To Heaven and Back: Our Jesus Tree

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Our Jesus Tree

Our Christmas tree is a special sight. God gave me the initial idea before Brian and I were even a couple to make him his own Christmas tree. I knew he wasn't exactly home living in a church couple's upstairs bedroom, so for my pastor's Christmas gift in 2006, I purchased, decorated, and gave him a very special tree that he could have in his room. It was SMALL, but the ornaments each represented a name of Christ. I laminated a sheet that included each ornament, the name of Christ each stood for, and the scripture reference for each one. It was amazing. (In fact, it still is. It meant so much to him that he kept it, and it is a staple decoration in our home every Christmas.)

So, when we married just a mere 4 months after that, we knew what our first Christmas tree was going to be. We decided to make a large-scale of the small tree I had created for him. It's really special. We've collected and added ornaments over the past 6 years, and each one represents a name of Christ OR a scripture in the Bible. It's decorated with scarlet ribbons, a string of pearls, a vine among the branches, and for each ornament, there is a ball ornament with the scripture reference written on it. It's topped with a crown of thorns. As our children grow, we plan to use each ornament and decoration as a nightly devotion leading up to Christmas.

Christmas Tree 2011

Vines

I am the vine; you are the branches...

John 15:5

Trump

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Thessalonians 4:16