Rocking around the Connah’s Quay Christmas tree!

• Matt's Musings

For a few years it was vandalised, then it was replaced by a metal one. There was a social media storm, so a real tree was reinstated and it got vandalised. There was a great idea last year to plant a tree. The only problem is, it now looks pretty dead. Some local children had the idea of decorating it – ‘redeeming’ something old at the end of a difficult year. But the story didn’t end there because another tree was put up, the decorations were moved on to the good looking tree, but the children want their handiwork on the old tree.

I like the fact that the children wanted to make something old look special. It’s actually a pretty good picture of the Christmas story, only that goes a lot deeper. The shepherds in the field were told that a Saviour had been born who is the Messiah, the Lord.

We are like the brown tree – dead and dying. That’s because at heart we are rebels against our maker, God. We need a Saviour – someone who will do more than put colourful decorations on us to try and clean us up on the outside (that isn’t to play down what the kind and thoughtful children have done to the tree in Connah’s Quay). We need someone to take our ‘death’ and give us life.

That’s why Jesus came – he is the perfect one – the one promised for centuries. He wasn’t dead or decaying. Yet he carried sin upon himself as if he was the guilty one and died in the place of death deserving sinners. Will you come to him and know life? Imagine that – no longer being dead and dying, but having a new heart and being filled with life that will never be taken away.

Please join us on Facebook on Monday 21st December, 7pm for “Virtually A Deeside Christmas”.