Photo by Daniel Zanetti 2013 |
Dear Readers,
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and best wishes for a Happy New Year! May you and yours enjoy 2016 and until He comes again by being in the center of His perfect plan for your life. May you enjoy this repost from the archives.
Even when the world’s focus is on commercialism and
overspending, the colors of Christmas surround us in this season, reminding us
of His free gift of salvation. As we saw last time, red and green symbolize His
precious blood, shed so that all who place their faith in His death, burial and
resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
as the only way to Heaven (John 14:6)
will have eternal life!
The other colors of Christmas – snowy white, glittering gold
and silver, and even humble brown all add to the rich symbolism of holiday
décor. Even though this symbolism is probably far from the minds of most
merchants, we can be blessed by the meaning and use it to witness to others.
White at Christmas time reminds us
of angel robes (Matthew 28:3) and
wings and of snowflakes falling, as pristine as Christ is pure and completely without
sin (Psalm 51:7). The glorified
body of Christ was clothed in shining robes “white as snow” when He appeared to
Daniel as the Ancient of Days (Daniel
7:9), to the inner circle of apostles at His transfiguration (Mark 9:3), and to John at His
revelation (Revelation 1:14).
The nativity scene would be incomplete without white sheep
led by shepherds, emphasizing the importance of our following the Good Shepherd
and depending on Him for all we do (Psalm
23). The purity of white reminds us that Jesus is the lily of the valleys (Song of Solomon 2:1),
and that the Holy Spirit took on the appearance of a dove as Jesus was baptized
(Matthew.3:16).
White combines with red in the candy cane, a familiar motif
at Christmas time. Legend has it that a candy maker designed this confection to
serve as a witness to his Christian faith and to incorporate several symbols
for the birth, ministry and death of Jesus. The stick of candy was white to
symbolize the Virgin Birth (Isaiah 7:14;
Luke 1:35)) and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize
the solid Rock, the Foundation of the Church (2 Samuel 22:3,47; Psalm 18:2,46;62:2,6, etc.
Matthew 16:18).
The candy cane is in the form of a "J" to
represent the name of Jesus, as well as the staff of the Good, Great and Chief Shepherd Who gave His life for the sheep (John
10:11,15; Hebrews 13:20; 1
Peter 5:4); . It has a large red stripe for the blood shed by Christ on
the cross (Romans 3:25; Colossians
1:20), and three small stripes to show the stripes of the whipping
Jesus received, by which we are healed (Isaiah
53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).
Silver and white both remind us of
the Star of Bethlehem that showed the wise men where to find the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:9), and Jesus Himself
is described as the Morning Star (Revelation
22:16). Silver
bells remind us to praise our King with joyful noise (Exodus 39:26), yet silver also foretells Jesus’ crucifixion
and death, for Judas betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15).
Silver also reminds us that God sometimes allows us to go
through trials and tribulations, just as silver is purified in the refiner’s fire (Malachi 3:3). We should therefore
be grateful for trials and tribulations that are like the refiner’s fire because they
shape our character, drive away our sins, and make us more like Christ (Philippians 4:11-14).
Gold, the most precious metal, was
one of the gifts the wise men brought Jesus (Matthew 2:11). It reminds us that we should bring our very
best gifts to the King, whether in terms of our time, talents, money or
possessions. In Christmas decorations, the instruments played by the angels are
usually gold, reminding us that we should praise Him in all that we do (Psalm 100:4, etc.; Colossians 3:23).
When we face Jesus at the judgment seat of Christ, only
those works we did for Him for the right motives will last through the fire of
judgment, like silver, gold, and jewels. The rest will burn up like hay, wood
and stubble and we will suffer loss. But those good works we did for Him alone
will last through the fire and we will have crowns to lay at Jesus’ feet (I Corinthians:3:10-15). And in
Heaven, the streets are paved with gold (Revelation
21:21), symbolizing the unimaginable splendor of this special place God
has prepared for us!
Brown is not usually a color we
think of as being a
Christmas color, but we see it in the lowly manger where Christ was born (Luke 2:7), and in the donkey
that, according to tradition, carried Mary to Bethlehem, and later carried
Jesus to Jerusalem where He would die (John
12:14-15). We also see it in the stable animals that attended His
birth, and in the robes of the shepherds (Luke
2:7-8).
Brown is a color of humility, reminding us that Jesus came
to earth not as a mighty King, but as a meek Servant, and that we should follow
His example (John 13:4-17). It
reminds us of the wooden cross He carried up Calvary’s hill, where He was
crucified and died for all our sins, only to rise triumphantly, conquering
death and sin that all who trust Him would have eternal life (1 Corinthians1:18; Galatians. 6:14;
Hebrews 12:2).
It is unusual to see the cross in Christmas décor (although
I am thrilled that my husband added one to our outdoor nativity)! But Christmas floral arrangements and greenery
often feature the brown pinecone, which looks dead and yet carries the seeds of
new life. What a beautiful reminder to die daily to our sins so that we can
live in the new life of the Spirit, and that Christ has conquered death so that
His followers can live forever! (1
Corinthians 15:31; 35-57; 2 Corinthians 5:17)
© 2013 Laurie Collett