Jesse Tree: Elijah Ornament
My church has been participating in the Jesse Tree tradition this year. The idea of the Jesse Tree is to help people (especially children) see the faithfulness of God, and how the Christmas Story is not the beginning of God’s story for us, but the beginning of the fulfillment of His promises to redeem us and provide the life for us He originally planned. There is a passage of scripture to be read each day, and then you can have the children in your home color a paper ornament and add it to your own Jesse Tree. I haven’t been coloring ornaments (thought, admittedly, that does sound like fun!) but I have been reading the scripture passages.
Today was the Elijah Ornament, and the scripture passage was 1 Kings 18:17-46. It tells the story of Elijah doing a “Prophet Battle” with the prophets of Baal. It’s quite the story, especially if you have a vivid imagination like mine, and add in “extra scenes,” like the ones deleted from movies!
The Israelites were in one of their “We’re not sure we believe in God” funks. God decides he wants to declare His power to them, and Elijah is a willing servant. Elijah has the prophets of Baal build an altar and call on their god to send fire to ignite their offering. They do their thing to call on their god for most of the day and nothing happens. Nada. Zilch. Zippo. So now it’s Elijah’s turn. Elijah builds his altar, and oddly enough, a trench around it. He places his offering on the altar, and he has some of the guys pour a bunch of water over the altar. Not the easiest way to start a fire. Then Elijah prayed.
I Kings 18: 36-38 says, “At the time of sacrifice the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.’ Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water int he trench.”
Woo Hoo! The fire of the Lord fell and consumed the offering, the wood for the fire, the whole alter: stones and soil included, and even the water sitting in the trench! That is some bonfire!
It struck me that I am often like the Israelites and I find myself lacking in the belief department. I forget who God really is. I forget how powerful He is. I don’t remember how much He longs to be a part of my life. I don’t focus on how faithful He has been. I choose not to dwell on the stories I find in the Bible, or the ways He has revealed His love and mercy in my own life. I decide “I want what I want, when I want it, and how I want it.”
Jesus came to this world, as a baby, to show all of us, again, that He is King. Just like the fire of the Lord fell for the eyes of the Israelites and consumed the offering, Jesus wants to come into my life, and your life, and consume us with His love, His grace, His peace and His joy. As I sat on my couch early this morning, thinking about what I read, and staring at my Christmas tree, I was drawn to pray “Oh Jesus, wash me, cleanse me, purify me. Tender my heart to be like Yours. Draw me more and more into Your presence. Form me. Mold me. Determine my very being, from my core out. I want to be convinced that You are the Fire from Heaven.”
Christmas is only 8 days away. May you experience the Fire of the Lord in your own life, may you know the joy of Emmanuel, God with us.
