Metaldoc
12-10-2005, 07:13
LIGHTS ON THE TREE
As the story goes, a professor named Martin Luther was walking alone through a forest one December night in the early 1500s. As he made his way home, the stars seemed to twinkle with an unusual brightness against the velvety blackness of the clear night sky. In fact, when he passed under the rustling branches of the evergreens, it seemed to him that miniature stars were dancing in the trees all around him.
It wasn’t the sudden gust of cold wind that took the professor’s breath away; it was the unexpected wave of worship that caused him to shiver. Luther was overwhelmed by the awesome beauty of God’s creation.
The legend goes on to tell how Luther chopped down a small fir tree and set it up in his family’s living area. He desperately wanted to somehow capture that moment in the starlit forest. Yet as he attempted to describe the beauty he had seen, words completely failed him.
Suddenly Luther had an idea. He went through his house and gathered up all the burning candles. One by one, he carefully placed them on the branches of the tree, and the little fir in the middle of the Luther home began to dance with twinkling lights. This wise papa’s plan had worked! The Luther children’s eyes were suddenly opened to the meaning of Psalm 19:1: The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.
As the story goes, a professor named Martin Luther was walking alone through a forest one December night in the early 1500s. As he made his way home, the stars seemed to twinkle with an unusual brightness against the velvety blackness of the clear night sky. In fact, when he passed under the rustling branches of the evergreens, it seemed to him that miniature stars were dancing in the trees all around him.
It wasn’t the sudden gust of cold wind that took the professor’s breath away; it was the unexpected wave of worship that caused him to shiver. Luther was overwhelmed by the awesome beauty of God’s creation.
The legend goes on to tell how Luther chopped down a small fir tree and set it up in his family’s living area. He desperately wanted to somehow capture that moment in the starlit forest. Yet as he attempted to describe the beauty he had seen, words completely failed him.
Suddenly Luther had an idea. He went through his house and gathered up all the burning candles. One by one, he carefully placed them on the branches of the tree, and the little fir in the middle of the Luther home began to dance with twinkling lights. This wise papa’s plan had worked! The Luther children’s eyes were suddenly opened to the meaning of Psalm 19:1: The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.