Christmas trees are fun to decorate and beautiful to look at. But we aren’t quite sure why we have them. Whilst some point to its pagan origins, legend has it that Martin Luther, the great Christian reformer, was walking home one winter’s evening, mentally preparing a sermon, when he was suddenly awed by the beauty of the starlight twinkling though the evergreens. To share the scene with his family, he cut down a young fir tree, took it home and wired candles to the branches.
The Christmas tree’s origin may be uncertain. But here is a reliable promise to ponder next time you see a Christmas tree. God says through the prophet Hosea:
O Ephraim[1],what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.
I am like an evergreen cypress; (14:8, NRSV).
In Christ, God has become for us the great “evergreen”. We are set free from the idolatry often associated with this season to live under His shade and care. We become, like Him, faithful, rooted, wise, fruitful, yes – evergreen. A blessing to a dry, needy world.
God Bless,
Sean
[1]Hosea uses the name Ephraim to refer to the Nothern Kingdom of Israel.