The smell of Christmas is one of my favorite experiences during the holiday season. Though we use an artificial tree, I make sure I have evergreen boughs somewhere in the house because I love their fragrance. I do not lean too much in the direction of bling when it comes to decorations, but I am drawn to greenery. I like the ones filled with holly berries and pinecones, and such. Even in my outdoor garden, I prefer foliage and shrubs more than flowers and blossoms. I even like all the little subtle ways mistletoe can be integrated into centerpieces. I love looking through home magazines at Christmas and seeing all the creative ways folks utilize the Holly and Ivy around their doors and fireplaces. Though I suspect if we were to investigate the origins of all this greenery, I am confident most of it was being practiced long before the birth of Christ and is not founded in faith. But for those of us who are believers, we have used these symbols to remind us of the arrival of Christ and decorate and garnish our homes.
For instance, mistletoe’s history is founded on the belief that it had romantic properties and treated and represented fertility. Holly and Ivy are similar in their background, having pagan roots(no pun intended) used to ward off evil spirits during the worship of winter solstice. But the Christmas tree was believed to be founded by none other than Martin Luther, so I recognize many of this Yuletide garden has come to mean different things for all of us who honor Advent.
For most of us, it is part of the culture of this country we grew up in, and some of our earliest memories are of doors adorned with wreaths and trees twinkling with lights as we celebrate the nativity. But this year, while participating in this series for Advent, I have been focusing on the I Am statements by Christ in the book of John. This week, the series came to Christ proclamation that He is the true vine, and the Father is the vinedresser. Christ further tells us that apart from Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) This is the place where Jesus instructs us about the fruit we can bear if we remain in Him. I gained a new perspective about this while preparing for Advent.
So often, I try so hard at Christmas to be a better Christian. By this, I mean, try to focus on the less fortunate and be kinder and more sensitive to those who may be struggling, up to my drop in the till to those ringing the bell. But let my patience wear a little thin, or my quiet time be invaded by making out Christmas cards or Christmas crafts, and I can turn slightly more toward Ebenezer Scrooge tactics than I would want folks to know. This is because being connected to Christmas doesn’t transform my character. Sure, smelling evergreen and even receiving a kiss from my honey under the mistletoe will lighten my spirit. But for the true fruits of the spirit like gentleness and kindness, self-control (hard to practice when someone takes your parking spot or beats you to the bargaining table), meekness, and faithfulness to flourish, I must stay connected to the true vine. I must give priority to my relationship with Christ. Talking and listening to His spirit as He leads me not just through the holiday season but all seasons of my life. Sometimes I get more fascinated with the taste of wassail and cookies than allowing myself to savor the taste of God’s word, which the Psalmist states in Psalm 119 are sweeter than honey. These are the words that will offer me more than just an experience of the senses; they will transform me.
This year as I pause and look at all the Christmas foliage around me, I want to stop at that moment and be reminded that I am connected to the True Vine. And apart from Him, there is nothing. No meaning, no fruit, no hope, no life. I want to be, as the scriptures say, “a tree planted by the water that does not fear when heat comes, it has no fear of drought, never fails to bear fruit and whose leaves are always green”(Jeremiah 17:7-8, my paraphrasing). This is because My confidence and trust are in Him. Christ the true vine. I want to be a part of a living Christmas! Not just one that has been handed down shrouded with tradition and fragile as pine needles on the tree at New Year. I want a hardy one! An evergreen, everlasting part of the vineyard where my life is in full bloom for Him. Not a Christmas spiritual sapling that bears a few sour and slightly overripe pieces of fruit, but the kind where the branches are so laden with love, joy, and service for Him and others that I can hear the branches crackling. I want a hearty harvest where other joyous followers and I gotta get together in the vineyard and work together to accomplish the mission. I want my face to be tired from smiling and my voice hoarse from singing joyful praises. I want to stay connected to the True Vine, The only vine. The life-giving vine of Christ.
Lord, thank you that you alone offer rich, evergreen abundant life. Prune my branches of indifference and selfishness so that the fresh fruit of love and forgiveness can grow. Let the deadwood of what I think will last in this world fall away. Let my roots in you grow deeper daily so I can be strong when the wind of failed expectations blows through. Thank you that I have been blessed with the fruit from the tree of everlasting life through your salvation.
Come back next time when the 5 o’clock worker celebrates Thanksgiving in the vineyard for the Bread of Life.
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