Sermon title:
Can Christmas Trees Honor God?
Immanuel Baptist Church – Sunday, December 6, 2020
This
is the second Sunday of
Advent.
So,
we’ve already lit the second candle.
on
our Advent wreath.
We miss being able to do that in person at church,
but
the virtual candles we used
were
the next best thing.
We
also miss the Christmas tree
downstairs
in the Fellowship Hall.
It’s
always beautifully
decorated
for Christmas.
And,
rather than being taken down after the holiday,
it
gets re-purposed in February
as
a St. Valentine’s
Day
tree,
again in March as a St. Patrick’s Day tree,
and
so on—
right
through November,
when
it becomes a Thanksgiving Day tree-
and
then reverts back, right after that,
to
being a traditional Christmas tree.
---------------------------------
The
Christmas tree tradition goes quite a way’s back.
Legend has it that an early Christian
missionary to Germany by the name of Boniface,
confronted
pagan Germanic tribes
who
worshiped an old oak tree.
The
story goes that Boniface chopped down the oak
and
replaced it with a fir tree
that
he told them represented Christ.
He
told them Christ was like
an
evergreen never losing its leaves,
even
in winter,
so the evergreen tree would be a reminder
of
God’s everlasting love.
Another legend also has it that Martin Luther,
the
Father of the Protestant Reformation,
was
the first one to light
a candle
atop
a Christmas tree—around 500 years ago.
The
story goes that Luther was walking home at night
through
the German woods around Christmas time,
and
that he was awestruck
by
the starlight shining through the fir trees.
Close
to home he cut one down, brought it indoors,
and
put small candles on it
to
share that starlight experience with his
family.
And
he told his children of the Christmas Star
that
led the Wise Men to baby Jesus.
Before a century had gone by,
German
families had established a tradition
of
decorating trees in their homes
with
colored paper,
gold foil,
and
other things.
The
British frowned on Christmas trees,
but
Queen Victoria
married
Prince Albert from Germany,
and
he brought the idea of a Christmas tree
to
the royal palace in London.
British
attitudes changed in the 1840’s
when
Victoria and Albert
were
pictured in periodicals of the
day
with
their children gathered
around
a
decorated tree in the palace.
It
is reported that 35-million Christmas trees
are
now sold annually in the United States alone.
----------------------------------------------
The
Christmas tree can
be
used to glorify Jesus,
but
it can also be misused.
Unbelievers use the tree, along with Santa Claus,
flying
reindeer, Frosty the Snowman,
and
secular traditions
to
celebrate an “Xmas” holiday of good cheer
without giving any thought to God,
and
without naming Christ.
Sometimes,
it’s hard to see
which Christmas is being celebrated—
the
Christian or the secular holiday.
But
what happens in Japan
demonstrates
that
there really are two different holiday celebrations—
one
Christian and one secular.
In
Japan, where only 1% of the population is Christian,
but
where Christmas is publicly celebrated,
it’s
clearly a secular celebration.
In
Tokyo, Christmas trees and festive lights
adorn
homes, stores and public places,
but
Jesus isn’t mentioned at all.
---------------------------
Here in America, though, even in secular situations,
it’s
hard to celebrate Christmas
without some
reminder
of Jesus entering in.
On
the radio and even in stores, malls
and
shopping centers,
you
can catch the sound of a Christmas carol
with
the Gospel message woven through it.
-------------------------------------
Some people object to the Christmas tree
because
of supposed pagan connections
to
tree worship.
But,
it’s hard to imagine
that
someone as zealous for the Gospel as Martin Luther
would
import a pagan symbol into the Church.
The fact is that pagans worshipped, not only
certain
trees, logs, and idols carved from wood,
but
also rocks and mountains
and
birds and animals.
It’s
hard to find any part of creation
that
the pagans didn’t worship.
Romans 1:22 says,
22Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.
23And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols
made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
Some people may shun the Christmas tree
because
there were pagans who worshiped trees,
but
God doesn’t
hesitate
to
use trees to picture and illustrate
eternal
truths.
I haven’t counted all the references myself,
but
there are some Bible researchers who’ve concluded
that
the Bible speaks of trees
more than any other living thing
in
all creation.
In
the very First Chapter of the very 1st book of the Bible,
we
read at Genesis 1:11,
11 God said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding
seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it,
on the earth;” and it was so. 12 The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed
after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with their seeds in it, after their
kind; and God saw that it was good.
And
in the very last book of the Bible,
close to the last verse,
we
read at Revelation 22:19
If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy,
may God take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city,
which are written in this book.
And,
sandwiched between those two passages
at
the beginning and at the end of our Bibles,
there
are countless mentions of trees—
trees
of all sorts.
The
Christmas tree isn’t mentioned in the Bible, of course,
because,
as we mentioned a moment ago,
the
tradition of including a tree
in
the celebration of Christ’s birth
didn’t
begin until much later.
Moreover, the type of tree
we
associate with Christmas—
the
evergreen fir tree with a triangular shape
that
tapers off toward the top
and
points heavenward—
that
variety of tree isn’t
native
to the Holy Land.
If
you visit a tree farm growing Christmas trees
in
modern Israel today, what you find growing there
are
Arizona cypresses, transplanted from America.
So,
the Bible doesn’t talk about Christmas trees
in
the modern sense of the word,
but
Scripture does use trees
to
illustrate the true Christmas message:
that
our Lord Jesus is
“the Way
and the Truth and the Life.”
And
the Bible often compares Christ to
a
branch, a tree, an olive tree, or a grape vine.
---------------------------------------------------
Eternal life for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
was
related to the Tree of Life.
Their
sin led to their expulsion from the Garden,
so they were cut off from the Tree of Life.
In
Genesis 3:22, God says about Adam, after Adam sinned,
He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also
from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23So the Lord God banished
him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
24After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden
cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the
tree of life.
By disobeying God,
Adam
and Eve lost their access to the Tree of Life,
so they would not live forever,
but
instead would grow old and die.
It
was in that lost
condition
that
they began to produce offspring,
so their offspring inherited both sin and death
from
their first parents.
Romans 5:12 explains
sin entered into the world through one man, and death
through sin; and so death passed to all men, because
all sinned.
So,
in the very beginning of the Bible,
mankind
fell into sin and death—
separated
from the Tree of Life—
but
at the very end of the Bible
we
find access to the Tree of Life restored.
Revelation Chapter
22,
the last chapter in our Bibles,
begins
with God’s angel showing the writer John
water of life and the Tree of Life.
It
says,
1 He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its
street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing
twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree
were for the healing of the nations. 3 There will be no curse any more.
So
here, at the end of the Bible,
the
nations of mankind descended from Adam
regain what Adam lost
when
he was expelled from the Garden.
When
he was expelled from the Garden of Eden,
Adam
was cut off
from
the Tree of Life.
But,
in the end, Adam’s descendants
are
healed from the curse of death
by
regaining access to the Tree of Life.
How did that happen?
That’s the story of Jesus.
When
we turn to Christ for salvation
he becomes like the Tree of Life for us.
How appropriate that this
should
be called to mind by a Christmas tree
as
we remember and celebrate Jesus’ birth!
-----------------------------------------------------
Christ
died on the cross for us
to
save us from our sins and give us eternal life.
And
that wooden cross was cut from a tree.
So,
at Acts 5:29 Peter and the other Apostles
told
the religious leaders of the Jews,
“We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our
fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, hanging him on a tree.”
Jesus
was nailed up to hang on a tree—
the
cross of Calvary.
How fitting it is, then for us to use a Christmas tree
when
celebrating his birth!
Christ
took away our
sins,
by
taking the curse of our sins upon himself.
Galatians 3:13 says,
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having
become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a
tree,” [Deuteronomy 21:23]
Yes,
he was hanged on a tree—that wooden cross.
That
cross became like the
Tree of Life
for us.
Again, how fitting it is, to use a Christmas tree
when
celebrating his birth!
----------------------------------------------
And,
besides the cross being referred to as “a tree,”
Jesus himself is pictured as a tree
in
a number of prophecies and illustrations.
The
Gospels of Matthew and Luke
both list in detail Jesus’ family tree—his genealogy—
to
show that his family
line
from King David
put
him legally in line to be King of Israel.
Luke Chapter 2 tells us,
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of
Nazareth, into Judea, to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem, because he
was of the house and family of David; 5 to enroll himself with Mary,
That family line of King David
sprang like a tree branch
from
David’s father Jesse.
So, the Messianic
prophecies
of Isaiah and Jeremiah
describe the coming Messiah or Christ
as
a branch or tree growing from Jesse’s root.
Isaiah Chapter 11 says,
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit....
10 And in that day there shall be
a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles
shall seek Him.
So,
God inspired Isaiah to describe
the
promised Messiah
using
the illustration of a tree root, a tree stump,
and
a tree branch.
Again, how fitting it is, for us to use a Christmas tree
when
celebrating his birth!
-------------------------------------
God’s
prophet Jeremiah
continued that same tree-branch illustration
when
he foretold the coming of Christ
like
this at Jeremiah 23:5,
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise
unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall
execute judgment and justice in the earth.
And
again at Jeremiah 33:15,
In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of
righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness
in the land.
Jesus is that “righteous Branch.”
So,
since the
Scriptures
repeatedly picture him as a tree branch,
how appropriate it is,
for
us to use a Christmas tree
when
celebrating his birth!
-------------------------------------------
In
Chapter 14 of the Prophet Hosea, the Lord says,
8 "I am to thee an evergreen tree of life and
protection, and from me is thy fruit found."
The
Lord describes himself
as
an evergreen tree of life—
so a Christmas tree would fit right in
with
that language inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The fact that some pagans may have worshiped trees
along with all their other false gods—
that can not take away from
the
true God using trees in the Bible
and
a Christmas tree in
your living room
as
reminders of Christ.
--------------------------------------
Jesus even refers to himself as a tree—in this case
the
powerful trunk of a mighty grape vine
with
us believers like branches of that vine.
The
15th Chapter of the Gospel of John begins
with
Jesus saying,
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.
...
4 Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear
fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you
remain in me. 5 I am the vine. You are the branches.
What a privilege we have,
for
him to speak of us
as
branches growing from him
and
drawing our
nourishment from
him.
--------------------------------------------
So,
both the Old and New Testaments
use trees in many illustrations
to
show our relationship with God.
The
variety of tree doesn’t seem to matter,
since
the inspired language of the Scriptures
includes
the evergreen, the olive tree
and
the grape vine.
It fits the same pattern, when we decorate
for
our Christmas tree
an
evergreen fir,
pine or spruce.
---------------------------
The
Apostle Paul goes back to the olive tree
in
Romans Chapter 11,
speaking
of God’s chosen people
Israel
as
a cultivated olive tree
and
Gentile believers from other nations
as
branches taken from a wild olive tree
and
grafted into the cultivated tree.
Beginning
in Romans 11:16 he says,
...If the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 . . . some
of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in
among them, and became partaker with them of the root and of the richness of
the olive tree;
At
Christmas time, we
celebrate
not only Christ’s birth
but
also our personal relationship with him—
that
we all partake of
“the root and of the richness of the olive tree”
which
is Christ.
Pagans
can do what they want with their trees,
but
they can’t take away
from
the holiness
of
Christmas trees that we dedicate
to
Jesus, as reminders of his holy birth.
-------------------------
Back
in the Garden of Eden,
when
Adam and Eve chose to decide for themselves
what
is good and evil,
instead of obeying God,
they partook of that
“tree of the knowledge of good and evil”
as
an act of rebellion against God.
When
we embrace the baby of Bethlehem
to
follow Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior
we regain
the
eternal life that Adam and Eve forfeited.
And
in Revelation, mankind redeemed by Christ
once again has access to the Tree of Life.
We
keep the commands of Christ.
We
are grafted into that nourishing tree trunk
represented
by the child born on Christmas day.
We
become branches of that symbolic olive tree
cultivated
by God the Father.
Revelation 22:14 then says of us,
14 Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may
have the right to the tree of life.
The
Christmas tree that we decorate royally
reminds us of our life-giving Savior
who
gives us eternal life.