I think there are two items that seem never to disappear. You might find them anywhere in your home — under the couch, adorn­ing a plant, behind the hamper, on the bathroom floor, or imbedded in the carpet. Of course, you can try to remove them. A vacuum, a broom, or a feather duster might take care of them, but they are bound to return. Let me give you some clues to solving this mys­tery.

* Clue: One is metallic silver.
* Clue: The other comes in traditional green or in a variety of pastel colors.
* Clue: They are used during two different seasons.
* Song clue: "O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how pretty are your branches."
* Song clue: "Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail."

Can you guess what they are? Answer: Easter grass and Christmas tinsel.

When tinsel shows up in the holiday section of retail stores, you know Christmas is coming. When colored grass appears on the shelves, you know Easter is coming. Tinsel and grass — signs with meanings. Signs pointing to celebrations. First, let's look at these signs from a secular view. Christmas tinsel is a sign of tree decoration, of sending cards, and of buying presents. Easter grass is a sign to stock up on candy, to search for a new Easter outfit, and to dye those hard-boiled eggs. Though these items are commer­cial, they are also signs with spiritual meaning. They are signs of birth and rebirth. They are signs pointing to the moving of the Spirit on earth but also in the spiritual world. They are signs that reveal God taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary.

For instance, an ordinary Christmas tree becomes an extraor­dinary Christmas tree as tinsel is carefully dripped over its boughs. Notice I said "carefully." Impatient children ready for a bedtime snack, teenagers needing to call that special someone, and even Dad who has had enough of this decorating stuff should not be handling the job of tinseling. Picture the end result: globs of silver stringy things thrown thoughtlessly at a tree. Mom doesn't like that picture, so she takes on the job. Methodically hanging each delicate strand over each individual bough, she sings, "O Christ­mas tree, O Christmas tree, I'll make your branches pretty. O Christ­mas tree, O Christmas tree, it is a mother's duty." The ordinary has just become extraordinary. It has become a sign of commitment to excellence and a sign of caring.

Tweety the parakeet thought the Christmas tree was a feast to plunder. Attracted to that shiny stuff, the bird stuck his beak through the cage wires to grab a strand and got stuck. What a ruckus he made! Did he want to taste the tinsel or use it to decorate his cage? Who knows the mind of pets?

Baskets filled with colorful Easter grass are signs of expect­ancy. My mother had a tradition of putting jelly beans underneath our Easter grass and marshmallow eggs on top. Of course, "Daddy Bunny" better hide our baskets well, for Tucker, our dog, could always sniff them out. Oooh, the smell of milk chocolate. The evi­dence he had devoured a peanut butter fudge egg was not on his mustache or his breath, but on his coat — pink Easter grass on a background of black dog. Tucker could also be a means of spread­ing Easter grass around the house. Remember, Christmas tinsel and Easter grass are signs with a meaning.

Why do you think I'm concentrating so much on these two items for my Christmas message? Because you can't separate what they represent. I want you to understand that they are more than just flimsy, processed decorations. They are ordinary signs point­ing to the extraordinary. What happens when we move two words around? What about Christmas grass and Easter tinsel? How's that for a switcheroo? Just think of a jokester swapping traffic signs, making a stop a go and a go a stop. Whoa! What an impact that would have on drivers and vehicles.

Our Christmas gospel tells us that when Joseph and Mary ar­rived at Bethlehem they could not find a place to stay. Someone must have had compassion on them, for we assume Mary gave birth in a stable. How do we know this is true? Check the story out in the Bible.

And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first born child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

— Luke 2:6-7 (NLT)

"She gave birth to her first child ... and wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger" (Luke 2:7 NLT). Did you hear any mention of a stable in this translation? I checked out other versions, but nowhere can it be found a stable was Mary's delivery room. However, we are told that Jesus' first bed was a manger. A manger is a place where animals were fed. It didn't contain fresh, tender grass. It probably was filled with harsh, dried out straw. A physically worn out Mary laid God's Son in an animal's feeding trough on a rough bed of hay. Have you ever slept on hay? It's rather prickly. Certainly not a Serta mattress with a hypoallergenic, memory foam, two-inch thick mattress topper. Aren't we spoiled today? Even campers have to have a pad to sleep on hard ground. But the King of kings on a bed of straw?

Because a manager is mentioned, a traditional belief grew up that Jesus was born in a stable. Stables were often caves carved into rocks with feeding troughs (mangers) carved into the rock walls. Christmas cards often depict those surroundings as warm, com­fortable places, but in reality they were dark and dirty. Look at today's nativity scenes: a clean stable, clean sheep, clean donkey, a pious Joseph, reverent Mary, a visiting shepherd with a crook in his hand, and a picture-perfect baby Jesus lying upon a ceramic bed of hay. A neat decoration, but a sterile picture.

Let's get down now to a reality picture. How could any of you as fathers register at the Stable Inn with a pregnant wife? Wouldn't you ask where the nearest HMO hospital was? Mothers, how many of you could envision your husband as a doctor delivering your baby? Where was the anesthesia? Where was the hot water? The hand sanitizer? The lack of these items would be a definite sign to us today.

Scripture's recording of the birth story points to obscurity, pov­erty, and rejection. Luke portrayed the King of kings born into poor and humble circumstances — born as a human — born to serve. The ordinary that would become extraordinary. Signs pointing to a miracle that occurred on one ordinary, extraordinary night.

That night there were shepherds in nearby fields, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David. And you will recognize him by these signs: First, you'll find a baby. Second, that child will be wrapped in bands of cloth. Third, he will be lying in a manger." These signs pointed to a Savior, whose coming had been prom­ised. "For a child has been born to us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

Terri smiled with pride as she placed her nephew's birth an­nouncement on her refrigerator. Dressed in a blue sleeper with puppies on it, lay Maksim John upon a warm flannel blanket adorned with paw prints. The picture card announced the birth of a son to Nick and Sara. Birth date: November 18, 2009. Place of birth: their town, USA. The first line said, "Mommy can't wait to share the joys; Daddy can't wait to share the toys!" Cute. Every­one who received this card was asked to celebrate the good news of the arrival of a special gift from God.

Skip back 2,000 years to another birth announcement. That announcement wasn't on a WalMart picture card and didn't go through the US postal service. It was sent by air, carried by angels in the sky. The recipients were not family members, but lowly shep­herds. Birth date: Today! Time: This very hour. Place: the city of Bethlehem. Father? God! Mother? Mary. Invitation: Come and see. Come and see the one born to be Savior of the world. You'll find him lying on a bed of Christmas grass.

So how about Easter tinsel? What Saint Paul says of Christ crucified is also true of his birth: To the Jews he was a stumbling block, and to the Gentiles, utter foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:23). "This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength" (1 Corinthians 1:25 NLT). These are signs with definite meanings.

Another correlation between Christmas and Easter is that there was no room in the inn. It is symbolic of what was to happen to Jesus. The only place where there was room for him was on a cross. Jesus sought entry to the overcrowded hearts of men; he could not find it; and still his search — and his rejection — goes on.

We cannot think of jumping to the celebration of Easter with­out passing through Good Friday. Its symbols (cross, crown of thorns, and nails) are the ordinary made extraordinary. Tools of death, yet tools of life. The Christmas manger and Calvary's cross are twin parts of God's salvation plan. Whenever the two seem unrelated, it is because an uncomprehending, frail humanity has misunderstood these two "mighty acts" of God, and has tried to separate that truth, which cannot be separated. God chose to come to us in his Son, Jesus, born in a manger, God taking on human form. A sign of great love is a sign showing commitment. God entered through the door of the manger, left through the door of the cross, and opened the door of the tomb.

We celebrate Easter because of Good Friday. We celebrate Easter because of Christmas. We celebrate the ordinary becoming extraordinary. Christmas and Easter are signs of God's great love and promise. Christmas grass and Easter tinsel. Two things that stick around. A helpless babe and a crucified and risen Lord — signs of one who is always there — Jesus. The world tried to re­move him, but they could not. He has not disappeared. Jesus is here among us! He's here right now! The signs are joy and celebra­tion. Joy to the world, and thanks be to God! Merry Christmas. Amen.