O Christmas Tree
Notes
Transcript
1 I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth. 2 For I have said, “Lovingkindness will be built up forever; In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.” 3 “I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, 4 I will establish your seed forever And build up your throne to all generations.” Selah.
I love Christmas traditions. Growing up, our yearly routines and traditions around the Holidays shaped and formed how I presently do Christmas in our family. From decorating our home after thanksgiving, to baking Christmas cookies, to playing our treasured Christmas Playlist that my Dad passed down to me and now am using to indoctrinate Beau.
But out of all those Christmas traditions, there is one that stands above the rest. There is one thing that I believe that Christmas traditions cannot do without- The Christmas Tree.
There is a lot of buzz around this time of year about Christmas traditions and if they are christian or get their origin in pagan holiday celebrations. Now I don’t want to bore you with all the arguments but I would like to focus on how, as Christians it is very appropriate to claim worldly things and refashion them to be Christian. God’s people have been doing this for a long time. One example is found in the book of proverbs, specifically proverbs 22-24. Those who chapters in proverbs are nearly identical to proverbs used in Egyptian wisdom literature dedicated to worshipping their gods. So why is it in the Bible? Because God’s people took truth that was attributed to the false gods of the Egyptians and reclaimed it for the one true God that all truth belongs to. This is the concept we call sanctification. Taking something and using it as it was truly intended to be.
When you have a pencil and write with it, you are sanctifying that pencil. When someone who lives their life for themselves gets saved, and they begin to live their life for Jesus, they are being sanctified. The Christmas Tree is a great example of sanctifying something.
Very little is given in the origins of the Christmas tree, but what we do know is that the tradition of the Christmas tree comes from Germany. In fact, this is why we are given that treasured Christmas song O Christmas Tree, or in German O Tannenbalm. During the medieval period in Germany, fir trees where decorate with apples and wafers and used in “Paradise plays”, a festival about Adam and Eve, to symbolize the tree of knowledge in the garden. At some point, the tree’s symbolism made its way into german homes in celebration of Christmas. A couple of centuries later, Legend has it that while walking through the forest on Christmas Eve night, Martin Luther, the great reformer, peered into the night sky and admired the host of stars gleaming, the Moon radiating its light, and found himself reflecting on the Christ child and Christ being the light in the darkness. When he arrived home, he gathered his wife and children and put candles in the tree and shared with them how Christ is the light of all men.
Regardless of whether trees were used as stage props or served as symbols in some pagan ritual, They have been claimed by Christians to be used as a symbol of our faith and the birth of our Lord. The Christmas tree is littered with symbolism.
First, and the most obvious, is that the Christmas tree traditionally has been an evergreen which symbolizes the forever reign of Christ. Christ’s rule and reign as we have read here in Psalm 89 is established forever, like an evergreen that remains alive in both summer and winter times.
Secondly, the tree’s shape points all people like an arrow to look up to the heavens to find where their help comes from.
Third, the Christmas tree is adorned with lights that point to the light of Christ who broke into the darkness, and with ornaments that symbolize how Christ is crowned with many crowns and jewels displaying His majesty.
Last but not least, the Christmas tree is surrounded with gifts underneath its branches symbolizing the descent of God himself, taking on flesh, who was made, for a little while, lower than the angels, who also represents a gracious offering from the Father to the world so that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.
So regardless, if some of our Christmas traditions find their origins in world or pagan practices, we sanctify them by using them to glorify God which is the intended purpose of everything in life. Paul says, do all things to the Glory of God.
So if I was only allowed one thing to decorate my home with, it would be the Christmas tree. It symbolism points us to Christ and blesses us by being a constant reminder of the gift of grace that Christ gives to us in Himself. Without the Christmas tree, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas in our home.
So I have wrote a little diddy in remind us of the symbolism of the Christmas tree:
The Christmas tree has a beauty in its decor
A symbol of the gospel that our hearts adore
For the star that sits aloft on its top
Tells us that heaven is not that far off
The lights that are captured resting in its branches
vanquish the dark that lies in hard to reach places
The ornaments that hang are a special delight to me
They represent the jewels in the crown of His majesty
But the best are the gifts that rest down below;
Wrapped in paper with substance unknown
To remind us of the time our God descended;
wrapped in saddling clothes as a present to be gifted
to a world that is lost and riddled with sin
So that they who believe might be born again
O Christmas tree how you image the beauty of the gospel
Your presence in our homes is a constant reprisal
Of the love of God that brought to us salvation
Through Christ who is the center of our celebration.
In closing, there is one final point I want to make that might help elevate your holiday celebration. If sanctification is using something as it was originally intended, then perfecting that use would be the idea of glorification. Let me build on this concept a little more with the example of speech.
When we speak we are sanctifying our voice, but when we sing we are perfecting our speech with tone and pitch and rhythm and that is the concept of glorification. The Psalmist declares that he will sing forever about the lovingkindness of the Lord (89:1). So as we have gathered here on Christmas Eve, and as you continue to celebrate Christmas in your homes, I wonder if we can’t glorify our celebration a little more by not only declaring the lovingkindness of God displayed in the coming of Christ, but sing about his lovingkindness. May the Lord be enthroned upon our praises forever.
So as I close here and in order to prepare us for the table I wonder if you could lift up your voices with me in singing this treasured Christmas Hymn!
Christmas Hymn- Away in a Manger