er showed two boys to their table. Red-haired, freckle-faced, they looked exactly alike! Lollie and Kippy looked at them and then at each other and Lollie could hardly keep from gig gling — Kippy’s face was so full of > the question, “Are they or aren’t they?” Finally she could bear it no longer and she’ asked right out, “Are you twins?” The boys both grinned and then they looked more alike than ever. “You guessed it,” one of them answered, “we are both twelve years old.” Kippy asked, “How do you tell yourselves apart?” and the boys burst into gales of laughter. They were fast friends at once. Tim and Tom Wilson lived in Los Angeles and were very interested to learn that the Rogers children were to spend a month on a ranch north of Los Angeles. The twins had been vacationing in Nevada. After they finished eating, Tom asked, “Do you kids play Scrabble?” Lollie’s eyes sparkled. “We love Scrabble!” she said. “That’s because she always beats,” remarked Kippy. “You got a set with you?” asked Lollie. “Yeah,” said Tim, “Come to our Pullman and play with us. We asked the porter to put up a table.” Kippy and Lollie were glad to spend the time this way till bedtime. “That’s the funniest Scrabble set I ever saw,” said Kippy. “It’s a trav eller’s set,” explained Tom. “Fixed so you won’t lose the tiles when the train jerks.” “Isn’t that wonderful?” said Lollie, admiringly. “But we have a special for travellers too,” she said. “Yes,” agreed Kippy, “Want to hear it?” “Hear it? Hear some fancy luggage or something?” asked Tim. Then the children in unison repeated Psalm 121 . “Our mother calls this the trav eller’s Psalm,” said Lollie when they finished. The twins were impressed. “About all I can say is John 3:16,” Tom admitted. “Tell us about the church you attend in Los Angeles,” asked Kippy. So the boys explained that their pastor was a real good preacher “and knows the Bible,” said Tim. “And our Sunday school and young people’s meetings are swell,” added Tom. Lollie took down the address and Kippy said, “I think we’ll ask Uncle Jack if he will bring us in to your church and Sunday school. He promised Mamma fie would.” “That’s a good idea, Kip,” Lollie answered as she put down a word that earned her forty points. “We’d better watch what we are doing,” Kippy wamedj “She’s a sharp Scrabble player.” Next morning the Wilson twins brought their luggage into the sec-
CHRISTMAS OBJECT LESSON
should remind us of eternal life, be cause all the other trees which shed their leaves in the fall look bare and dead during the long winter months, but the evergreen stays green all year ’round. Remember, Jesus said in John 3:15: “Whosoever believeth in him (Jesus) should not perish, but have eternal life.” The third lesson we get from this Christmas tree is in its shape. You see it is pointed and shaped like an inverted cone. This beautiful tree and all of its evergreen cousins point al ways to heaven, reminding us that we, too, should keep looking up — “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). Another lesson we can derive from this Christmas tree is its natural beau ty. Personally, I think this tree is much more beautiful in its own set ting. When the tree is cut down and covered with a lot of glass balls and tinsel and all sorts of other gaudy things, it is no longer the pretty little tree that once grew so proudly in the forest, but something artificial. Just so a Christian should be his own self and not encumbered with the artifi cial trappings of the world. We should say with Paul, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ” (Phil. 3:7). Therefore, boys «nd girls, let us take a lesson from this little Christ mas tree. Remember, the Lord Jesus with His heavenly Father created all things; and when we yield our hearts and our lives to Him, He gives us eternal life. tion, pushing their luggage on the cart the trainman pointed out, they saw a tall, fat man with a very tan ned face and big grin, pushing at the rope barrier. Beside him stood a thin, fair little lady — his opposite in every way — but pleasant-looking too. Kippy and Lollie waved to them and soon they were being hugged by their uncle and kissed by their aunt. “Jimmy and Alice are waiting in the car,” explained Aunt Rose, “They want to take you to their special ham burger place for lunch.” “Let’s go!” said Uncle Jack in a big, booming voice, “Give me those suitcases!” In a few minutes they were stowed, bag and baggage, into a large red station wagon, and on their way to their California Adventure. (To be continued next month)
T h e C h r is t m a s t r e e , which has be come so important a part of the holiday observance, can be used to teach lasting spiritual truths. Materials An evergreen tree, such as a spruce or fir—a regular Christmas tree, in other words. A live tree, planted in a pot or tub, is preferable. It need not be larger than three to four feet; and may be placed upon a table. The Lesson Of course you all know what this object is — a real, live Christmas tree! Now I want to tell you a few things about this tree that can show us how to become better Christians. First of all, notice that this is a living tree, not a dead one. This re minds us of the fact that only God can create living things. Yes, He cre ated all the beautiful trees we see in our parks and in our forests. One of our great poets wrote, “Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.” Not only do. these trees make the world a more attrac tive place for man to live in, but they also serve man in many ways. The trees furnish lumber to build houses and to make furniture; they furnish firewood to keep us warm; they furnish pulp from which we manufacture paper. It would take us all morning just to list the many ways in which trees serve man. Now this particular tree is called an evergreen tree. Who knows why? Yes, because it stays green right through the winter. Now there are several kinds of evergreen trees — the spruce (such as this one), pine, fir, hemlock, juniper, and cedar are all evergreens. The evergreen tree tion occupied by Lollie and Kippy and all four watched eagerly out of the windows as the long train crossed into the Golden State of California. As Tim and Tom pointed out to the excited children the palm trees, the orange groves and the mountains in the distance and told them how close the Pacific Ocean was, Kippy shout ed: “Boy! What a country! I can hardly wait.” “I only wish Mamma were here to enjoy it too,” said Lollie. “Do you think we’ll know Uncle Jack and Aunt Rose?” asked Kippy anxiously. “Of course. I can tell from the picture Mamma showed us,” Lollie reassured him. Sure enough, as they made their way up the ramp into the huge sta-
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DECEMBER, 1963
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