Advent Tree

Do you have a Christmas tree up this year? Have you ever paused to think about why we have a tree at Christmas?

The symbolism of the Christmas tree, or Advent tree, as it’s called before the arrival of Christmas, was brought to my attention at church last week.

Shape: the tree is a triangle, representing the Trinity, the Triune Godhead, the Three-in-One. The shape of the triangle also points toward Heaven, as reminder to keep our focus on God, and our perspective above our earthly temporary circumstances.

Color: the tree is green as a fresh and live tree. This symbolizes life. You could interpret that as new life coming down from Heaven as the baby Jesus, or the life of a living faith that we celebrate through the years.

Décor: we usually decorate the tree with various ornaments, including lights and symbols of things that are important to us. The act of decoration symbolizes the beauty God sees in us, as the Church, his Bride, gets ready for Christ the Bridegroom to come.

Lights: the tree is usually brightly lit with strands of light. This symbol reminds us that Christ is the Light of the world. The lights from the tree look the most beautiful and appear the brightest in the darkest place. We are reminded to let our lights shine forth with the light of Christ in us to a dark and sinful world.

Water: let us not forget to water the tree so the tree will have life and the needles (leaves) will stay moist and supple, not grow dry, brittle, or fall off. This is a reminder to us to grow our roots down deep into the Word of God, drinking in the Source of our power & growth & life from the wellspring of life that will never run dry.

Take a new look at your Christmas tree today. “Sit a spell” and meditate on all the symbols you can find that have meaning for your life not only in this special season, but all the days of your life.