaments reflect un-forgiveness, greed, and control? Will the star that sits atop my life’s tree be self centered or will it be God centered. Will the ornaments of my life shine for Jesus?

Jesus Christ came to this earth so that we might not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus came to change lives, not only through salvation but through the process of sanctification. Jesus came to smash to death those ornaments of destruction that hang on the branches of our heart. In their place Jesus desires to give us his ornaments of grace that will carry us through this life and on into eternity. Three of those most precious ornaments are faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love!

Questions:

When was the last time that you pulled out the box that contained your life’s ornaments and examined them?

What did you find?

Among the beautiful ornaments that Jesus has placed in your box which do you treasure the most?

Do you see any ugly ornaments that need to be smashed and replaced with an ornament that reflects God’s beauty?


Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Help me to use this Christmas season to draw closer to you. As I decorate my home and our Christmas tree please show me if there are any ugly ornaments in my life that need to be replaced. Search me God and see if there is any wicked way in me, cleanse me from every sin and set me free. Demolish the ornaments of destruction that are lying in my heart. Lord, during the next few days I have much to do but as I go about my Christmas preparations I pray that I will seek you. Restore to me the joy of Christmas. Please hang your ornaments of grace on the branches of my life.

In Your Name I Pray. Amen.