Prior to this year, my family and I lived in an exceptionally small house. As such, the addition of a Christmas tree each year made for a near-constant source of yuletide claustrophobia.
In such tight quarters, the tree had to be small, and there was definitely only room for one. Thus, my wife took care of the decorations, and my wishes (since I am a smart husband) were irrelevant. That’s to say, my penchant for multicolored lights and brightly colored balls were always vetoed in favor of her much more elegant taste.
This year, in a larger house, things are different. As I write this I am sitting beside my wife’s classically decorated tree; the colors are lovely but muted, all the lights are white, it looks like it would be appropriate in the Biltmore House.
But that is not our only tree this year.
On the front porch, right by the door, is my tree. There are enough multicolored lights to equip several runways at a major airport. There are lots and lots (and lots) of bright red and bright blue balls. I sprayed the tips of the branches with fake snow. In short, my wife has taken care of the elegance of Christmas decorations, and I have produced an eye-popping, you-couldn’t-miss-it-if-you-tried display of Christmas cheer.
Christians have used greenery for a very long time as a representation of our new life in Christ, and the shape of the tree is often used as a symbol of the Trinity. For our part, since our children were very small, we have used the tree as a way to tell our children about the time that God the Father hung the loveliest thing in the universe, his own son, on a tree for us.
As I consider the stark difference in our two trees, I am led to ponder on the fact that the differences are a good thing. They are largely a reflection of who God made each of us to be; our spiritual DNA, if you will. God has given boundary markers of right and wrong in all things, but within those lines we find room for an amazing amount of creativity and individuality.
I preach in churches that “amen” quietly, yet people hang on every word. I also preach in churches where people shout and run and wave handkerchiefs. My own church is somewhere in between.
My preference is to pray laying flat on my face; it just seems to remind me of who I am and who I am talking to. Others prefer kneeling and still others standing. We have our midweek service on Wednesday; others do so on Tuesday or Thursday. Very good preacher friends of mine wear only white shirts. I do not own a white shirt. I have a mustache. Other preachers would not be caught dead with facial hair.
Nature is a testimony of the love that God has for variety. Birds are always birds, but they come in all sizes and colors. We have days of sunshine, days of rain, days of snow and, here in the South, we have days where all of that is present in the same day.
As you study the Bible, find every area where God say “no,” and leave it as a no; find everything God has told you to do and do it, and then, within those lines, be who God has made you to be. If you are a Biltmore House Christmas tree kind of a Christian, be that person. And if you are a multicolored light, able to be seen from the International Space Station kind of a Christian, be that person.
You will be misunderstood. That’s OK; there is always room on the front porch.
Bo Wagner is pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church of Mooresboro, N.C., and the author of several books that are available at wordofhismouth.com. Contact him at 2knowhim@cbc-web.org.