Intro: First tree was
decorated during Spanish-American war. 1851
- Lutheran church in Cleveland OH. Chrismon
tree in Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Danville VA.
Does the tree have a rightful place in the church, home?
Yes, the tree represents Christ.
The meaning of the tree:
Scripture Text: Matt 2:1 (KJS)
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the
king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying,
Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the
east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard [these
things], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had
gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he
demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In
Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou
Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of
Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people
Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of
them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to
Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when
ye have found [him], bring me word again, that I may come and worship him
also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star,
which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over
where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with
exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the
young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and
when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold,
and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they
should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another
way.
I.
Why a tree: The
tree represents the tree that God planted in the Garden of Eden to allow
people the choice to walk with him. Also, the tree represents the tree that
God chose to plant that would be the tree on which his Son would be crucified.
We choose to bring a tree in our house to represent the presence of God
in our lives. We accept the tree
and all that it represents.
II. Shape
- pointed, arrow-headed, sharp needles. Christians
should be sharp & pointed. The
point is always up and shows that we need to point others to Jesus.
We point up.
A. Well-rounded - not
one-sided or holey. Areas left
out of our Christian lives.
B. Full - full of peace,
joy, happiness in Christ.
III.
Type - The evergreen shows the everlasting life that we have in Christ.
We will never die just as the tree does not die.
IV. Decorations
- Everything points to Christ.
A. Star - Bright &
morning star - star of hope.
B. Angel - Spoke to
Zacharias, Mary, Joseph, to shepherds
C. Lights - lights should
be constant and bright. Power
comes from God.
(Mat.
5:14-16) Shining the light for God.
D.
Cross - Christ died for us. Have
you died for Him?
V.
Gifts:
God has given us the gift of life through the One who hung on a tree for
us. As the wise men gave Him
gifts we give gifts to honor the Him who gave us the gift of eternal life.
We honor him who gave us his only begotten Son.
We honor our loved ones and others with the gift of eternal life.