Look at your Christmas tree. Really, take some time and stare at your Christmas tree. If you don’t have one, take a few moments today to find a pine or fir tree and study it. Imagine that the tree is covered in snow and glistening in the moon light. This is what inspired Martin Luther to hang candles on a tree, which started the tradition of stringing lights on the Christmas tree.
Now, imagine one of the candles falling off the tree and starting a fire in the house. Oh, well, maybe you can leave that part out of your imagination!
Notice a few things about the Christmas tree. Green represents life. The pine and fir trees never lose their color like all the other trees in the forest. We call them evergreen trees, and this combined with their green color represent everlasting life.
Unlike the other trees in the forest, the pine and fir trees are triangular in shape. The shape reminds us of the Trinity – God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. They are three yet one in unity and communion. The bottom row of branches on the tree is circular. Walk around the tree, and there is no end or beginning. There is no beginning and no end with God.
Now, look more closely. Just make sure no squirrels jump out at you. The trunk of the tree grows out of the ground straight to the top. In Isaiah 11:10, we read, “Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.” Then, in John 15:5, we read, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
Christ is the trunk of the church. All of the branches and needles on the pine or fir tree obtain their sustenance from the trunk. Christ is the head of the church, and we the people, the needles, are connected to the trunk. No one needle is greater than the other, and all of the needles are united in one common trunk, just like the church is united together in Christ.
In Ezekiel 17:23, Daniel 4:12, and Matthew 13:32, just to list a few, birds find their rest in the branches of stately trees. This could symbolize many things, but because they are not connected to the tree, it could symbolize the church’s acts of kindness and righteousness in the world to intervene in human suffering.
The top of the tree points to heaven and reminds us to look up to God, that God is in the heavens, and reminds us to look to God. The majesty of the tree pointing to the heavens serves a similar purpose as the steeple of a church, pointing us to the heavens where God dwells.
We often decorate Christmas trees with lights, and those lights represent the church shining the light of Christ into a dark world. As I write this post, it is still dark outside, and the Christmas tree lights are the only illumination in the room. Christ is the light of the world (John 12:46), and He has made us a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6, Matthew 5:14, Acts 13:47).
The idea of bringing an evergreen tree into the home during the winter goes back centuries, if not thousands of years. During cold, dark winters, the tree brought encouragement and a reminder that life survives in harsh times. Superstitious powers were attributed to evergreen trees. Think back to a time before electricity and easy heat at the push of a button. Existing in harsh winters was difficult, and the tree symbolizes life when everything else appeared to be dead. With feet of snow on the ground and everything frozen, people were often largely home-bound during the winter, and the evergreen tree was a bright spot during this season.
In the darkness of sin, the gospel of Christ comes into a dark world to bring hope and everlasting life. The strength and grace of the Holy Spirit help us live out the Christian life. Some may argue that pagan practices hijacked a Christian holiday. By all appearances, Christ gave us these symbols in creation to point us to Him. This is the thrust of Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
Those who use these symbols, such as evergreen trees, are headed in the right direction. If we engage in a little cross-cultural missions, the evergreen tree could easily be used with the Scriptures in this post as an aid to believe on Christ.
Like this post? Subscribe to stay up to date on new posts.