Preparing for Christmas part 1

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse (Revelation 22:1-3a).

Where did the idea of Christmas trees come from? Researchers believe that this custom dates from 8th century Germany. At that time, Europe had two major religions. Druids worshipped the oak tree; Christians worshiped Jesus. Boniface was a monk from England; he came to Europe to do mission work among the Germanic tribes. One year he was preaching about the birth of Christ to a group of Druids outside the town of Geismar. In order to convince them that the oak tree was not sacred, Boniface took an ax and chopped one down. The tree fell, crushing everything in it’s way—except for one small evergreen. According to legend, Boniface interpreted the little tree’s survival as a miracle and said, "Let this be called the tree of the Christ child." Ever since that day, the Christmas tree has symbolized Jesus Christ.

During this Advent and Christmas season, we will explore the theme "More Than Just Christmas Decorations." Every year, most people put up a tree with lights, tinsel, and a star on top. We put presents in boxes and wrap them in attractive paper. We decorate using red and green. When we do these things, we hope to generate a certain mood or feeling that will give us pleasure during the hustle and bustle of the season. We may even have a few religious thoughts about these decorations. But it is only rarely that we consider what these Christmas trimmings communicate about the Babe of Bethlehem. Many of them can be understood as symbols of the Savior. And so, as we start the Advent season this Sunday, we begin with "Putting Up The Tree."

Whether the legend of Boniface is true or not, one thing is certain—most people in our country put up a Christmas Tree. It’s only a tradition, but connecting that tradition to our Savior is a good thing to do. In fact, it ties in beautifully with God’s holy Word.

Trees are significant in the Bible. Consider the two trees that God planted in the Garden of Eden. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil represented God’s holy Law. Adam and Eve were clearly prohibited from eating the fruit of that tree, and were warned that doing so would result in certain death. The other tree, the Tree of Life, represented God’s wonderful promise. The fruit of this tree offered eternal life to those who ate from it. Both trees expressed the will of God for the people that He loved. When we think of Jesus the Son of God, we see both trees represented in Him. He is the fulfillment of God’s Law, and in Him there is eternal life.

In the Garden of Eden, these trees were an opportunity for Adam and Eve to live in the image of God. But for them, the creation became more important than the Creator. They chose to oppose God’s Law; this act of rebellion doomed not only them but all of us as well. Paul says in Romans chapter five, When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Every man, woman and child is cursed with sin and deserves both death and God’s eternal punishment. If only we could go back somehow and try to undo what has been done. But none of us can ever go back. Those who are imperfect are not worthy of paradise and are banished as a result. And so those two trees can no longer be found. Pleasing God by good behavior has become impossible, and no human is capable of making life last forever. Left to ourselves, we are sentenced to suffer the consequences of sin now and forever.

To one degree or another, all of us have felt the blazing heat of the sun. We begin to sweat, our mouths dry out, and we start feeling woozy. Some pass out from the heat; others die if left unattended. In the book of Isaiah, the suffocating heat of the desert and the merciless baking of the sun are used to picture the terrible reality of sin and death. When the sun is beating down on us, it is impossible to find rest.

Life underneath the blazing sun is a vivid picture of the troubles we have caused for ourselves. No one can entirely escape the suffocating heat of sin and death. Oh sure, you can try and build some air conditioned rooms for yourself; a part of your life that is hazy from heavy alcohol or drug use, a room in your life filled with the distraction of movies or books, a work place where keeping busy helps you to avoid thinking about spiritual matters. But no matter how hard you try to avoid it, from time to time you have to step out outside and feel the heat. Angry and disrespectful words, lies and broken promises, crime and betrayal—we are all sinners who suffer as a consequence of our bad behavior. We cannot build lives that guarantee happiness. The air conditioners of wealth and power and family will all eventually wear out and fail. The consequences of sin cannot be avoided forever; we all die and must stand under the blazing light of God’s holiness, sweating as we face His judgment. Who will rescue us from the blazing sun of sin and death?

In Deuteronomy chapter 21, take note of Moses’ important words: If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. Compare this to what Peter said to God’s people in Acts chapter 5: The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead--whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. In five different places, the New Testament refers to the cross of Christ as a "tree."

Taken together, these passages of Scripture paint a dramatic picture. We read about Jesus hanging on a tree at Calvary. He is the perfect Son of God, yet He is under a curse. On Good Friday, Jesus became cursed with our sinfulness. He suffered for our sins and died the death we deserved, so that we might have forgiveness and eternal life. Do you remember what I wrote earlier? If only we could go back to the Garden and try to undo what has been done. Going back is impossible, but Christ did just that. Combined in the tree of Calvary, we see both trees of the Garden. We see both law and promise. By hanging on a tree, Christ becomes a curse for us. He fulfills the law, and embodies the promise of forgiveness and eternal life. He does what we cannot do, and becomes our tree of salvation.

Jesus died at a place called Calvary, the "place of the skull". A skull makes us think of death and evil. Jesus hung on a tree that stood in a place reminiscent of sin, death, and the power of the devil. There in the midst of death stood the promise of new life. On that remarkable tree, Jesus crushed the devil’s head, ended the curse of sin, and destroyed the power of death to hold us captive. And think about this. When Jesus spoke to the criminal dying next to Him, our Savior used language that takes us back to the Garden of Eden: Today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43). Wasn’t humanity kicked out of paradise after falling into sin? But now, through Christ, paradise is reopened to all who believe.

Think back to a time when you were roasting under a hot sun and you found relief under a shady tree. Do you remember what it was like? Resting under that shady tree was almost like being in a different world. Your eyes can relax, your skin stops burning, you can even feel the light breeze that you didn’t notice before. What a wonderful moment that is. In the same way, we have shade under the tree of our Savior’s cross—and what a blessing it is to have that shade! Christ is the air conditioner that will never wear out or fail. He is our salvation from the burn of sin.

Being under the shady tree of the cross means that we have seen two things: we have seen the depths of our sinfulness and the wonders of God’s forgiveness. We find comfort in God’s undeserved mercy and cling to it every day of our lives. The sun will continue to blaze down on us in many different ways, but underneath the shady tree of Christ we will be able to endure whatever comes our way. We will even be able to face the heat of God’s judgment on the last day. We will not be sent away from paradise, we will not burn up in hell’s fiery furnace, because we are under the tree of Jesus, which protects us from the punishment that we deserve. Christ chose to hang on the tree and suffer God’s burning anger so that we might escape unharmed. And so we sit under that tree by grace through faith in Jesus. We look forward to sitting under that soothing tree forever. John writes: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse.

"Putting Up The Tree." We do this tradition every year before Christmas. And what a wonderful tradition it is, when we are reminded by it that Christ came into this world to die on a tree so that we might have shade and rest. From that tree we gain fruit that nourishes, leaves that heal, and the end of the curse. It’s more than just a Christmas decoration. It’s a symbol of our Savior that helps us to remember all that He has done.