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OUR EVERGREEN GOD I. INTRODUCTION Some people I meet put up a Christmas tree without understanding why they do it. My students said in class today that they do it because it’s tradition. I dare to say that those who do things “just for tradition’s sake,” without understanding why they do it cannot appreciate the value of the practice and are robbing themselves of one of our most beautiful customs. Others of you receiving this letter are friends or family, but you do not even agree that we should put up a Christmas tree. I offer my comments to you so that you understand that the practice is not just some meaningless or pagan ritual Christians go through each year; it is much more. Allow me to share with you something I discovered about the Christmas tree while studying French medieval literature at the University of Cincinnati. It changed the way I look at the beautiful symbolism of the season and gave me a tremendous respect for its symbolism. In 1976, a wonderful, elderly Catholic professor was lecturing on a 12th Century French play, Le Jeu d’Adam (Adam’s Play), and thanks to his wonderful lecture, I did some more research and came up with the following details about a very important stage prop. I share them with you as a well-intended gift. Even if you do not agree that we should put an evergreen in our homes, I trust you will understand better why some of us think it to be important. II. PAGAN ORIGINS Many have criticized the practice of putting up a Christmas tree because of its pagan origins. It is true that Gaelic tribes, long before Jesus’ birth, worshiped the pine tree as “the tree of immortality;” what better symbol that a tree with needles that never die and a color that remains ever green? When the Romans conquered the Gaelic tribes in Northern France, they allowed the practice to continue, but with a new symbolism. They worshipped the god, Saturn, for the week following Dec. 17; this festive period was called Saturnalia: Gifts were offered, slaves changed places with their masters, festive parties took place, etc. The gaelic subjects adopted the custom of offering gifts under the pine tree in honor of the new god. Soon after Constantine’s conversion and the Christianization of the Roman Empire, missionaries evangelizing in Northern France and Southern Germany confronted the practitioners of this pagan ritual. Rather than abolish the tree and the festive period, Christian symbolism was applied. Christ’s birth was thus celebrated on December 25, at the end of the Saturnalia. The Christmas tree, gift-giving, parties, and drinking all remained as parts of the holiday. III. CHRISTIAN SYMBOLISM Thanks to a Norman French play written in 1165, Adam’s play, we catch a glimpse of the Christian symbolism of the pine tree in the Middle Ages. The fir tree is described as a stage prop in the three-act play. In the first act, it represents the “paradise tree” we find in Genesis 2, that is, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Not surprisingly, the tree is decorated with apples. In the second act, most interestingly, the fir tree becomes the tree of sacrifice where Jesus is crucified, as is mentioned in Acts 5:30. In the final act, it represents the tree of life, as presented in Revelation 2 and 22, of which all true believers will partake freely. It is in the third act that the tree which was originally destined for everyone will be given to those who seek healing, wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb, and overcome the evil one. We also know that Europeans, especially those in Germany and Northern France, were using the tree in their personal celebrations by the 16th century. The pine tree symbolized predominately the cross during the Christmas season, and most families placed apples on the evergreen to represent placing their sins on the cross. Candles were attached to the branches to symbolize that the family members were agreeing to be lights in the world. The star was placed on top to symbolize God’s light guiding the entire world to the manger where Jesus was born. The Germans are credited with importing the tradition of the Christmas tree to America, especially in the 19th century. IV. CURRENT PRACTICES Now, Christmas in America often seems to more closely resemble Saturnalia than the biblical story of Jesus’ birth. The Christmas tree no longer represents an object of death and life, where the true nature is exposed; rather, we often put up counterfeit trees with glitzy ornaments to hide the true nature of the lifeless and artificial. The pine tree no longer symbolizes the end of the old life and the beginning of the new, as it did in Adam’s Play; rather, the 20th century Christmas tree symbolizes an improved old life and an emphasis on materialism and respectability. No longer do we nail our sins onto the symbolic cross, acknowledging the importance of self-denial; now, we see the tree as an opportunity to begin the festivities and exalt self-acquisition, avoiding such tasteless and negative topics as personal sins! V. CONCLUSION How I long for people to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, the one that is much deeper and wider than anything found in any American shopping mall. In my home, I want us to return to the second act of Adam’s Play. I want each of us to put on some of the bulbs (apples), perhaps thinking of the sins I have committed in the past year, then attaching them to the tree. I want each family member to put some of the lights on our tree, acknowledging that we are believers in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and that we desire that our light shine in this world. I pray we all follow the light of God’s star which is leading us to His Son, so we can also bow down and worship Him this season. And finally, I pray we all remember that the tree is indeed an Evergreen, that our God never changes and that He still loves us, even when we forget what Christmas is supposed to mean. I leave you with a great Christmas verse that you may have never heard in any church message during this blessed season, but it is uniquely appropriate for this message to you. God says in Hosea 14:8: “O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from me.” Don’t throw out the tree because of its pagan origins; put the Christian meaning back into its symbols. Tell people like my students who do it out of tradition what the symbols stand for. Praise our Father who is Evergreen. Let’s get rid of the idols of Christmas, and let’s keep Christ and His cross in the celebration and in the tree we put up in our living rooms. Merry Christmas to you all. |