DEVOTION//A Hidden Ornament

Does your Christmas tree have a hidden ornament? Mine does.

Perhaps you are asking, Why would anyone hide a Christmas tree ornament? Ornaments are designed to be seen.

That’s true. Some of the ornaments on my tree have significant family history. We have ornaments that were passed down from grandparents and parents. Some mark life-accomplishments. My tree has an ornament in the shape of a graduation mortarboard from the year I was awarded by second master’s degree. Other ornaments were created by my wife in the early years of our marriage. All sparkle prominently on our tree.

 But one ornament is hidden away.

 It’s a long nail. A nail somewhat like the nails that held the Savior’s hands and feet to his cross. 

It’s hidden deep inside the tree as a reminder that the hellish suffering of the cross was always the hidden destination for that baby. Though we celebrate Jesus’ birth with joy, carols, special foods, and memorable worship, Christmas means nothing without knowing about the end of Jesus’ life. The angel-announced event in Bethlehem (“A Savior has been born to you”) is worthless without the centurion’s witness on Golgotha (“He was the son of God”). 

Few who visit our home during the holidays will notice our nail ornament. But my wife and I know it is there. And we treasure it more than all the rest of our ornaments. Like Mary who pondered the events of her son’s birth and wondered about the sword that would pierce her heart when he died, we contemplate the stunning grace of God hidden in Bethlehem’s newborn.