Week 1 December 2025, Devotion Part 1

The Lord God said, “Since the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must  not reach out, take from the tree of life, and live forever.” …He drove the man out and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the Garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.  Genesis 3:22-24

This “tree of life” was the forbidden tree in paradise, prompting the serpent to ask Eve if she really meant to take God’s warning seriously. In doing so, Satan sneered at His Word, as he does to this very day. He smoothly assured her that eating the fruit would not be deadly, but impart to Adam and her their Maker’s knowledge of good and evil. His proclivity for crafty lies is amply evident throughout Scripture. In harmony with the first book, the last one reveals a secret meant to be embraced by the believer engaged in the taxing spiritual warfare alluded to in Ephesians 6. “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).

With Christmas just weeks away, the couple in today’s cultural setting is pressured by Santa, not Satan, to weigh foolproof options. Should they make the rounds of different tree lots to find their perfect Douglas fir? Or has the time come to buy the pre-lit faux Noble Fir imported from China? The kids cut to the chase and so the family drives to the Jeremiah Tree Farm to do the work. The actual name is Somis, but why not have a bit of fun with a biblical reference that sets the tone? “For the customs of the peoples are vanity; a tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move” (Jeremiah 10:3-4). We do not set up our “Tannenbaum” as an idol at home, but find ourselves singing, “O Christmas Tree, o Christmas Tree / How steadfast are your branches! / Your boughs are green in summer’s clime / And through the snows of wintertime…” Our feline pet hears “clime” and climbs the less than sturdy branches, eliciting groans because someone has to sweep up broken ornaments and needles that get drier every day. Who has time to add water? The Fake Fir will be next year’s hit, hopefully giving the furry climber harmless little electric shocks!  Part 1 of 2

Comment:  Candle-lit, decorated Christmas trees in Christian homes became a beloved tradition in 16^th century Germany.  Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort, introduced it in 1840.  But it was “good Queen Charlotte,” the German wife of mad George III, who set up the first known tree at Queen’s Lodge, Windsor, in December 1800.  When Fred and I married, aluminum trees had become the hot ticket, which we abhorred.  None of our Noble firs ever caught fire.  Constantine I in 336 AD chose    December 25 as Christmas Day.  Rome’s first Christian emperor sought to replace the festival of Sol Invictus, the “Unconquered Sun,” the winter solstice marked on that date.