Most Christians have adopted the custom of putting up a Christmas tree. Have you thought much about how your Christmas tree can be a faith expression? Let’s take a look at the start of the evergreen’s place in our celebration of Jesus’ birth.
In the 7th century a monk from Devonshire went to Germany to teach the word of God. Legend has it that he used the triangular shape of the fir tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The converted people began to revere the fir tree as God’s tree. By the 12th century it was being hung, upside-down, from ceilings at Christmas time in Central Europe, as a symbol of Christianity.
The Christmas tree is a place for creativity; it fuels nostalgia and speaks to what is important to us. Let’s remember that Christmas originally served to give witness to faith. How do our Christmas trees glorify God and bear witness to our faith today?
This message is excerpted from “The Colors of Christmas,” a 2009 resource of the Women of the ELCA, written by Bonnie B. Belasic.
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