To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. [Isaiah 61:3 (NLT)]

Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life. [Corrie Ten Boom]

It was a web day at the park and I don’t mean the world-wide kind. It was one of those days when the morning dew, mist, and light cooperated in such a way that we saw beautiful intricate spider webs hanging everywhere. Looking as if they were made of strands of silver rather than proteinaceous silk extruded from a spider’s spinnerets, it seemed like the spiders had decorated all the trees in celebration of Christmas.

The glistening webs reminded me of an old folktale my mother read to me every Christmas. As I remember it, while the mother thoroughly cleaned her house in preparation for Christmas, the spiders fled to the attic lest they be swept away with their webs. Hearing the joyful sound of carols being sung on Christmas Eve, the spiders grew curious. Once the family went to bed, the spiders crept downstairs to see what the commotion had been about. Amazed by the beautifully decorated tree, they crawled up and down the tree all night long as they admired every shiny ornament. Unfortunately, by morning’s light, the tree was covered with gray webs and attic dust and the ornaments were barely visible.

On Christmas morning, when the Christ child came to bless the house, He saw the spiders and their strands of silk covering the tree’s branches. Knowing how sad the family would be to see their once beautiful tree covered with dusty webs, the Christ child touched it. The spiders’ gray threads immediately turned into strands of silver and gold and the exquisite tree shimmered and shone more beautifully than ever.

I love this folktale and not just because it explains how the custom of hanging silver tinsel on a tree began. The Christ child, with His heart full of love, entered the home to bring a blessing to the family. By touching the damaged tree, He transformed it into a thing of beauty and, with His touch, Christ saved their Christmas celebration.

Christ’s love for mankind isn’t limited to legends and folk stories. With a heart full of love for all, He comes into our lives to bless each and every one of us. When He touches our damaged souls, like the tree, they become things of beauty. Unlike the tree, however, we won’t look any different or be adorned with strands of gold and silver. Nevertheless, once He’s touched us, our lives will be beautifully transformed. Jesus doesn’t just save our Christmas; He saves our lives!

Our Christmas tree has no silver tinsel to remind me of Jesus’ miraculous touch, but it does have a spider web ornament to remind me of this story from my childhood. On the other hand, every time I see spider webs glistening in the early morning light, I remember how Christ has transformed my dusty and damaged life into a thing of beauty and joy. Thank you, Jesus.

The first gift of Christmas was love. A parent’s love. Pure as the first snows of Christmas. For God so loved His children that He sent His son, that we might someday return to Him. [Richard Paul Evans]

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. [John 3:16-17 (NLT)]

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