Carnival to Festival: Christmas Tree

This past Sunday, we talked at length about moving our Christmas celebration beyond the Carnival of Activity. Instead, the holiday season ought to serve as a liturgy for the Festival of the Nativity. When we do this, all of our traditions invariably point to the reason for the season and help us to cut through all of the distractions.

Let’s use the Christmas Tree as an example. How can we move its use beyond just a fun, inherited cultural tradition? Instead, how can we use it as an instrument of our holiday worship? There are at least two ways you can do this:

𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝟮:𝟵-𝟭𝟬 — 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘫𝘰𝘺!

(1) When you see a star sitting on top of a Christmas Tree this year, almost hovering over all the wrapped gifts below, remember that special star that came to rest over the manger on that first Christmas, where God’s gift to the world lay wrapped in cloths below.

𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝟱:𝟯𝟬 — 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦.

(2) As you take joy in the ornaments you’ve hung with great care and intentionality, don’t forget that Jesus, more beautiful than any ornament, was intentionally hung on a tree to bring you the greatest joy.

I’m praying that every time we look at a Christmas Tree this year, it will transcend its typical nostalgia and lead us into a deeper sense of gratitude for Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas,

PAC.