The Christmas Tree
Mary had a little lamb,
Her face displayed a glow
For there was a great big need,
The naked needed clothes
Mary had a gentle lamb,
Raised to take our blows
And everywhere the Father led,
The lamb was sure to go
Unto the shearer He was led,
Slaughtered on that tree
And on that lamb our sins were laid,
Crushed for you and me
Mary had a spotless lamb,
To show us how to go
And though they were as scarlet,
Our sins are white as snow
Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. – Genesis 22:8
[audio:https://marklamberti.com/WMS.mp3]
Is God stern and angry, or warm and kind? In a sense, He is both. He is a father who delights in His child, so He therefore disciplines His child with a rebuke (Proverbs 3:11-12). Another contemporary image is the oncologist. He is a cancer specialist who will do anything to destroy that which destroys. He will surgically cut away flesh; He will burn out cells through radiation; and He will poison them with chemotherapy. The treatment is, at times, brutal and appears cruel, but the result is profoundly life-changing and lovely. Discipline, though it often feels like a judgment that exiles and abandons us, is a labor of love that beautifies the heart through the disruptive touch of a severe mercy.