Of Lions and Trees

I'm looking forward to seeing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe this Saturday. As many of you know, C.S. Lewis has been one of my favorite writers for many years, and I'm excited to see Lewis' rendition of the gospel in this book brought to life on film.

But last night, as my TiVo picked A Charlie Brown Christmas, I was reminded of another great re-telling of the gospel story.

And no, I'm not talking about the moment where Linus steps into a spotlight to recite from the gospel of Luke, though I find that moment very poignant as well.

I'm talking about this tree:

Even when I first saw the Charlie Brown Christmas TV special when I was - maybe - five or six, I knew that this tree meant Something. I couldn't have told you what it meant back then, but I knew it was very important, and I loved the way everyone gathered around it to sing at the end of the program. It made me feel warm inside.

It was pretty much a worthless tree, certainly not worthy of much attention in the highly commercialized world of Christmas merchandising (hard to believe the McCulture existed even then, but it did!). Yet, somehow, even though it was rejected by everyone but Charlie Brown and Linus, it was ultimately transformed into something magnificent.

What is the tree, then? My forty year-old eyes see a little more clearly, I think:

- It is Charlie Brown - rejected by his peers but ultimately redeemed because of the love of his blanket-dependent friend who likes to recite from the New Testament.

- It is Jesus - born in humble circumstances, killed on a cross, and raised to glory in heaven.

- It is me. It is you. It is everyone who ever realized they were worthless and then discovered the love of God.

This tree has a place in my heart right along the Great Lion from Narnia.

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