December 4
Do I Have Memories?
by Dottie Richardson

The question was “Do you have a Living Christmas Tree memory that you would share?” Memories of past Trees flooded my mind. Yes, 25 years of Tree seasons make many memories.

There’s the memory of making soup to feed the Tree personnel between presentations in 1984. Gloria (wife of director Joel Duncan) gave us her broccoli-cheese soup recipe to use. The Tree folks loved it and we still enjoy it at our house.

There are the memories of distributing tickets. Thousands of people over these 25 years have come into our church to get tickets. I love interacting with these folks who come into our church.

From those who had attended previous Trees I might hear….. “We come every year. This has become a family tradition for us.” “Will you be coming into the aisles with the candles? That’s my favorite part.” “Will the cross come on again? That is so special to me.”

Those who had never been would sometimes tell me they had just moved into town and heard this was something they should not miss. The Tree was a welcome event at a time when they were in a new, unfamiliar place.

Once a woman told me, “I heard about this and decided to come. I am in a difficult time and feel so alone.” I visited with her and listened to her for a good while. Had I not been distributing tickets, I would have missed the visit and she may have missed being heard.

There are the memories of God’s gifts to me through the Tree. Each year it seems God gives me a distinct blessing sometime in the Tree season. One of my favorites happened one year during a presentation. Most likely we were singing the Hallelujah Chorus. At the time I was standing on the row which is the bar of the cross. I had been standing in this exact spot for several years. Yet when the lights came up for the cross, it was a first-time moment. I realized that if I were on that cross with Jesus I would be resting in his hand. What a moment this was for me. Jesus was on the cross because of my sin. In this sense I certainly was on the cross with him. And I was in a place of great love and protection…right in his hand. My whole being was warmed with this fresh realization of His love.

These memories represent key parts of the Tree – fellowship, ministry, service, unexpected revelations of God’s love. The Tree is our church family celebrating Jesus and giving others the opportunity to experience His love. Let’s not wait for the Tree to do this. Today is a perfect time to make a new memory. Let’s pray that God will put someone in our paths today that we can love with the love of Jesus.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16