Oh Christmas tree

 

 

Somewhere in time, today, I read a funny statement about Christmas.  I have a desk calendar with humorous thoughts and sayings from Barbara Johnson.  Today’s saying was: I’m going to celebrate a traditional American Christmas – the tree from Canada, the ornaments from Hong Kong, the lights from Japan, and the idea from Bethlehem.   

The Christmas tree is not mentioned in the Bible, so it was not part of the original Christmas.  I don’t think there were any fur or pine trees in Bethlehem where our Lord was born.  I did some research on Christmas trees and there were various ideas on its origins.  I will give you the ones I like the best. 

In the 7^th century, a monk name Boniface traveled to Germany to spread the gospel of Christ.  The people he encountered worshiped the Oak tree.  Boniface then used the Fur tree to explain the God of the Bible.  The tree was tall a wide, like the love of God that embraces each of us.  On each branch is a Cross as the branch sprout on each side, showing the sacrifice of Jesus.

Martin Luther brought the tree inside and decorated it with candles. 

I also heard that when you cut a tree down and set it back up, it is a symbol of the death and resurrection of Christ.  The fact that the tree is an evergreen is the symbol of eternal life. 

I’m a little crazy about the Christmas tree.  My craziness started at a young age.  When we would decorate the tree as a family, I would help and when then younger siblings went to bed, I would fix the tree.  There has to be symmetry and order even when none of the ornaments match.  My husband knew this about me, but he really didn’t understand until last year.  Last year, he put an ornament on our tree that wasn’t colored coordinated with the rest of the tree and had no matching counterparts.  I nearly fell apart trying to work it into the overall design pattern.

Even though the tree isn’t part of the original Christmas, I love the tree and it’s a fun addition to the holiday, but the holiday is not about a tree.  Christmas is about Jesus, who became God among us.  I think if Jesus were to stand with us here today, he would probably enjoy our traditions, but he would want to make sure we didn’t forget those who are less fortunate.

I John 3:17-18 “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little Children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

This Christmas, have fun, but also reach out.  God’s love is meant to be shared in whatever way we can.  Christmas is a special time of year to remember that. 

Below is just for fun, like a Christmas tree.

Daren Streblow's Christmas song from crownentertainment on GodTube.