A final remark on symbols, dear tour companion: From our study of Santa Clause, it is obvious that anyone can make-up a symbol for anything if it is suggestive of something else to them.
But to my way of thinking (and that of many more qualified than I), only symbols made with a commitment to truth are precious enough to rightly endure; precious enough to rightly occupy center place in our hearts and minds. Quality matters. And eternally important symbols must always but always (and only) be tied to truth.
So, for the sake of enlarging understanding, let’s start by defining the word symbol
Definition: symbol (Encarta) something that represents something else; something that stands for or represents something else, especially an object representing an abstraction.
Now let me introduce you to a holy scripture authorized symbol—The Jesse Tree. I have included a precious drawing of the Jesse Tree Kathleen created in middle school. This tree is named for the Old Testament Patriarch, Jesse. King David was the son of Jesse and centuries later Jesus would be born of this royal family line begun with Jesse (Isaiah 11:1).
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”
Thus, in the Christian world, a grown tree became a reasonable symbol for the ‘family tree’ from Jesse to Jesus. And in many homes this tree became a ‘must’ Christmas tree. By decorating a tree for the home each year at Christmas, families found a way to regularly share in remembering the life-altering entrance of the Son of God into the field of history.
When Kathleen drew this Jesse Tree, she was following after so many who celebrate the family of Jesse, and the Prophets, and the culmination of Christmas in the Christ-child.
By using an evergreen tree, the Christian community symbolized eternity.
And finally, through the symbols chosen for ornaments, the decorators found they could beautifully display images of important elements of Christmas. Thinking about the people who helped prepare the world for the coming of Jesus, family members would choose one thing that made him or her think about that person—for King David, that could have been his harp. The harp would recall to the mind how David, son of Jesse, played for King Saul. And so, one by one, the ornaments were hung and the tree got decorated.
For many (me included), this is the ‘true’ origin of the Christmas Tree—a tree of remembrance.
On Kathleen’s Jesse Tree, the birth of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ is the great and concluding symbol.
What a distinctive and lovely tree she put together. I have asked her what all her symbols relate to and she seems to remember frankincense and myrrh and the Lion of Judah, and maybe olive shoots—20 some-odd years later she is not too sure. But it is her tree and I thank her for sharing it with me and you.
To be continued . . . Tomorrow.
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