“Noong unang panahon, sa tuktok ng isang burol, mayroong tatlong magkakaibigang puno…”

Hmmm… no one knows how much I looooove this story. “The Tale of Three Trees.” I love this story so much that our youth group was able to present this story twice. The first one was presented I think two years ago. And we did it in silhouette, flinging cut outs of trees, people, manger, boat and cross against the LCD projector. Then the second one was just a few hours ago during our church’s Christmas celebration. And this time, we did it live. The audio was pre-recorded, with patched ambient music on every scene.

The story just makes me appreciate and realize all the more the reason for Christmas. This is an old story. The original author was unknown. Anyway, it goes this way…

It’s about the story of three young trees, dreaming of what they want to become when they grow up. One tree dreamt to be a treasure box, one dreamt to be a mighty ship, and the other one dreamt to be just a tall tree who would point God in the heavens. Unfortunately, when they were chopped down from the hill where they were rooted for ages, they didn’t exactly end up the way they dreamt to be. The tree who dreamt to be a treasure box ended to be a manger. The one who dreamt to be a mighty ship became a small fishermen’s boat. And the last one, well, the moment she was chopped down, her dream was chopped off as well, that is, to be just a tall tree.

But a certain moment came when the ultimate purpose of God came to pass. The one who ended up as a manger, happened to be the exact manger where baby Jesus was laid on when Mary bore Him. She didn’t get to hold fine jewels and precious stones of this earth… but she must be the most blessed manger in the entire universe when she carried the most precious treasure, both on earth and in heaven—baby Jesus.

Thirty years later, the tree who ended up as a fishermen’s boat was so blessed to be ridden by the 12 disciples, and of course, Jesus Himself. He got to witness the authority of Jesus over the sea and the storm. He felt how it was to be tossed and turn by the humongous waves at one moment, and be so still in the quietest waters in the next. He didn’t become a mighty ship and was not able to carry kings and queens of this earth. But he was able to carry the King of kings and the Lord of Lords—Jesus!

Lastly, just few years after, the last tree was brought out from the dark warehouse and was stripped into long pieces of square wood. She became the cross whom Jesus carried and where He was nailed as well… On her wooden arms and body, flowed the blood of Jesus…

They didn’t become exactly what they were dreaming. But God has the best plan for them. The first tree carried the most precious treasure both on earth and in heaven. The second tree carried the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And the third tree, every time people would think about her—as a cross—they would remember Jesus.

Cool isn’t it? I hope the message of this story would reach other places and be used as an evangelistic tool to proclaim the Jesus’ gift of salvation.