The Christmas Tree

What makes up the modern Christmas celebrations? Each new generation develops different ways of celebrating Christmas from the previous. So what we have in 2012 is an eclectic mix of items. At it's core, Christ-mas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. However, over the years, many of the sights and sounds that we associated with Christmas have varying relevance to the story of Christmas as presented to us in the Bible.

Some items have a tenuous link to Christianity. Santa started off from the legend of a Christian saint - Nicholas. Now he's the red coated, white bearded gent who lives at the North Pole, has elves, makes toys and delivers them to every child in the world on a flying sleigh pulled by Rudolph and his friends. Complete fantasy and obviously nothing to do with Jesus Christ. Then what about robins, yule logs, feasting - all the marks of pagan midwinter festivals. On top of that we add Charles Dickens and the Sound of Music.

In my video we saw that the Christmas tree has slightly nobler origins than many other Christian traditions, but only if we see it for what it is supposed to represent - a welcoming of Jesus Christ.

Now there's nothing wrong with having a good time. But if we miss Jesus out of Christmas, we miss the most important part.

Why? Because, God himself was entering the world as a baby? And the purpose? To open a way by which God could make us part of his family. And Jesus, the man opened a way by which of us can know God.

Do you know God? You can know him through Jesus, because in his death Jesus opened the way by which each man and each woman can come to know Go. Not just for some point in the future, but now. He wants to make a difference to our lives today.

It's not something he forces on us. He gives us the choice. When Jesus came, many people heard what he had to say. Some didn't believe him, but there were many who did. And there are countless millions in the world today who have found that out for themselves. And this Christmas, Jesus is offering that to you to.

Have a great Christmas!