And really the man knew, it wasn’t about the tree so much as what went under it. He still remembered finding the beautifully hand-carved nativity set on the trip he and his wife took to the Holy Land. Finding this treasure in the small shop in Bethlehem was still one of his fondest memories…although he struggled to forget the steep price asked for this work of art.
As he carefully placed each piece under the tree, he purposely left the Christ-child out of the setting – for now. Their tradition since buying the set had been to wait until early Christmas morning to place the baby boy in the manger. As the first light of morning came over the horizon, the tiny swaddled babe would be gently laid in His place. After all, you can’t have Christmas without Christ!
And that was really the thing, the man supposed. Though loved ones had left – whether through the death of his wife or the busyness of his children with their own families – there was One who would never leave. And because of the Christ-child that came down to give His life, the man knew he would be reunited one day with his wife, while finding eternal rest in the arms of his sweet Savior.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11-12)
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