The Christian Christmas Tree

1. The Christian Christmas Tree Revelation 4 and 5 Text 805 657 6082

2. After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.

3. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.

4. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

5. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.

6. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

7. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

8. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

9. 5     Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10     You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

10. 11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” 14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

12. Keeping Christ Focused During Christmas • Quiet Time • SOAP – Study, Observe, Apply, Pray • Reflect on and join with the worship in heaven. • Expand your awareness of the gift that was given to you at the first Christmas. • Prepare a Christmas gift for Jesus (Ex 15:2) • Worship - Sharing your faith • Service - Changing a habit as a dedication • Prayer - Changing a point of view • Maintain a worshipful attitude • Worship with the Christmas songs… don’t just listen • Let Christmas decorations remind you of heaven’s worship • Give the gift of Christ when ever your can Text comments to 805 657 6082

13. The Christian Christmas Tree John White A number of years ago my family and I decorated our Christmas tree to reflect a witness for Christ. We thought a "Christian" Christmas tree might give us an opportunity to witness to our unsaved friends and neighbors. We never expected the tree would speak to us. We chose Rev 4 & 5 because its description of the eternal worship in heaven. We placed a manger baby figurine on the top to represent Christ (Rev. 4:2 – one who sat on the throne). Just below were four beanie babies representing the four living creature around the throne (Rev. 4:6-8). The next lower level were 24 Gold bulbs to represent the 24 elders (Rev. 4:4). Moving down another step – about 18" down the tree, were a bunch of clear bulbs to represent the glassy sea (Rev. 4:6). I made a whole bunch of angels and place them all over (Rev. 5:2). We bought our tree during the week and started decorating it early Saturday morning and worked all though the day. After several trips to the craft store for supplies needed for our decorating scheme, we came to the juncture where we needed to populate heaven with the redeemed. It was 8:00 PM and this meant another run to the store. This is when my 8 year old son lost it. "Why can't we just decorate the tree like normal people?" he asked. Since we were all getting tired, we decided to abandon the Revelation decorating theme for the bottom 3 feet of the tree. The moment I said "OK" a chaotic ornament hanging pandemonium arose from the youngest member of the family . It lasted about 30 minutes and afterward, every inch of the bottom three feet of the tree covered with nearly every ornament we owned , He had school pictures, additional rows of lights with flashers, additional rows of lights to power the moving ornaments and musical ornaments, Santa Clause ornaments, snowmen, birds, car ornaments… you name it, we had it on the bottom 3 feet of the tree. • It's hard to imagine what it looked like. Even at it's best, our Christian Christmas tree looked peculiar to say the least. It probable didn’t help that our cat kept attacking the four living creatures and toppled the tree. Adding to its strangeness, there was a clear demarcation where order crashed against packed clutter. From that demarcation, there was not one inch of any branch that was not loaded with Christmas cheer. Yes, the tree looked odd but with this story to tell. • During one appointed morning devotional, before any one in my family was awake, I mused at the symbology of top half of the tree. I was immediately awestruck at the glorious worship and started imagining myself in the middle of heaven's throng of worshipers, hearing the four living beast crying out "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty, who was and is and is to come." I imagined what it would look and sound like when the twenty four elders will reverently lay down their crowns and say "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created." I imagined myself on a hill looking up to the throne that spit lightning and thunder and a vast sea around it. I imagined the worship crescendo when thousands upon thousands of thousands of worshippers sang together in perfect unison, "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and have made us kings and priest to our God; and we shall reign on the earth." Whew – talk about a time of worship! • But then it happened; the noise, motion and flashes of the bottom half of the tree caught my attention. There was a continuous, endless motion and flashing; each in its turn, oblivious to its surroundings. Worship was gone and now I became mesmerized by the business of the bottom of the tree. The distinct denotation separating the top of our tree from the bottom became a spiritual denotation as much as it was a decorating denotation. I realized the decorating duality allegorically represented a paradox in me; that of standing between heaven and earth. • I have periodic moments where I can say I am caught into heaven's glory. Other times there is activity without eternal purpose, engrossingly busy, blindingly flashy and stifling noisy. Daily life's charms easily consume my attention. When I am caught up in the seemingly designed distractions of the rush of the moment I forget the ultimate magnitude of Heaven's glory and of my eternal destiny – to glorify God as heaven's ambassador forever. It leads me to ask, "how can I do better; to attend my thoughts heavenward rather than being caught by the noisy, flashy and busy distractions of life?" I think, regularly asking this question itself is the key. • May the glory and majesty of the Savior be our consuming and primary focus as we celebrate His birth.