May Our Tree Shines Bright

Thinking still on waiting and on hope.

Have you heard why we put lights on our Christmas Trees? History.com says this,

It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.

Whether it is true or not that he was the first, I think we can believe the story or at least the sentiment. God's creation is beautiful and inspiring. It wells up in us the desire to capture it and share it, although nothing can adequately mimic the our experience in God's creation, we long to share it, sing of it, capture it.

As our hearts indulge in the strange joy of our lit Christmas trees, somehow stirring up a remembering year's past and longing for newness in the celebrations ahead and a contentment all the while. Our Christmas lights remind us of the stars who were sung into existence at the beginning of time but the powerful and mysterious breath of our Creator. They have seen generations of newness, of death, of war, of peace; they have been guiding lights and marked countless days. They shone brightly and stood as a guide to a Savior. They will stand as guards in the night well after each of us have passed from this earth.

As we look up into the night sky or at the twinkling of our tree's lights, may the depths of our heart long for that day when the stars great light will be needed no more. May we look into the stars and into the varied holiday orbs and have a spark of hope thinking towards the day that we will have no need of light or lamp or sun.

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.

What a glorious tradition we have! Hung on the evergreen trees as timeless as this earth can muster, a reminder that life in Christ is forever more. Twinkling on the trees, wrapped on every branch, a reminder of the heavens that were and are and will be made new. There stands in our living room a living reminder of hope and joy. May our hearts not be lost in the tradition, but be sparked with a flame of hope, of joy, of peace as we close the year behind and begin a new one. May our hearts be filled with thanksgiving and with sparks hope and perseverance because the day of rejoicing may be long away. But today, as I look at the lights I have hope and awe; somehow they envelop the past, the present and the future and strike a mysterious contented hope for the days ahead.