And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matt. 28:18) What began in a stable in Bethlehem was completed on a mountain top. The mission of Christ was to become the appropriate sacrifice for the sins of the world and to provide a pathway to eternal life for His people.
Decorating the tree is a big deal at our house. It is such a big deal that we have had as many as four trees, of various sizes and themes. This year, in keeping with our downsizing effort, we have two trees, a large and a small. One of my favorite ornaments is this ceramic Santa that my wife painted several, several years ago. It has almost become a tradition to post an image of this decoration during the Christmas Music Marathon.
Santa represents the spirit of Christmas. He represents, joy, giving, kindness, and all of those things that most people associate with this season. For all of the good that Santa represents, he cannot represent forgiveness, salvation and eternal life. Those attributes are the sole domain of the Christ child. Only He is worthy of our praise.
