The

Christmas Tree.

I love it.

I really do.

Soft light.

Cold night.

Nat King Cole Christmas album playing in the background.

Beverage of your choosing.

Peace.

Quiet.

Contentment.

But then always, always, without fail, somebody over the course of the Holidays is going to say:

"Well the Christmas tree is just a pagan symbol anyway."

(More like was :-).

It's like they think with one superficial, depth lacking utterance they have just debunked your entire faith.

I mean that's how they say it.

Like it's one big 

"HA!" 

Gottcha!

Like you have never heard of such a thing before.

Well?

Not quite.

The next time I hear somebody say this I'm going to politely ask them why it was that the pagans of northern/eastern Europe Scandinavia etc saw the evergreen tree as special, particularly in the winter months?

I betcha not a one could answer.

Not a one.

Thats my bet.

This isn't their point they are trying to make.

So why bother knowing?

So, I would politely inform them that to the pagans, 

the evergreen tree symbolized life in the barrenness and isolation of winter.

Sound man made?

Or does that sound like it might have been divinely inspired?

Drew?

Pagans were divinely inspired?

Come on man.

Remember:

Colossians 1:17

"For in Him all things were created, 

things in heaven and on earth, 

visible and invisible, 

whether thrones or dominions 

or rulers or authorities. 

All things were created through Him and for Him."

All things.

Not some.

All.

All that ever was.

All that is.

All that there is ever to be.

He created it for his purpose.

Pagans included.

If you don't wanna recognize it?

Thats your business but it won't change anything.

Here's what non-believers don't wanna admit.

Most religions contain some truth 

but only one religion contains all the truth.

This is why I like Sufism, Rasta etc. 

I see truth there. 

But I only see all the truth in one place, 

in one book 

with way to many prophecies still coming true even to this day.

Anyway :-). 

(You know whose voice )

So yes, the Pagans could have been divinely inspired to have the interpretation of the Evergreen tree as symbolizing life in the middle of winter exactly correct.

Thats my premise I'm going to work under.

When I first heard of what the symbolism of the evergreen tree represented for the Pagans?

 Wanna take a guess what jumped to my mind first and foremost?

Joel Two.

Rebirth.

Better than before.

Not just as good as.

Better than.

The winter would be the Locust Army invasion 

and the tree God's message of renewal that is coming afterwards.

It reminded me of Moses in the desert striking the rock with his staff to bring forth living water.

Numbers 20:10-11

"He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, 

“Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 

Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. 

Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank."

The desert would be the winter and the water of life the hope that is the evergreen tree.

It reminded me of the hope of Christ in a spiritual wasteland.

Christ being the tree and the wasteland being the winter.

The point is, the Pagans had the symbolism right.

You can apply what I'm going to say here to other things as well, 

whether it be about the goddess Ishtar and Easter 

or any other pagan assimilation into the Christian church.

The church didn't become Pagan, the Pagans became Christian..

Look, here is how this all works boiled down in a nutshell.

When the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity he had the pagan names literally chiseled off of  their temples and replaced with the names of Christian martyrs/saints.

The Pagan temples literally became places of Christian worship.

Non-believers wanna say: "see, look, it's all a lie, it's all based on paganism blah blah blah..."

No, no it's not.

How about God used the pagans to build his temples for him?

(See Colossians 1:17 again if need be)

How about that interpretation?

Pretty slick huh?

Have another party do your dirty work for you, then your people enjoy the benefits?

If it was the other way around?

If it was the Christians who were used to build the temples for the Pagans?

These very same non-believers would be hucking it up talking about how the Christians got played etc.

But since it didn't quite go that way, 

they want to say that Christianity is based on paganism.

You could fall down dead in front of them and resurrect yourself three days later and they still wouldn't believe some of them.

They will just go on and try and find another excuse to live their lives like there is no judgement, no eternity etc.

The one article sums it up perfectly.

God doesn't just convert people.
God converts cultures, symbols, traditions and celebrations as well.

Period.

I wouldn't worship a tree or a wreath even if it produced gifts all on it's own.
Because I know who made the tree or the material for the wreath.
And I know he did it for his own purpose.


Sorry I couldn't boil it all down to a FB meme.
NOT!

I really don't think that Christians as a whole know their faith as well as they should
and therefore we do a horrible job defending it at times.

So the next time somebody starts blabbing about how the Christmas Tree is pagan
in an attempt to deride your faith?

Well?

At least you'll have some ammunition on your side to defend yourself with.

Peace.










http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2008/december/why-do-we-have-christmas-trees.html