Today of all days had me thinking of decorating the old Christmas tree. It’s a family tradition that usually took place after Thanksgiving.

Some of the ornaments were old. Some had cracks and had some of the paint missing. Most of them probably should have been discarded long ago.

But something glorious happened when they all ended up on that tree. Suddenly, they looked shiny and new. It always made me feel 10-years old again.

Some of us are probably feeling old and a bit cracked lately. People might relegate some of us to the discard pile after the first glance.

But something amazing happens when we get put together into the holy temple of Jesus. Suddenly, we’re beautiful and whole and shiny.

We’re definitely better together as the body of Christ than we could ever be as separate individuals. It’s a lot like the way broken and shattered pieces of glass can come together to form the most stunning stained glass windows.

The beauty of the coming Advent season is that Jesus came expressly for the outcasts and losers and nobodies of the world. The ones everyone else looks past and ignores. Those are the ones Jesus sought out and made the first eyewitnesses and missionaries.

Remember that before you toss out an old ornament. That was once you.