The Christmas Tree
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Last week we started a series on The Trappings of Christmas. We talked about how easy it is to get caught up in the season of Christmas that we forget to focus on the reason for Christmas.
The goal for this series is to help us keep our focus on Jesus throughout this Christmas season by using the things that may very well be distraction points as tools to help us keep Jesus at the center of our Christmas celebration and preparation.
Last week we talked about two of these “trappings” of Christmas. The two that always serve as the heralds of the approaching day - Decorations and Music. We are hit earlier and earlier with the decorations in stores and the radio stations playing songs about Christmas. These things serve to get us in the mood for Christmas, or in the Christmas spirit.
But we saw that these things can help us focus on two things: 1) that an important celebration is coming - the celebration of the fact that God sent His Son to be born as a man. This birth allowed Jesus to show us the Father. It allowed us to see God’s character in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus being born and living as a human allowed us to have a reference point of how to live a righteous and God honoring life. But the principle thing that happened because of Jesus’ birth was that He was able to pay for the sins of the world by dying on the cross, taking the wrath of God upon Himself, and providing the way for mankind to be reconciled with God through His blood.
So every time we think “Christmas,” this is what we should be thinking of.
But there is a second thing that this season should remind us about, and that is the fact that Jesus is coming back for all those that have believed in Him and received Him as their savior. Just like the Jews should have been expecting and looking forward to the birth of the Messiah, we should be looking forward to advent of Jesus in the clouds and that day when we are caught up in the air with Him.
As we looked at those things last week, we also saw that not only we can use these decorations and Christmas songs to remind ourselves and keep our own selves individually focused on the meaning of the season, but we can use the trappings of Christmas to spread the news to our families and the world of what it means to celebrate Christmas as a Christian. So many of the decorations can be used to help evangelize a lost world. These things can be used to create openings and conversations that relate to the Gospel.
Someone may talk about how they hate the commercialization of Christmas, and we could say something to the effect of “The commercialization of Christmas is sad. It promotes selfishness and causes so much stress, but because of all the decorations that I see everywhere, it really helps me to focus on the real reason that this holiday exists. I see this as a time to celebrate Jesus. I see this as a time that helps me to remember why Jesus came to earth to be born, and that was to save mankind from sin.”
What a way to use what is around us to talk to people openly and freely about Jesus!
We talked last week also about the anxiety and stress that the Christmas season can bring with it. When we focus on Jesus and His birth and His return for the church, and in that focus we approach Him with gratitude and praise, it will help us not to be overcome by our emotions and circumstances.
This week I want to talk about one of the other common things that we see around Christmas time, and that is the Christmas Tree.
The Christmas Tree
The Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree is probably the central element to Christmas decorations or Christmas settings. You almost can’t have Christmas without a tree, it seems.
Last week I said that I was going to tell you everything that the Bible says about Christmas trees, so if you will look closely at the screens, I’ll go ahead and throw those verses up there...
… Yup. That’s it. The Bible doesn’t say anything about Christmas trees. In fact, the Bible doesn’t say much about Christmas decorations at all, and by “doesn’t say much,” I of course mean, “doesn’t say anything about Christmas decorations.”
So what about the Christmas tree can help us focus on who Jesus is and the purpose of His birth?
Well, there are several things about it that can help us remember and focus. I said last week that throughout the rest of this series, I was going to be able to share with you some Christmas traditions that my family had growing up. It was very important to my dad and mom that Christmas not be a time of selfishness or egotism. It was also important to them that we not settle for something good in place of something great.
One of the things that we would do was that on Christmas morning, before we opened presents, my family would sit around the Christmas tree, and we would discuss the symbolism of certain things. And we would usually start off with the tree.
This was not devotional time, it was a discussion time. It took on several forms as I grew older, but I remember as a young kid, that Dad would start off by asking questions. Questions like, “Do you know why we have a Christmas tree?” “What things does the Christmas tree symbolize?” “On top of the tree there is a star, what is the significance of that particular decoration?” and so forth.
Then,as we grew older, he would just ask one of us, “Tell me about the Christmas tree,” and we would begin describing all the different things that the tree symbolized.
I want to talk to you this morning about the tree, and I want to do it in the way my dad talked to my brother and sister and me about it all those Christmas mornings.
For a moment, I will ask that you bear with me. Sermons, especially the ones preached here, are generally filled with Scripture. We will be looking at Bible passages later in this sermon, but at the beginning, I want to give you some symbolism about the Christmas tree. This is symbolism that has been adopted by Christians since medieval times. As we have stated before, there is no verse in the Bible that tells us anything about the Christmas tree, because in Bible times, there were no Christmas trees. But the same way that Jesus made reference to shepherds to symbolize His loving care toward those that follow Him, in the same way that Paul referenced sporting events as a metaphor for the Christian life, I want to show you that each of you that have a Christmas tree in your house can look at it in a new light, in a way that will dray your focus away from the expectation of what kinds of gifts may be under it for you on Christmas morning, to a focus on Jesus Christ, God in the flesh who came from heaven to live a life as a man.
“Why Is There a Tree In the House?”
“Why Is There a Tree In the House?”
Have you ever asked yourself this question as you put up your Christmas tree? “Why am I putting a fir tree (or whatever kind of tree) up in my house, and why am I hanging stuff all over it?” That is a pretty good question.
Suppose you had never heard of a Christmas tree. All your life you have never seen a Christmas tree, never heard of one, and you were invited into someone’s house to have dinner during the month of December who did have a Christmas tree in there house. Don’t you think that this is a question that you would ask? “Why is there a tree in the house?”
“Well, it’s Christmas,” might be your response. “This is one of the things we do at Christmas time.”
“But why? What does it mean? Surely there is some kind of meaning behind the tree?” Even if this person knew that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus, what does a fir or spruce or pine tree have to do with Jesus, His birth, a manger, shepherds, angels, a stable, or anything else that has anything to do with Christmas?
I’m glad you asked! It is all in the symbolism.
The Bible hardly get through three chapters when two trees become main characters in the first story involving humanity. Adam and Eve were placed in a beautiful garden called the Garden of Eden. There, they were commanded to take care of the garden. In that Garden was planted every tree that gave fruit that was good to eat. There was also another tree in the Garden - the tree of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.
Now, Adam and Eve were told by God that they could eat of every tree that was in the Garden except for the tree of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil.
Well, as we know, Adam and Eve disregarded the commandment of the Lord, and one day, having been tempted by Satan in the form of a serpent, took of the fruit of that tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and ate. This disobedience, this rebellion against God’s specific instructions, was the first sin that humanity had ever commited. God then took Adam and Eve and evicted them from the Garden. The reason for kicking them out of the Garden of Eden was because of the presence of another tree - the tree of life.
God evicting Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden was actually an act of grace and mercy for all mankind. See, if Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of life in their sinful state, they would have lived forever in sin. The second Adam, Jesus, would not have been able to come to deliver humanity from sin.
You might be wondering what this has to do with Christmas trees, but if you study your history, you will notice that in medieval times, there was a certain religious celebration that centered around a tree. This evergreen tree, often a fir tree, was decorated with fruits and held prominence, not on December 25th, but on December 24th. You see, December 24th, Christmas Eve, was a day often used to remember Adam and Eve.
The tree that was decorated was symbolic of the Garden of Eden and was called a Paradise Tree. It was this tree that would later become the prominent symbol of Christmas that it is today, known as the Christmas tree.
Christmas Eve and Christmas were celebrated hand in hand. You see, the celebration of Adam and Eve day was a remembrance of the fall of Adam (and therefore all humanity) into sin. It is not the fall of man that was celebrated on Christmas Eve, but the promise that God gave Adam and Eve after they had fallen. That promise was the promise of a savior that would defeat sin and Satan. It was the promise of a boy born miraculously of the seed of a woman, and that promise was fulfilled on the first Christmas when Jesus was born of the virgin Mary.
For the Christians in medieval times, the tree that was brought into the churches and into homes was symbolic of the Promise of God to Adam and Eve - the promise of a Savior.
We obviously do not have Paradise Trees in our homes. The trees that you see decorating the church are not Paradise Trees; they are Christmas trees. But it is nice to know where the tradition comes from.
So what does the Christmas tree symbolize for us?
Let’s start off by analyzing the tree. When you think of a Christmas tree, what kind of tree do you picture? Firs, pines, spruce trees, and even cedar trees…
An Evergreen Tree
An Evergreen Tree
Almost any tree of the evergreen variety. Evergreens have always been a symbol for hope and life, even among non Christians. During winter time, it was not uncommon to see branches of evergreen trees decorating the inside of dwellings. These were a reminder to the occupants that spring would once again come with its new growth of plants and crops. So when we look at this evergreen tree, for Christians it symbolizes eternal life found in Jesus. The evergreen trees and plants are unique in that when winter comes, their leaves don’t die. They remain green amid all the changing and falling leaves around them. Though it is true, just because a tree looses its leaves does not mean that it has died, a leafless tree just kind of looks dead. A Virginia pine tree or a Douglas fir just look alive in the middle of the harshest winters even when the oak and the maple trees around them have lost all their leaves. That is why they symbolize life, and for us, we know that everlasting life, even when heaven and earth have passed away, is our because of Jesus Christ.
The tree doesn’t only signify our life in Jesus. It actually is a representation of Jesus Himself.
It is an odd thing to have a tree in the house, because, typically, we know that houses are not the natural habitat of trees. The outdoors is where trees belong.
An Unnatural Setting
An Unnatural Setting
The house is an unnatural setting. Just like the house is an unnatural setting for a tree, this sinful world was an unnatural setting for God’s only Son. Jesus was in heaven. That is where He belonged, but when He came to earth to be born as a man, He came to a place full of sin. This was not Jesus’ natural setting. But this is the huge thing about Christmas. Sinful man was not expected to leave his sinful surroundings and find a way to heaven, for even if we could make it into the presence of heaven, it would never be our natural setting because of sin. We would never be allowed in. So Jesus left heaven, come to earth, and became Emmanuel, God with us.
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
This is a reference to Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel.
The Holy Son of God, Jesus, came to this contaminated and corrupted world and became God with us. We bring the outdoors to the inside of our house and we have a piece of the forest with us. Jesus came to earth, and when He did, mankind had a piece of heaven among them. Emmanuel, God is with us.
I want you now to think of the setting in which Christmas is celebrated, at least in half of the world. This symbolism will only apply to those in the northern hemisphere of the world, but what happens in December?
A Dark Time
A Dark Time
It is a dark and cold time. The longest night and the shortest day is in December. For the ancient pagans, this was a time of fear desperation. Night represented death and daylight life. This winter solstice was a time when death was considered to be nearest.
We bring this evergreen tree, a symbol of life, a symbol of Jesus Himself, into our homes in the literal darkest time of the year. It symbolizes that God is with us during the times of our lives where we have lost hope or are burdened by sadness or fear.
In fact, when Isaiah gives this prophecy, it is during a dark and trying time for the nation of Judah. And in this dark time, Ahaz, the king, is encouraged to look to the Lord for hope and to trust him for the deliverance of his people. Unfortunately, Ahaz does not trust God despite the promise that God was going to deliver Judah from her enemies. And even in this disbelief and in this dark time, God gives Isaiah a reiterance of his promise to Adam and Eve - Behold, A virgin shall conceive and shall bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us.-
So this Christmas tree is no ordinary tree. It is an evergreen tree, brought in from its natural setting, to be a reminder of life and hope in the darkest time of the year. Jesus, in whom we have eternal life, left heaven and made His home with man in a dark time, a time where God had been silent for over 400 years. A time where mankind desperately needed to hear from God. And Jesus came, God with us, and He came at the perfect time.
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
But the tree not only symbolizes Jesus, it symbolizes what he would go through in order to provide for us the forgiveness of sins.
An Instrument of Death
An Instrument of Death
Jesus came and was born one night in the little town of Bethlehem. He grew into an adult man, and He preached and ministered to the people of Galilee, Judea, and the surrounding areas for about 3.5 years. He was arrested, falsely accused and convicted to die a horrendous death on a Roman cross. When you look at the Christmas tree in your house, remember the curse that Jesus took upon Himself so that you and I would not have to die under the curse of sin.
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
He shed his blood, died, payed the cost of sin, took the wrath of God, and suffered the curse of sin on a tree so that you and I could have the opportunity to accept the gift of eternal life through faith in Him.
The Avenue for Life
The Avenue for Life
And that cross was the avenue for Jesus to die and the avenue for us to live. Jesus became sin for us on that cross so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21 “21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”)
Invitation
Invitation
Do you know that you are saved today? Are you sure that you have a personal relationship with God? Have you put you faith in Jesus Christ and in Him alone for the forgiveness of sins and salvation of your soul? If not, today is the day that you can be saved.
Are you a Christian that has gotten caught up in all the lights and music and decorations and shopping for Christmas that you have forgotten the meaning of what Christmas really is?
Take this time to refocus. Take this time, parents, to commit to keeping your family’s focus on Jesus and the why behind His birth.
There is a song that says,
It’s not just about the manger
Where the baby lay
It's not all about the angels
Who sing for him that day
It's not all about the shepherds
Or the bright and shining star
It's not all about the wise men
Who travelled from afar
It's about the cross
It's about my sin
It's about how Jesus came to be born once
So that we could be born again
Look, presents are nice, songs are uplifting, decorations and lights are nice to look at and brighten up the darkness of this time of year, but Christmas is about Jesus and about the cross. Don’t forget that.
Life Groups
Life Groups
What, if anything, stood out to you or spoke to you during this sermon?
Before we start with any questions, I want to share a story with you. It is called The Story of the Three Trees.
The Story of the Three Trees
The Story of the Three Trees
Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up.
The first little tree looked up at the stars and said: “I want to hold treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I’ll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!”
The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on its way to the ocean. “I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful kings. I’ll be the strongest ship in the world!”
The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. “I don’t want to leave the mountain top at all. I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me, they’ll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world.”
Years passed. The rain came, the sun shone, and the little trees grew tall. One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain.
The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, “This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me.” With a swoop of his shining axe, the first tree fell.
“Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest. I shall hold wonderful treasure!” the first tree said.
The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, “This tree is strong. It is perfect for me.” With a swoop of his shining axe, the second tree fell.
“Now I shall sail mighty waters!” thought the second tree. “I shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!”
The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven.
But the woodcutter never even looked up. “Any kind of tree will do for me,” he muttered. With a swoop of his shining axe, the third tree fell.
The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to a carpenter’s shop. But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feedbox for animals.
The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold, nor with treasure. She was coated with sawdust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals.
The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ship was made that day. Instead, the once strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail on an ocean, or even a river; instead, she was taken to a little lake.
The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard.
“What happened?” the once tall tree wondered. “All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God...”
Many, many days and night passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams.
But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feedbox.
“I wish I could make a cradle for him,” her husband whispered.
The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and the sturdy wood. “This manger is beautiful,” she said.
And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.
One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake.
Soon a thundering and thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She knew she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through with the wind and the rain.
The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, “Peace.” The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun.
And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the king of heaven and earth.
One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten woodpile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man’s hands to her.
She felt ugly and harsh and cruel.
But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth tremble with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God’s love had changed everything.
It had made the third tree strong.
And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God.
That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.
The next time you feel down because you didn’t get what you want, sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you.
1. Before today, did you ever wonder about why there is such a big tradition of decorating Christmas trees?
2. How does the Christmas tree’s resilience through winter remind us of the unchanging nature of God’s promises?
We discussed briefly about the celebration of Adam and Eve that used to happen on Christmas Eve. Why is it significant that Adam and Eve’s story be remembered alongside the birth of Christ?
Does knowing the history of the Paradise Tree change how you view Christmas decorations? Why or why not?
How many of you have heard that we shouldn’t have Christmas trees because it stems from pagan worship? As I mentioned before, pagans (worshippers of nature) took branches and made them into wreathes and other ornaments for decorating their house. They would cut the trunks of evergreens and after soaking them and coating them in various materials, would burn them as a worship to their gods of nature. But taking a whole tree and decorating it can be traced back to Christians in the medieval times. Christmas is NOT a pagan celebration, we do not worship the tree anymore than we worship the cross-stitched Bible verse that your grandma made for you and you have decorating a hallway in your house.
There are those that would also use the passage of Jeremiah 10:1-5 to say we should not have Christmas trees. These verses are in reference to idols made out of wood, not trees being decorated.
How can the idea of Jesus being “God with us” help you find hope during challenging or dark times?
How can you use the Christmas tree as a tool to share the Gospel with others?
How do you think traditions like the Christmas tree help us pass down spiritual truths from one generation to the next?
How can you use the symbolism of the Christmas tree to keep the focus on Jesus in your house? What practice can you start? Do what works for you and your family to not get caught up in the season, but let the season help you focus on the reason.
In what ways can you involve your family in discussing the meaning of the Christmas tree this year?
What is one change you can make this year to keep Jesus at the center of your Christmas celebrations?
