No, not keeping the tree up all year.
Practicing emotional hygiene.
Why?
Take a moment with me to consider the Reason for the season.
Jesus Christ fulfilled this:
This was the central worship structure and system for the Israelites, freed from slavery, traveling through a desert, to enter and possess God's promised land.
God's presence abided in this place and it was the people's connection to Him, as represented by the pillar of fire, which was a pillar of cloud by day.
A team of mediators (priests) and assistants (Levites) performed the divinely given operations (book of Leviticus) to make the people acceptable to God. Primarily, this involved sacrifices of animals for the atonement of sin. The personnel and the operations all spoke of God's ultimate sacrifice of His Son to forgive us of sins.
People brought animals to this place daily and were instructed by the worship team (priests and Levites) to practice cleansing activities for their bodies, homes, and community. This was all part and parcel of the worship system God gave to free His people from internal slavery. They had been freed externally from Egypt but their hearts and minds were still in chains to fear, insecurities, and worry. This lack of real freedom kept the adult generation that came out of Egypt from entering the Promised Land, resulting in 40 years of wandering and dying in the desert.
But what does all that have to do with Christmas?
I love Christmas and all the festivities. It all seems to come earlier and earlier each year, thanks to retailers. And our wallets and energy take quite a hit.
But the mystery, power and blessings of Christmas can be experienced everyday of the year and without draining us, financially and physically.
How?
First understanding that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of a system intended to free and cleanse us in the most important ways, emotionally and spiritually, that enable our souls to thrive.
Every article and component of the Tabernacle represented an aspect of Jesus' character and ministry. Every priest and Levite from their garb to their duties pointed to the person and work of the Christ. Every sacrificed animal's blood symbolized the life source of the God-Man, given to be an eternal testament to the power of Christ to liberate and restore our lives towards wholeness and holiness.
What does that mean?
Deliverance from anger, fear, and shame.
The very things that keep us from being who we truly are, image bearers of God. They drive us to behave like slaves rather than freed people; they are the very things that Jesus died to free us from.
Jesus didn't die and rise for us to read the Bible, pray, evangelize, go to church, serve in ministries, etc. As important as those activities are, God didn't have those as the main purpose of His Son.
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."Galatians 5:1
To experience this freedom, which was God's primary intent (the Passover and Exodus of Israel), we must understand that worshipping the Christ is elevating God's Organizing Principle to the highest priority to be practiced daily.
God's Organizing Principle? The Word become flesh. John 1:1-14
Out of the 3 Gospels that record Jesus' coming into the world, John gives us the true meaning of Christmas. Matthew and Luke provide us the birth. John gives us the incarnation.
The "Word" in Greek (original language of the text) is Logos. Its definition is the reason behind a discourse of persuasion. It’s the why that justifies the knowledge and understanding of a subject. John 1:1-14 tells us that before Jesus became a man, He was the reason for the universe and all it contains.
Worshipping Jesus is about organizing myself by practicing daily thoughts and actions that foster emotional hygiene that supports integration. We all know how important physical hygiene is; it's basic to healthy living which supports all we do. But spirituality that promotes interior hygiene is much more important because that is how we connect meaningfully to ourselves and others. Christ died and rose for our hearts to be free from shame and guilt. Freed from radical perceptions, this renews us to become our true selves. Becoming who we really are, divine image bearers, is how we love like God.
Loving well is the purpose of faith. And as we grow in this love, we experience joy and peace within ourselves and with those most dear to us. In a word, integrity.
The hope of the season is truly manifest in us as our lives become organized by the emotionally spiritual hygiene we practice on a daily basis.
This is the source of creativity, innovation, and resilience to be and do as God intended for all His image bearers.
