The Light Hung on the The Tree.

[Tenchi]

Acts 5:30-31
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him has God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
​

At Christmas time there are always questions Christians ask about the pagan origins of the Christmas tree. Mostly, the questions arise from the mistaken reasoning of the Genetic Fallacy about which far too many Christians are ignorant. Essentially, the fallacy rejects a thing on the basis of its origin rather than on its actual substance. In the case of the Christmas tree, some Christians have made a vague connection between the modern Christmas tree and pagan practices of millennia ago and so, the Christmas tree is therefore pagan. Never mind that none of the pagan purposes or beliefs connected to the use of evergreen trees accompany the modern Christian's use of the Christmas tree. All that matters is that one can form a tenuous bridge between ancient, pagan religious rituals and the Christmas tree of today.

Well, employ this faulty reasoning to any born-again person. Prior to their salvation, the Bible characterizes lost people in a very unflattering way:

Titus 3:3
3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

Colossians 1:21
21...you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,

Ephesians 2:1-3
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

This is the "origin story" of every born-again child of God! The Genetic Fallacy would prompt us to think that, given the origin of the saved person, they must be forever confined to their sinful origin, nothing changing about them, the darkness and sin of their past defining them no matter how removed from such things they are in their lives. But do we actually think this way about ourselves as believers? Do we hold this attitude toward our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? Of course not. We understand that things change, that people may grow and alter, losing all connection to their past. Are we not, as born-again believers, "new creatures in Christ" for whom "old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new"? (2 Corinthians 5:17) The mistaken reasoning of the Genetic Fallacy, though, would have us pin the Christian inextricably to their "origin story" and reject them accordingly - just as is done by some with the Christmas Tree.

An evergreen tree adorned with garland, and ornaments, and lights in the home of a Christian today has no more connection, then, to pagan practices of the ancient past than any born-again believer who has been "delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God's dear Son" (Colossians 1:13) is still a child of the devil, bound under his damning power. Whatever vague parallel's one might make to past pagan practices, today the Christmas Tree is symbolic of many wonderful truths concerning the life and saving work of Jesus Christ.

God's "Christmas Tree" was the cross of Calvary on which was hung the Light of the World. The lights on the Christmas Tree in your home are a brilliant reminder of this fact. "In him was Life and the Life was the Light of men," the Bible says (John 1:4). Jesus is the "true Light who lights all who come into the world" (John 1:9), shining brightly in the darkness, leading all who wish to be free of it into Life and joy in God. But making a way for us to be reconciled to our holy Creator required paying the penalty divine justice demanded. Our sin could not be swept aside; God's holiness and justice could not shrug and wink at our sin. And so, Jesus was hung on a "tree," the Light of the World lifted up in suffering to be "sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteous of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

What a profound symbol, then, that the twinkling lights on your Christmas Tree can be! Not merely something to delight your eye, those lights can speak of the True Light who hung upon The Tree, giving his life in atonement for your sin that you might receive the gift of eternal life and fellowship with God.

John 1:29
29 ...Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Revelation 3:20
20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

 

[Tenchi]

I have no idea why I wrote the possessive form of "parallel"...