There is a reason the lobby area is over-done with the sites and sounds of Christmastime…and there is also a reason that the simplicity in here stands is stark contrast to what’s out there. This tree is an obvious visible reference to the Garden of Eden.
This is what our hearts really long for. Eden…the unfiltered access to the presence of our God is what our hearts long for. The Christmas season arouses that ache in our hearts unlike anytime in our calendar year…but when its over, it rarely meets our expectations, because it was never meant too. As CS Lewis said, those things, as vital and important as they are…are only copies, echoes and shadows of what our hearts really long for.
The promise of Advent is this:
If God can wrap His son in human flesh so He can live among us…because He wants to be in relationship with us that desperately…He wants to provide for us that passionately…that same passion drives Him to break into our family, our finances, our businesses, our health…whatever situation that burdens us. We serve a God who breaks in, a God who comes and who responds.
