I remember when I first heard that some Christians don't put up Christmas trees. I was surprised, but I wasn't judgmental. After all, Paul talks about living according to the faith God has given you, and but being a stumbling block to those whose faith is weak (I'm not saying people who don't put up Christmas trees have weaker faith, I'm just quoting what Paul said). I've always taken that to mean that if you have a minor disagreement about something with a fellow believer, such as whether or not you put up a Christmas tree, you need to let God be their guide, and follow him yourself with the grace he gives you to do so. Aka, let it slide.
But ever since then I've been thinking about why I put up a Christmas tree. My experience is that if I look hard enough at something and listen well, God can put a lesson in almost anything. So what does a decorated pine tree have to do with Jesus coming to earth as a baby to save us from our sins? This year, I found my answer. And I found it in the song O Christmas Tree:
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Your branches green delight us
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Your branches green delight us
They're green when summer days are bright
They're green when winter show is white
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Your branches green delight us
The word that instantly sprang to my mind when I read that verse was "faithful". The second word was "evergreen". Of course! Pine trees stay green no matter the season and no matter the weather. Just like God is faithful no matter the circumstances. And he proved it at Christmas time. Have you ever counted how many promises and prophecies were fulfilled when Jesus was born? The whole story is stuffed full of them! Therefore the lesson is this: no matter how long it takes, God is faithful to keep his promises and to fulfill his prophecies. And we can be reminded of that every time we read the story of Jesus's birth and every time we look at a Christmas tree.
