Red and green

The blood is the life (Deuteronomy 12:23).

We’re at the point where people start taking down their Christmas decorations. As you put things away for another year, take note of the dominant colors. Unless your taste for decorations runs against the norm, most of the things you have probably emphasize both red and green.

Red and green are the colors of life. Green plants often bear red fruits or vegetables. During the colorless days of winter, ancient Britons decorated their homes with holly, because unlike other plants it stayed green throughout the darkest months of the year. The red berries were a reminder that spring was coming.

Christians saw something different in the holly. The prickly leaves made them think of a crown made from thorns; the red berries looked like drops of blood. For the follower of Christ, holly reminds us of why Jesus was born on Christmas—He came among us so that He could die on the cross.

Red and green are Christian colors. Red is the color of Jesus’ blood, blood that stained the cross that was used to execute Him. But that blood was more than just human blood; it was the blood of God’s own Son. As such, that red liquid is the blood of life for those who are touched by it. John says, the blood of Jesus…purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Jesus’ bloody death was absolutely necessary, because the Bible says without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22).

And yet Jesus’ death results in life. Because of the blood that flowed from Him, we are washed clean of our sins. Because He died and then rose to life again, we are promised that the grave will not be the end of us, but that one day we will spring to life once more. In Christ, red is the promise of everlasting green.

With Christmas behind us, the winter ahead looks long and dreary. But you can be heartened by the promise of the holly; may the red blood of Christ give you hope for green days ahead, days that will not be ended with death but will continue forever in paradise the blessed.