Friday, December 6, 2013

The Real Christmas Tree (RCT)

 

“The Real Christmas Tree” is a wooden cross adorned to signify Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. The intent is to show publicly the real purpose of Jesus’ birth and life here on Earth, his sacrificial death for our sins. Hopefully, the idea will spread throughout the Christian community.

The idea comes from the closing lines of the poem “Nobody Knew It Was Christmas” —

For the Son of God came to be
The Light of the World
To hang on a tree.


The RCT begins with a sizeable cross, made of 4"x4" or larger posts, notched and fitted to form a cross. This is then “decorated” as follows:
 
•          A holly wreath centered where the post and beam cross
•          Giant nails where the hands and feet would have been
•          Red ribbons or cords hanging from the nails and the wreath
•          Title board on the top piece saying: “Born a King” or “Lamb of God” or “Light of the World”
•          Evergreen garland draped over arms of cross
•          Box at foot of the cross, painted to look like a wrapped gift
•          “Gift card” reading: To Whosoever from God with Love ... John 3:16
•          Sign next to the cross: THE REAL CHRISTMAS TREE


Ideally, the RCT will be placed next to the road or street.






            Nobody Knew It Was Christmas
                                                                              

It was the first Christmas
But nobody knew it was Christmas:
No lights on the tree,
Or candy canes,
Or wreath on the door,
No choir cantatas,
Or carolers singing door-to-door,
No paper-wrapped boxes with ribbons and bows,
No snowman with a carrot for a nose,
No Caribbean cruise,
Or holiday flight,
No cider or cocoa to warm the night.


But the inns were crowded,
With more on the way,
By folks who would visit
Their hometowns that day;
And choirs of angels came down to sing
Of a child in a stable
Who was born a king;
And gifts were brought by shepherds poor,
And wealthy strangers who came to the door;
King Herod would issue a proclamation
Which would bring sorrow, not celebration;
So a family of three would take their flight
To a foreign land under cover of night,
For the Son of God had come to be
The Light of the World,
To hang on a tree.
 
 
--Wesley G. Vaughn
© 2002