Which Tree Means Christmas For You?

Why does this celebration of the birth of a baby so long ago continue to be repeated every year?

Is this your experience of Christmas? A welcoming atmosphere with a tree beautifully adorned, where family and friends come together to celebrate love for each other and exchange gifts?

$6.4 billion dollars have been spent by advertisers at the close of 2018 in Christmas advertising to make sure profit is made over the holiday season. When the celebrations are over and the reality of how much we’ve gone into debt for this celebration looms it makes you wonder, why do we repeat this ritual every year as repayment of credit card debt becomes a nightmare?

Why is this celebration about the birth of a baby so long ago repeated every year? Is this what Christmas is about?

Glancing through Facebook this afternoon I came across this image of a skull tree for sale for a 50% discount.

At first glance this tree shocked me. That someone could create a tree representing death, the opposite of peace, love and the joy of Christmas. However this can be the saddest time of year for some, with reminders of pain and loss. Sadly this is a time when some take their lives because sadness is too much.

This tree representing death more than life appears as a mockery of all that Jesus cane to change. Accompanying comments were favourable to this image with many saying they LOVE IT!

But Christmas has everything to do with love. The way we celebrate it wrongly reflects it’s meaning!
It’s all about us receiving a gift, but not from each other.

The Bible speaks about an Angelic Encounter…
That night, in a field near Bethlehem, there were shepherds watching over their flocks. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared in radiant splendour before them, lighting up the field with the blazing glory of God, and the shepherds were terrified! But the angel reassured them, saying, “Don’t be afraid. For I have come to bring you good news, the most joyous news the world has ever heard! And it is for everyone everywhere! For today in Bethlehem a rescuer was born for you. He is the Lord Yahweh, the Messiah. You will recognise him by this miracle sign: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a feeding trough!” Luke 2:8-11 TPT

This tree is unusual, with a reminder of the death involved in Christmas we can often forget.

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Just like we have to work hard to earn a living, to be disciplined if we expect to succeed, nothing worthwhile comes easy.

For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. These will be his royal titles: “Wonderful,” “Counsellor,” “The Mighty God,” “The Everlasting Father,” “The Prince of Peace.”

’God had to send Jesus, that baby we celebrate each year, to one die be sacrificed for us before we could experience the joy, peace, love God desired for us. Isaiah 9:6 TLB

“God did not send his Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Saviour and rescue it! John 3:17 TPT

My prayer is that Christmas for you will be a time of joy, love and peace as you see the true meaning of Christmas and take advantage of His indescribable gift just for you!

Please share this message and help to bring light and hope to someone else’s world! 2018 Elaine Costin – Capturing Sunrise / Blog