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In recent years the Christmas holiday, at least as the
world celebrates it, is becoming less and less about Christ and more about foolish fables (2 Timothy 4:4). Nativity scenes are replaced by Santa Claus,
Rudolph and Frosty; Christmas pageants give way to Winter Festivals, and stores
say Happy Holidays so as not to offend Muslims or those of other religions.
The early Christians adopted a code so that they could
identify with each
other and communicate with each other even in times of persecution. The
Jesus fish symbol originated from initials that spell “fish” in Greek, or
“IXOYE” but stand for "Jesus, Christ, God's Son, Savior." This was a
form of witness and also helped Christians distinguish between friend and foe.
When traveling, if a Christian met another person, the Christian would draw
half the fish (half a crescent) in the sand. If the other person completed the
fish, he or she was also a Christian.
Persecution of believers will increase as Christ’s second coming draws near (Matthew 5:11-12).
Although Christians are not yet being openly persecuted in the United States, our
right to display symbols and statements of Christianity is already being
challenged, and even military chaplains are warned not to pray in Jesus’ name.
The Ten Commandments are leaving courthouses; “One nation under God” is being
questioned in the Pledge of Allegiance; Christian prayer is no longer allowed
in public schools; and recently atheists were allowed to put up a sign ridiculing
faith right next to a manger scene.
It
may become useful to have a symbolic code, so that when we see the bright
colors of winter decorations, we can remind ourselves and each other of the true meaning of Christmas. In this season, born-again believers
celebrate God so loving the world that He sent His only Son to us in human form
(John 3:16, 1:14) In that way, Jesus could know and suffer all
that we do, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
He died for all our sins as the perfect sacrifice, reconciling sinners with a
holy and just God, so that all who ask for forgiveness of their sin and turn to
Him can have eternal life (2 Corinthians 5:4,18-19; Hebrews 2:17).
We
can use the colors of Christmas as a way to witness to unsaved people, so that
if they admire a beautiful Christmas tree, we can explain the symbolism of the
colors. This may open the door for us to talk about Christ and to share what He
has done for us.
For
centuries, Christians have used many commonplace objects to witness to others
and as a reminder of their faith. The five fingers can represent different
types of people we should remember in prayer; and a deck of cards helps
us remember the Word of God (One God, Two
Testaments, Three for the Trinity, Four Gospels, etc.). A German choirmaster designed the
candy cane to symbolize the story of Christ; and the song “Twelve Days of
Christmas” represents different elements
of the Christmas story.
God Himself, the Master
Designer (John 1:3; Genesis 1-2),
liberally used symbols in His creation to tell salvation’s story. The sand
dollar bears the image of the poinsettia, the Easter lily, and the Star of
Bethlehem; has five
piercings like those Christ received on the cross; and contains white doves
symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Even the Abyssinian variety of donkey that
tradition says carried Mary into Bethlehem bears the mark of the cross on its
back.
Similarly, the colors we
traditionally associate
with Christmas each have special meanings that reflect different
aspects of Christ’s life and God’s plan of salvation.
Green is the traditional color
of the Christmas tree, with the evergreen
representing eternal life because its needles are always green. If we trust in
the promises of God’s Word, we too will never die, but will enjoy eternal life with Him in Heaven (John
3: 16; 1 Corinthians 15). Green gives the promise of new life
that we see in the first green leaves of spring. Just as the tree in winter looks
dead, we are dead in sin until we are born again (John 3:3-8) by repenting of our sins and
asking Christ into our hearts as our personal Savior (John 3:3; Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13). In Chirst, we are a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17).
But Christ came not only to give us eternal
life, but more abundant life here and now! (John
10:10). At least in the United States, green is also the color of
money, and all people depend on the food energy of green plants for their physical
sustenance (Genesis 9:3).
Green therefore reminds us that God will always provide for our physical as
well as our spiritual needs (Matthew 7:11;
Psalm 23:2; 52:8).
A green light is also a
universal traffic signal that means Go! Jesus’ last words to His disciples before ascending into Heaven were to Go and fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew
28:19-20) It encourages us to follow the Holy Spirit so that we will
go forward on our Christian walk, growing
more like Jesus every day, following God’s perfect will for our lives.
At Christmas
time, we enjoy the colors green and red together in the holly plant and its
berries. Like the pine, the holly is evergreen, and the needle-sharp, prickly
leaves remind us of the crown of thorns worn by Christ as He was crucified (John 19:5). The red berries
symbolize each drop of precious blood Jesus shed for us on Calvary’s cross for
the remission of our sins (Matt 26:28):.
His blood washes us clean so that when God sees us, He sees not our sin, but
the perfect sacrifice of His blameless Son (Hebrews
9: 11-13; John 1:7).
Red and green also adorn the poinsettia, which is another
Christmas symbol of how God meets the needs of believers in Him (Matthew 6:8,32). The legend of this
plant tells of a poor boy from a Mexican village who wanted to give the Holy
Child a gift but had no money. In desperation, he picked some weeds on his way
to church to leave as his gift. He prayed to God to help him show his love, and
God answered by turning the weeds into a beautiful star-shaped flower with
bright red leaves.
Just as “green” means go, “red” means stop – - our sinful
ways, our wicked thoughts, our sinful lifestyle (1 Peter 4:1). And yet, red also symbolizes fire or passion.
God wants us to be on fire for Him as He is a consuming fire (Heb.12:29; Revelation 19:12), our
hearts burning with His
Word (Jeremiah 20:9; Luke 24:32)
and our lives burning brightly with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3).
As we admire the bright red and green of the season, may
these colors ignite our passion for Christ, Who came in the flesh to save us!
May we boldly proclaim His love to others gathered around the holiday décor!
© 2013 Laurie Collett
6 comments:
Dear Laurie,
Thank you for this enlightening article. For example, I was aware that the early Christians used the fish as the symbol of identity, but I was unaware that by drawing just half a fish in the sand was one way to ask for another's identification. In the recent past, some of us had a small metal lapel of a fish pinned to the blazer breast pocket to identify themselves as Christian believers. Unfortunately, I have not come across any of these of late, and I think this is due to the closure of many Christian shops here in the UK. A great pity.
An excellent blog, God bless.
Hi Laurie,
yes it is important that we share whatever we have been given to share. In Matthew ch. 10 v.22 Jesus is recorded as saying 'You will be hated by everyone on account of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.'
I do not care what mankind thinks of me, my main purpose in the Lord is to spread the gospel and share whatever I have been given to share.
God bless you for sharing what you have been given to share Laurie.
Dear Frank,
You're very welcome, and thanks for your encouraging comment!
When Richard and I were saved, turned professional, and decided to dedicate our dancing to Jesus, we had sweat suits made to wear while warming up before performances. In addition to our names, ballroom name, and city embroidered on the back, I applied a Christian fish, made from rhinestones, on the upper arm of each jacket. Several Christians mentioned to us that they knew its significance and this symbol became a way of introduction to fellow believers.
We have the same problem in our city that you have noticed in the UK -- namely the closure of Christian shops. Praise the Lord for online shopping, where Christian books and gifts are still available!
God bless,
Laurie
Hi Brenda,
Amen -- may we share with others and give back to Him what He has so generously given to us! May He give us wisdom and boldness in sharing His Word. Thank you for your comment and may God bless you richly for being such a good witness for Him!
Laurie
Great post, Laurie. Like you, I believe persecution of Christians will increase as The world pushes for a one world government just prior to Christ's return, and I believe we are starting to see it happen. In recent years many christian bookstores and publishers have closed down, and many churches have been attacked. Several politicians have called for churches to change their teachings or lose their status as charitable organizations. Sadly many so called "Christian" organizations are going along with such demands, implying that those who do not are not truly Christian at all. As you pointed out we may well need some way of identifying true Christians in the future.
Thanks, Donald! The political pressure to be "politically correct," even if Biblically wrong, is indeed intensifying. Even among many professing Christians, the social gospel seems to take precedence over the Gospel of grace and what it actually means.
Thanks as always for sharing your insights, and God bless,
Laurie
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