Christmas Thoughts

There are a few other sights in nature which point us to Christ and have come to symbolize Christmas. Once again, naysayers claim that pagan worship of the winter solstice hijacked the Christmas holiday. I say, “Not so fast.” For centuries, and probably for thousands of years, these plants have been revered as holding special powers.

Consider, for example, holly, poinsettias, and the Christmas cactus. The colors are red and green, but only at certain times of the year, usually coinciding with the Christmas season. These are plants found in the northern hemisphere. There may be similar plants in the southern hemisphere. Much of what you and I identify with originates in the northern hemisphere.

Long ago, superstitious powers were attributed to the holly, in particular, because it not only remained green during the harsh winter but bore fruit. The red fruit reminds us of the blood of Christ, and the evergreen leaves remind us that Christ is eternal. The harsh winter symbolizes the crucifixion when the blood of Christ was shed on the cross.

In our own lives, we can recall difficult times which represented spiritual growth and increased faith in Christ. These plants do not simply retain their color during the winter season but thrive in harsh conditions.

Christ says in John 12:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” This is one of the hardest lessons for us to learn and to embody. Primarily, I believe this verse must be read as surrendering selfishness and our dearest ambitions and desires. When we lay down ourselves and yield our self-will over to Christ, the result is the fruit which He desires that we bear for the kingdom of heaven.

Truly, yielding up our dearest desires and ambitions is counter-intuitive. It is also counter-intuitive that difficulty and suffering in life produces sweet fruit. This is the lesson we learn from Christ and the image of plants in nature.