A Tale of Two Trees

Daily Gratitude Year 5-Day 237: Today, I am grateful for a tale of two trees.

I have been slowly working my way through a book called "The Book of Mysteries". Written by a Messianic Rabbi. I intended to do one lesson a day but there are days... okay weeks... I have to let the teaching brew in my brain for clarity and understanding. 

Between the book's pages... pages a tree gave its life to become... is an education on Jewish customs and Hebrew words. Each teaching brings new life and understanding to some scriptures I have known all of my life. It is written as a fiction, but loaded with things to learn. One recent lesson was called "The Other Tree". 

On of my favorite Christmas programs, the children sang Ray Boltz' song "The Perfect Tree". In the final moment of the program and the final chorus of the song, the Christmas tree was turned to reveal a cross. It was breathtaking.   

I will never forget Randy's engineering efforts to make that tree turning moment possible. It took time, testing and contemplation... and I believe a few tools borrowed from our friend, Mark. The boys spent time with Dad in the garage and somehow, it all came together. 

The concept of the cross being the perfect tree is not new to me. What is new... or perhaps, I am just slow... is the sense of balance it brought to the scales of God's justice. 

The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. -Genesis 2:9

In the Garden, "The Tree of Life" was the one thing God told them they could not eat. It was positioned in the center of the garden. In choosing to be obedient, they were choosing Him. Deception and pride led to disobedience and the Tree of Life, became a tree of death. 

God is justice. He cannot tolerate injustice. Still, he longed to reclaim the relationship with the only being he created on this little planet that could choose him or refuse him. Nature must obey. We can turn away. 

2000 years ago... on a hill called Golgotha ... which means "the skull", a symbol of death... stood three crosses. They were instruments of torture. Trees of death. Our Jesus... God and man... Immanuel (God with us)... was without sin but the mobs demanded his death. So there Christ was raised up, on the middle of three trees, and a tree of death became the tree of life, for those who would believe. 

Wow! Right? The scales of God's justice move slowly, but in perfect time. The sin debt was paid. Jesus made the way. He is the portal... the door... between life and death. New life is his to give. Is it any wonder that in the early days after the resurrection, "The Way" was what they called those who followed him? 

And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. -2 Timothy 1:10

He didn't just take our sins and my place on the cross, he made the way. He invites us to the table. The invitation is open. We choose or refuse. Why? Because he is love, justice and mercy. He wraps all of those components up in a gift we call grace. 

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. -1 Corinthians 1:18

We we are invited to know the saving power of a life giving, death conquering God. 

Today, I am grateful for a tale of two trees.