06/30/2023 I know it’s July of 2023 already, and (Please!) not time for December yet, but I don’t think it would hurt for me to review some ideas about Christmas Trees. I have reviewed ideas and beliefs I’ve held about the thought of using Christmas Trees as a believer in Jesus and whether or not it’s cultural, or Christian, or both, to do so!. It seems that as a person tries to honestly assess practices they hold in their home as to whether they are supported Scripturally or not, they can face a question like this if they look at any given item in their home closely. There are practices people do in their homes and there are many items people use in their homes. I hope to expound on this comparison. For example, we do own rabbit’s feet in our home, because we are not superstitious, and those items are usually associated with a person have “good luck” or warding off “bad luck”. (I usually think of the verse about “Don’t follow godless myths and old wive’s tales”, so I’m still researching the best verse reference for this). As believers in Jesus, we don’t have menorah’s necessarily, because we are not Jewish, though I would not be opposed to having one. We do not have statues (like a graven image) but we do have a crucifix or two, because we believe in the power of the image of Jesus on the cross, and it helps us. [Having a crucifix is also widely known among exorcists to be instrumental in deliverance prayer]. I know a lady who prayed often for people and used anointing oil in her house. Probably not a bad idea if you use scriptural symbolism ideology attached to doing so. As a family, we like having a plaque or listing of the Ten Commandments, but we don’t have super expensive religious art. We believe in the Ten Commandments delivered to Moses, and don’t necessarily support luxurious items, respectively. I don’t have gnomes in the yard because they look like elves, and in my understanding elves are pagan (and I don’t think there are any gnomes in Heaven).
FAMILY BELIEFS AND PRACTICES
There are lots of examples I could use for what a family might or might not practice based on their belief in Jesus, and their faith association like Christianity, which is our faith association. Not only are there items in the home, but practices in the home are just as important and could be more important. For example, if you “practiced” magic in your home or allowed magic books, this is not in line with Scripture (Acts 19:19). If you watch a movie with a sex scene, then that is irreverent towards the idea of marriage (Hebrews 13:34), no different than anyone else in the world (2 Corinthians 6:17), and also I know that will not be in heaven as (Revelation 3:18). Furthermore, not praying before you eat is a bad practice because God desires the things we put into our bodies to be blessed and if for no other reason, Jesus blessed his food before he ate – so that’s a good idea! Some people think that blessing your food protects you in the spirit realm, and I don’t see why not! Some of these ideas are so obvious when approached even from the outset, and yet some are not. I wanted to reflect on the idea of Christmas Trees and what I have gathered is the way that I subjectively should think about wether or not the use of one of them is good in this point in my life. We are always supposed to have an answer to give to those for the reason of the hope we profess! “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect;” (1 Peter 3:15 NASB) And a Christian-maturing element often not realized in the Christian church at large, is the area of freedom of conscience that a believer can exercise in regards to their personal beliefs as they grow in their own conscience with the Lord. This is best done in the case that the believer (and family) practices whatever the item/food choice/holiday/custom carefully, and not to “put a stumbling block in a person’s path” (See 1 Corinthians 14).
When I got born-again, I felt it was radically responsible for me to try to emulate those who I was learning from about walking with the Lord. I started to view things differently than I did before, and realized that many practices formerly in my life that I chose or that the culture around me chose, I could then (at 19 and 20 years old) find no proof for them to be “spiritual” or “Christian”. For example, I stopped wearing immodest bathing suits (my personal conscience decision), and stayed away from movies that detracted from wholesomeness. The reason I did so was not to run from this thing or that thing, but to run to Jesus! I was so filled with joy at my newfound love, and felt warmth in my spiritual bosom from the Holy Spirit, constantly enthralled that Jesus would speak to me from the Scriptures. Therefore, if there was a thing that I knew Jesus or Paul or the “Bible” spoke against, I tried to stay away from them. Some issues we have to seek out, there may not be direct verses on some issues at times. Like the use of condoms, whether or not God likes pets, or should we always have our children vaccinated? Many perceived that I did make “foolish-looking decisions” for whatever reason, but I was trying to find out what pleased the Lord, not necessarily just what was required of Him. “So we make it our goal to please him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). How could we not want to please a Lord that offers us a chance out of condemnation (Romans 8:1) and into a life of pure joy and fellowship with Him and others!? (1 John 1:7)
Personally, I asked the Lord what to think, and He had already dealt w me on many things I had questions for. When I asked him about tithing, I sought out myself and found in His word in Matthew 23 that Jesus does speak a positive word for tithing but in a roundabout way when speaking against the Pharisees. When I asked him about clothes, I just knew somehow that when I didn’t have enough (clothes) on, I could “feel” that it was wrong, but of course, I sought out more looking towards people I respected in the Lord and what they thought. Then, when I asked about Christmas trees specifically, because I was learning new things about the roots of Christmas trees being pagan, and prayed about it, and knew that I personally liked Christmas lights and trees, but I also didn’t want to have a connection to a bad item if it was bad indeed. After all, isn’t it just a tree, I thought? But part of me knew that I needed to ask God honestly. Then one day I asked Jesus, and specifically I hear back from him, as I had a time or so before, a voice gave me a Scripture reference. At that point, I knew the Bible Ok, but I could not have told you where certain spiritual passages were in the Bible. That was due to my own not having studied it more focused until then. The voice in my heart/spirit/mind spoke “Colossians 2:16”, so I was like, “Yeah” Ok let’s see what this verse is, and I had no idea. Then I was completely floored! As I opened my Bible, I rejoiced alone in my room because I had found the exact verse by asking Jesus a question, the Holy Spirit guided me directly where to go! What a good God! Jesus does answer specifically, if we ask honestly and in doing so show our dependence on what He is about to say.
But let me share what I read when I found the referenced verse in the Bible:
“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath Day” ( Colossians 2:16) AMAZING – this really happened to me! At the time, I understood that to mean that I would (whatever I concluded about Christmas trees) not let others judge me by what I decided. And though I communicated it and implemented it very clumsily, and so there were hurt feelings and 😦 misunderstandings, I did the absolute best try I could with my conscience.
I Am Not Going to Tell Anyone What They Should or Should Not Do With These Trees.
But the item itself is worth the study, learning about its roots, and how the practice came about. There is a History Channel thing called “Christmas Unwrapped” and I will always say that the time invested in study and prayer is WORTH EVERY SECOND figuring out your decisions in the life of faith. If we base our decisions honestly on the Word of God, the rest will pan itself out. The Lord loves a tender heart, a tender conscience and THAT IS WHERE HE DOES HIS BEST WORK!
Since then, I listen to the Lord and I will remain sensitive so that I am yielded to my husband’s faith (which is the same as mine), am sensitive to those around me, and also not forgetting what my precious Lord would take the time to tell me about any given thing I want to ask Him about in this life!
“16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day” (Colossians 2:16)
Figuring out the Lord’s will is wooly, wild, and always Worth The Time!
Rebekah's Reflections 