For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His government and its peace
    will never end. – Isaiah 9:6-7

Okay, y’all, this is not so much a quiz as a rhetorical question. Ready? Looking at this photograph, what is the most compelling decorative element in our front hallway?

The hand-made quilt over the fireplace? Or the beautiful Christmas Tree in the corner? Is is the collection of lace snowflakes Rebekah made one year? Maybe the poinsettias in the hearth? Or, simple yet profound, our Haitian angel perched atop the tree?

They are all good answers, but the response I’m thinking of is something else altogether. It’s Max! An artfully placed Golden Retriever enhances any holiday scene!

Of course he is not “artfully placed.” Max just plopped down where he was. But he really does add a lot.

When I photographed our house in Wake Forest for sale (and the same over at my parents’ house) someone asked why I put Max in so many of the pictures. Well I didn’t, he just shows up and he is so quiet he’s pretty stealth about it.

Other than being decorative, Max is real – and I think that is the most compelling thing. Our holiday decorations – other than the occasional “live” tree – are only real to the extent that the symbolism they carry points to truth rather than make-believe.

Symbolism is fine so far as it goes, but it only holds life if it is rooted in life. Absent spiritual truth and our connection to the heart of God, a manger scene and a heavenly host are about as real as the plastic Santa on the front lawn – maybe less so because at least Santa oils the wheels of commerce.

I believe that the emptiness and despair that is so pervasive in our world is amplified to the extent that the manger scene, the baby Jesus, the lights on the house and the Christmas symbols we display have no meaningful connection to that Holy Night, the Living God, a personal Jesus and the very real introduction of hope and promise and redemption into this world.

Nostalgia alone does not cannot answer the deep yearning people have for a restored relationship with the Creator and for spiritual healing.

If the only element of a Christmas scene that’s real to you is the Golden Retriever then understand this: Because of Jesus – Wonderful Counselor, Beautiful Savior, Prince of Peace – the decorations are no longer merely ornamental, they will become sacramental.

May it be so – DEREK