Finding Jesus in the Christmas Tree

I was recently surprised to discover that a dear friend does not put up a tree at Christmas, believing it to have pagan roots. As a huge fan of the Christmas tree, it set me on a mission to find Christian meaning to this age-old tradition. It is my hope that this blog will give new meaning to this Christmas symbol and that you will see your tree in a new light.

It is true that the origins of a cut down, decorated tree may have its root in paganism, as can be read in Jeremiah 10:1-5. In later years, pagans would also bring fir trees into their homes at Yuletide because it represented everlasting life and fertility.  However, history tells us that it was an 8th-century English missionary in Germany that first introduced the tree as a symbol of remembrance of Christ’s birth. Author Henry Van Dyke recounted these events in his fictionalized short story “The First Christmas Tree.”

Considering that the curse was introduced through a tree in the Garden of Eden, I believe it is quite fitting that our redemption is signified through the Tree of Life, Jesus, who is our Vine and as Christians, we are His branches.  Conifers, like the Pine tree are also evergreen, which represents the everlasting life we get through Christ. The Cross that Jesus was crucified to was also made of wood from a tree. And lastly, its triangular shape represents the trinity, which makes this tree the perfect representative, especially when we consider the many tree references there are in the Bible.

As Christians, we get to choose whether to put a star or an angel on the top of our tree, both of which heralded the announcement and place of where Jesus was born. It is also fitting that the fir tree mentioned in Isaiah 41:19; and 60:13 draws attention to the future glory of the temple in Jerusalem that would be built with its noble wood.

The bright twinkling lights on the Christmas tree is a metaphor for the light of Christ, who illuminates the darkness with His hope and salvation.  The soft glow is also a reminder to us to shine the light of Jesus to others. 

Each ornament can be carefully chosen to represent something to do with Jesus, His birth, the characters of the Nativity scene, or even something to represent the many gifts God has given us. Each ornament then becomes a small piece of the Christmas story and of our faith and blessings, woven into each branch. These symbols can remind us of the sacredness of the season and our love for God, who gave us the greatest gift of His son. Having replaced many of my ornaments over the year with ones with more meaning, I can honestly say that this does make a difference. Even a snowman can remind us that Jesus has washed us clean as white as snow!

Putting up the tree together as a family can become a sacred ceremony instead of just a holiday tradition. Finding Jesus in the tree helps us connect with the spiritual essence of this special season and the reason we celebrate it.  As a family, it is a special time where we can feel the presence of Jesus, through the joy, love and peace we experience, whilst singing along to Christmas Carols.

In a world filled with the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations, finding Jesus offers a moment of respite and spiritual connection. It is a reminder that amidst the festivities, the heart of Christmas lies in the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To me, Christmas is not just one day, but a season and spirit of goodwill and joy as we gather in love to remember and celebrate the birth of our King!

Lastly, the gifts under the tree that we get to give and receive from our loved ones is a reminder that it is Jesus’s birthday!  Yet, it is His presence that is more important that the presents, for they represent the many gifts we receive spiritually.  It also teaches us to be generous and meaningful givers.

This year, let us find a deeper connection to our faith by seeking the presence of Jesus in the heart of our Christmas decorations, traditions and celebrations.

Wishing you and your family a meaningful and tree-mendous Christ-mas and a faith-filled festive season!

Finding the Lost

Have you ever lost something really valuable, much needed or expensive to replace?  When you can’t find something and you get that sinking feeling in your stomach and your heart beats into panic mode?  Recently, I lost my car keys and experienced that very real, dreaded feeling. What made it worse is that there was a public holiday the day before, where I hadn’t gone out, so my limited memory gabbled to remember my steps from the last time I had seen them.  I was so sure I had put them in my jacket pocket, but after turning all my jackets upside down, emptying my handbag, shopping bags and checking every drawer, nook or cranny, I was at a complete loss. I even panicked that I might have left them inside the car or the boot, but the spare key convinced me otherwise.  Yes, I had a spare key, but it does not have the remote for the immobiliser which is a much-needed device living in South Africa!

After a whole day of searching frantically and turning up empty handed, I was reminded about a time when my husband had lost his wedding ring a week before our 10^th anniversary.  I had anxiously viewed this is a foreboding sign for our marriage and left no stone unturned in helping him to find it. It wasn’t until someone from Church reminded me that the Holy Spirit can help us find things when we ask Him, that I decided to pray. I believe God prompted me to look in our daughter’s toy box, for this was a place I never would have thought to look.  Lo and behold, it was there!  It must have come off when he was packing away her toys, the neat freak that he is…

So, with this remembered, reliable tool, I turned the situation over to God, asking Him to reveal where my car keys were. Later that afternoon, I had the notion to look in the drawer where we keep our dog’s leash and voila – there it was!!  That rush of relief sweeping through your body is the best feeling in the world! With a grateful heart and heartfelt thanks to God, I now know I will never forget to pray first, the next time I lose something.

Finding the lost made me think also of our mission as Christians in finding those who need God’s salvation.  Imagine if we all searched for people like we do for lost material things, how many souls we would find for Christ?  The truth is that there is a harvest field out there that is ready to be picked, if we will just take the time to go out there and really search to find them. 

Communion and Baptism in the Cross of Easter

God has laid on my heart the symbolism of Communion and Baptism in reference to Easter’s message of Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection, which I wanted to share with you.

We know from scripture that the wine taken at communion symbolises Jesus’s blood, which was shed for us all at the Cross of Calvary.  Wine, in essence, is the blood of many grapes.  The power that unites those grapes was extracted in the wine press of the Cross.

We also know that the bread is a symbol of His flesh, which was broken and beaten, which is why we break the bread. When you think of how bread is made, it is just many grains of flour that are brought together by water.  With us representing the body of Christ, we too are brought together by the waters of baptism, and baked in the fire of the Holy Spirit. 

When we take Communion, we remember what Jesus did for us on the Cross and identify with the pain and suffering He experienced, by taking the bread of life, His body, that saved us from our sin, and drinking the redemption wine, His blood, that was poured out that washed us clean. Therefore, Easter is the perfect time to take Communion, to remember what Jesus did on the Cross. 

Looking back at Jesus’s crucifixion, I often wondered why Jesus refused the first wine but accepted the second. I was interested to learn that the first wine had been mixed with myrrh or gall, a narcotic that is often given to those being crucified to help numb the pain. Yet, Jesus chose to fully experience the pain, as we painfully witnessed through the accuracy in the Passion movie. 

It was only when Jesus said He was thirsty, that He accepted the soured wine or vinegar, which was a common drink in those days to alleviate thirst.  In a way, by quenching His thirst, Jesus was actually prolonging the pain. He drank the wine of His Father’s wrath down to its very last dregs, and He did so for us—that we might enjoy the new wine of His Father’s love, and live redeemed forever in the glorious presence of the one who took no shortcuts in saving us.

After the recent baptism of a dear friend’s daughter, I was reminded of the spiritual significance of this event in that you are exchanging your old worn and weak wineskin for a new stretchable and strong one so that we can fully receive the pouring of the new spiritual wine of Christ. You are laying down the old you and taking on a newness in the spirit. In a sense, what Baptism symbolises is the crucifying of your flesh and the resurrection of the new you, full of the Holy Spirit’s power and effectiveness to keep you walking in that newness, and daily reminding yourself that your flesh and the old you are dead.  Baptism is a declaration to Satan and the world that you are now committed to being all in with Christ.

As I remember back to my own Baptism; I was so excited to be given the opportunity to have it done in the Jordon River. Yet, a few weeks before the departure of our trip to the Holy Land I felt God telling me not to wait and to have it done sooner at the Baptist Church I was attending at the time, which I did. I strongly believe that being Baptised before going, prepared me spiritually for the powerful encounter I had with God, and had I not obeyed Him, I would have had a more glorious setting of a baptism, but without the lasting and powerful effect. 

If you have never been Baptised with the full immersion of water, may I urge you to take this next step of faith in your walk with God? If it was important enough for Jesus to do and because He tells us to, this is an act of obedience where we get to publicly declare the decision made in our hearts to follow Jesus.  From my experience, it is where you receive the victory in truly becoming an overcoming Christian to live with the fullness and the power of the Holy Spirit, and there is no better time to be baptised than at Easter.