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Under the Christmas Tree

by Nicholas Lewis  
12/25/2014 / Holidays


You're probably nestling into the couch these mornings and calmly or frantically looking at the elegant or gaudy Christmas tree in your cozy iconic holiday living room. The lights on the pine tree glisten and reflect off the glass ornaments while the stockings hang not too far off. Soon the empty space under the tree will be covered with gifts covered to surprise loved ones. Maybe you start to remember all the shopping you have to do or maybe you cling onto that moment when you realize the excitement of the Christmas holiday, the largest holiday in America. But ask yourself

You ever wonder what Christmas is really all about? Growing up in church for practically my whole life, I could easily say that it was all about Jesus Christ being born and coming into this world. But I couldn't find the comparison with the holiday as celebrated in modern America and Jesus in the manger. Where did Santa, reindeers, jingle bells, and pumpkin pie come into the mix? And the Christmas tree and all the presents? I didn't realize this insight until a week ago while I sat in the youth group class and a good friend of mine began to tell the Christmas story. Except he didn't start when Jesus Christ was born in a manger. Nope. He opened the Bible to Genesis. You see the Christmas story is about God sending a savior to save a world destined for destruction because of sin and evil. When did sin enter the world? It was through Adam and Eve back in the first book of the Bible (Genesis 3) when they lived in the garden of Eden.

You see God told Adam after He made him, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Genesis 2:16-17). This was a warning to stay away from disobedience which led to death, but both Adam and Eve gave into the temptation when the devil tempted them. With this came judgement because justice had to be served. God prepared them for the long journey ahead by clothing them and sending them out of the garden and into the wilderness. Man was now in need of a redeemer who would pay for their sins if they were to once again truly live and have a restored relationship with their creator. Drum roll..thousands of years later and God fulfills His promise of sending His Son Jesus Christ to save mankind and restore that relationship for those who believe in His Son. This is the event known as Christmas.

A lot of Christians do not realize that there was actually another tree in that garden. Genesis 3:23-24 says, "therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned everyday, to guard the way to the tree of life." What or who is the tree of life? You've guessed it! Jesus Christ! You see Adam and Eve was now separated from Christ, the Son of God (Despite differing views Jesus Christ did exist before creation and has always existed as a person of the trinity).

Maybe you have put the clues together, but let me ask you now. What does the Christmas tree in your living room symbolize? It represents the tree of life, Jesus Christ, who was given to us as a savior from our sins. It only gets better though. You see God is a father to His adopted children (those who accept and believe in Jesus Christ, the Christmas gift). Those who repent of their sins and accept him now are sons and if sons then also heirs as the apostle Paul writes (Romans 8:14-17). We are heirs to Christ's rich and glorious gifts. These are the gifts of a renewed relationship with God, a renewed heart, a renewed body in coming time, a renewed mind, and a renewed community with other adopted children.

Romans 8:32 says, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things." Those "things" are the gifts under the Christmas tree. It is all those gifts as shown in the last paragraph. God never withholds a good gift from His children, but offers them freely to us. The best part is that if you accept and believe in Him, by grace you are saved. You don't have to be naughty or nice to be saved by grace. You see while we were still naughty Christ came to town and offered eternal life to all who call on Him and repent. That offer is the gift and when you accept that everything else good under it comes sliding down the chimney.

God gave his Son for you in complete and more than abundant grace. So your heart is overfilled with joy at the Christ-mas tree, beneath it empty. Will not God give us all good things freely also? So be overjoyed this Christmas seasoning. In Christ it's never empty under the Christmas treeeternally never.

My name is Nicholas Lewis and am currently studying to be a biblical counselor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and am also helping jumpstart a youth group at a local church. My hope is to also someday become a published Christian writer. Email: five [email protected]

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