(This is day seven of the Rediscovering the Christmas Season Advent Study that can be found here. You don’t have to start at the beginning. In fact, you can jump in any time or go in any order. Care to join?)
Read Exodus 25.
God gave very detailed instructions for the decoration of the Tabernacle. Examine your Christmas decorations. If you haven’t decorated yet, why not do it now?
Why do you think God was so specific about how to “decorate” the temple? What significance or symbolism do you think these had? Everying, all of it, points back to God. He wanted nothing out of place, nothing to point anywhere but Him. Even as I’m typing that, I’m wondering about my Christmas decorations. I’m wondering about my LIFE. Nothing that doesn’t point to Him. How powerful would it be if my WHOLE LIFE pointed only to Christ. This is something I need to think about more…
What is the meaning of your existing decorations? How can your decorations speak to the focus you’ve placed on Christ? There is not a single decoration in my house that doesn’t have a story. Not one single ornament on my tree that doesn’t have sentimental value. We call it the family tree. But front and center is the manger. We make sure He is in His place always.
Create a new ornament or decoration that can represent how you feel about your relationship with Jesus this year.
-JB
Dawn Lucowitz says
1. I guess I hadn’t really thought about why God was so specific before. It is one of those sections of scripture I tend to skim over and move on. I am so glad this study had us stop for a moment and focus on it. Really everything does point to God. In all our decorating, that really does get lost a lot of the time.
2. My husband is the decorator in our house. I don’t usually like the hassle of taking everything out, putting other things away to make room for “stuff.” It is especially hard moving so frequently and finding new places for decorations. My husband has tons and tons of decorations and ornaments, all with meaning to him. I have very few decorations and ornaments, but each one has a story or memory behind them as well. I still hang the paper plate angel I made in nursery school 30 years ago on my tree. It drives my husband crazy because he thinks it’s ugly, but it holds a lot of sentimental value to me, and since I have way fewer decorations, my angle always gets to be near the top of the tree.
One of my absolute favorite decorations isn’t the nativity scene, but my small statue of Santa kneeling and praying at baby Jesus feet. That is my biggest reminder that Christ needs to be at the center of everything. Don’t get me wrong, I love the full nativity, but in this time in society, nothing stands out as strongly for me as Santa kneeling to baby Jesus.
I am so excited to get to Florida and give my niece her play school little people nativity set. It is going to be the first real introduction she is going to have to Jesus and Christmas. She is going to be two just before Christmas, so I am so excited to start teaching her about Christmas and what it really means right from the beginning.