Recently, I read this passage (Jeremiah 10:2-4) for the first time:
"This is what the LORD says:
Do not learn the way of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the heavens,
although the nations are terrified by them,
for the customs of the peoples are worthless.
Someone cuts down a tree from the forest;
[it is] worked by the hands of a craftsman with a chisel.
He decorates it with silver and gold.
It is fastened with hammer and nails,
so it won't totter."
Kinda ironic that I'm writing this post now, if you notice that my previous post is all about our Christmas decorations. It's clear that this passage warns us of the dangers of worshiping idols, and it only takes a little bit of research to see that many Christmastime traditions have pagan origins. As I watch my Christmas tree lights blink, I ask: what does that mean for me?
I think that whether or not I put up a Christmas tree is irrelevant, but singing "O Christmas Tree" does seem rather creepy after reading those verses in Jeremiah. I don't know anyone who worships a Christmas tree as an idol, but I know many who worship material things, or allow the materialism of the secular holiday season to take over what should be a beautiful time of remembering what God did in sending His Son to be born as a man on earth so that He could one day die on a cross to pay for our sins.
I believe this really comes down to the essential question that we who claim to follow Christ should be asking ourselves every day: who or what do we worship? Not just at Christmas, but any time? Do our daily lives reflect what we claim to believe?
I think that whether or not I put up a Christmas tree is irrelevant, but singing "O Christmas Tree" does seem rather creepy after reading those verses in Jeremiah. I don't know anyone who worships a Christmas tree as an idol, but I know many who worship material things, or allow the materialism of the secular holiday season to take over what should be a beautiful time of remembering what God did in sending His Son to be born as a man on earth so that He could one day die on a cross to pay for our sins.
I believe this really comes down to the essential question that we who claim to follow Christ should be asking ourselves every day: who or what do we worship? Not just at Christmas, but any time? Do our daily lives reflect what we claim to believe?
