CHRISTMAS TREE
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I recall a Christmas (notice it says Christ) tree that was topped by a star that represented the star that led the three wise men to the greatest gift ever given, Jesus.
The angels said, "Peace on earth and goodwill towards all men upon whom God's favor rests."
This favor comes through faith in Jesus.
I received this gift when someone read John 3:16 to me.
Tinsel that reflected God-given light.
Bulbs that to me represent the fulness of God's love toward all people.
Lights that filled the dark room with warmth.
A tree cut from the wild and firmly fit into the stable Christmas tree stand.
Under it were gifts given to each other out of love for the ultimate gift given to us, though we didn't deserve it.
This was one day that our family came together.
This should be called a worship tree, an expression of our response to our heavenly Father and His unchanging love towards each one of us!
He is the Great Transformer!
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our LORD and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever!" Revelation 11:15b NIV
Merry Christmas!
Perception matters
Member
Doesn’t every so called “house of god”” do that? It’s a spiritual thing, the physical cutting down of a tree doesn’t affect anything.
how many churches cut down that tree and bring it into their own house and decorate it just the way they like, then out gifts under it and say, it was god that did it?
how many different versions of Jesus are there? Every house has a different version of what they think he should be.
Deuteronomy 20:19
how many churches cut down that tree and bring it into their own house and decorate it just the way they like, then out gifts under it and say, it was god that did it?
how many different versions of Jesus are there? Every house has a different version of what they think he should be.
Deuteronomy 20:19
Perception matters
Member
All of Our Christian traditions have deeper spiritual significance, there is a reason for them.
there is a reason the bridesmaids dress the bride, there is a reason her father comes to get her and walk her down that straight and narrow isle.
most never see it, because their minds are set on the physical things and never consider the spiritual things, and the lessons our traditions teach.
there is a reason the bridesmaids dress the bride, there is a reason her father comes to get her and walk her down that straight and narrow isle.
most never see it, because their minds are set on the physical things and never consider the spiritual things, and the lessons our traditions teach.
Perhaps every 'house' as you are using the word house here does have a different version, but really there is only one, Jesus. However, every 'house' [our body, the house] that contains Him may have a different vision of Him dependent on where they are in their walk toward Him. We are seeing now, [if not completely blind spiritually] through a glass darkly so how clear is His Face to us? How close are we to the "face to face" vision which we all should be seeking?
Perception matters
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The house I’m talking about are the churches those spiritual “bodies” with many members of which men make themselves the head of. Where you have a Baptist version of Jesus, a catholic version, a Lutheran version, etc...., even within those sects, there are many different versions where they decorate him to their own fancy. Then commune together showing his death, while claiming he lives.
Yes, we need to join ourselves to the way of John the Baptist getting our heads cut off [spiritually] and having only the one Head: Jesus!
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@VictoryinJesus Good to keep 'looking unto Jesus' (Hebrews 12.2), right?we used to put up a real tree many years ago. Now it is an artificial one with the lights built in. It goes into the basement afterwards, until the following year when it gets whatever ornaments made it through the previous year of the kids playing with them.
What is an idol seems up to an individual. It could be anything. (Imo) An idol could be a car; admiring its shine. polishing and buffing out every scratch and even sometimes giving your car a name. a tree could be an idol, but not always. My mother is ninety and forgets from day to day, sometimes within hours...repeating “did you see the little tree I put up”? I tell her “I saw it” and how pretty it is. She loves watching the lights change colors. At ninety she doesn’t go out much and that tree with its lights ...she mentions loving to watch the lights change colors every time I’m over there.
Hope you can have some quality time with your mother.
"By the early Middle Ages, the legend had grown that when Christ was born in the dead of winter, every tree throughout the world miraculously shook off its ice and snow and produced new shoots of green. At the same time, Christian missionaries preaching to Germanic and Slavic peoples were taking a more lenient approach to cultural practices—such as evergreen trees. These missionaries believed that the Incarnation proclaimed Christ's lordship over those natural symbols that had previously been used for the worship of pagan gods. Not only individual human beings, but cultures, symbols, and traditions could be converted."
Like a lot of things, the question is what does it mean to you?
No way!
It says people are terrified, don’t forget that part. so they take wood and carve and adorn it, thinking it will protect them from what they fear.
Is THAT what your heart is doing when you pick out and adorn a tree? Of course it isn’t.
He’s concerned with your heart, Nancy. A day is coming when He will judge all the secret thoughts of our hearts.
in terms of what we rich westerners might be making out of wood, adorning and then trusting in to keep us safe, it would be a house maybe but not a Christmas tree.
@TLHKAJ Sometimes less is more, isn't it? and my parents' generation often had to make do with very few gifts or special meals, and yet they were evidently so happy and content...I hear you. What's hard is that children are so conditioned and used to getting presents at Christmastime. They're being trained up in a secular mindset that is rooted in selfish gain, competition with peers over who got what for Christmas, etc ...and they usually don't even appreciate it a month later. And like you said, the stress of trying to please everyone on your list ...trying to skip bills to buy gifts, or feel inadequate if you can't ...like it's some life or death issue that we don't get gifts or can't spend $2,000 on meaningless gifts...just not worth it. Most people don't put emphasis on Jesus's birth at Christmastime, which is evident in the after-season suicide rates.
If we want to celebrate His birth, we should remove all the secular and pagan aspects and just honestly, from the heart, celebrate HIM.
And since there is more opportunity to be a blessing at that time, with sales events, and time off work, it is a good time to do some volunteer work. Take a fraction of that money and find a homeless person (or a few homeless people) ....buy them some food, a jacket, or socks, a Bible. But don't get caught up with trying to live up to what the world expects or sees as important.
This is the day the Lord has made....every day is His!
Those are my thoughts, anyways.
Yes, this is and has been my conclusion...even back when I first came across this verse
I think that the key is that all we do, we should do it as unto the Lord. When He brings something out in His Word, we should humbly consider it and ask Him what He wants to show us. We each have to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Nothing is too much to surrender to Him if that's what He is requiring of us (individually).
@TLHKAJ No replacement for our individual digging into the Word and seeking the Lord's will and guidance...
I woke one night when I was 17 to find I was paralyzed with fear.
I couldn't move, I couldn't think.
Standing by the end of my bed was what looked like a 3 1/2 foot-tall Christmas tree.
It was covered with what looked like little flames.
I sensed there was something or someone in it.
The name Jesus dropped into my head and as fast a darkness disappears when A LIGHT IS TURNED ON, it was gone.
I rolled over and went back to sleep.
I couldn't move, I couldn't think.
Standing by the end of my bed was what looked like a 3 1/2 foot-tall Christmas tree.
It was covered with what looked like little flames.
I sensed there was something or someone in it.
The name Jesus dropped into my head and as fast a darkness disappears when A LIGHT IS TURNED ON, it was gone.
I rolled over and went back to sleep.
Ronald David Bruno
Well-Known Member
We have the Nativity story in the Bible. It's very descriptive. When Jesus was born, where He was born and who was there. Angels, shepherds and others gathered and worshipped Jesus and wise men traveled far to give Him gifts. In the 4th century, gift giving was done by a real Saint Nicholas who gave to orphan/poor kids and this giving spread along with this Bishop of Myra being honored, and copied throughout generations. Let's dress him up, give him a nice royal looking coat, yes and let's express his love, his cheerful giving. It became a tradition, to give to one another - what a concept!
Legend holds that St. Boniface, a Monk was spreading the Gospel throughout Germania in the 8th Century. He came across a village of Druids who worshipped trees, believing their were spirits in them. He told them that there were no spirits in the trees and that to prove it, he would chop down the largest of the trees in the forest the next day. They were fearful, warning him that evil would come upon him if he did it. He did, nothing happened and he dedicated the tree to the true God, our Lord Jesus. The evergreen was chosen, it became a tradition and decorating it followed and eventually lights, heavenly angels. What's wrong with that? As long as we know the true meaning is about our Lord's birth, God allows us to worship Him in our own ways, feast, gather together, etc.
To JW's out there, you've been ripped off from celebrating just about anything except your marriage or anniversary. Look at all the feasts in the Bible. God wants us to enjoy life, celebrate Him by having feasts. We always are thankful to Him, give praise, then serve the fatted calf or whatever, poor a little wine, share, dance and sing.
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