Friday, December 22, 2023

It is the 22nd of December 2023. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

A happy pre-Christmas Friday. With Christmas on a Monday this year, I bet this weekend will be the absolute worst for shopping. So, good luck, and if you’d like to check on your own sanctification, I might suggest going to Costco and attempting to keep your cool.  

We have a question from a 3-and-a-half-year-old! Perhaps the youngest to ever have a question for the show- It was this young man's mother who wrote- she is Amanda, and the family lives in House Springs, Missouri. Amanda writes: “We’re from House Springs, a small suburb around 20 miles outside of St. Louis.  I’ve heard you’re not a fan of St. Louis, haha, but there’s a lot of great fun things to do here that are actually free, too, like our zoo and art museum.”

I have NOTHING against the fine, fine people of St. Louis. You did steal my football team and give them new, lame colors, but we got them back, so all is forgiven.

She (also) writes: “My 3.5-year-old son noticed that we put a star on the top of our Christmas tree.  I told him some people put angels on top of their trees.  He informed me that next year, he would like to put an angel on the top of our tree. We were wondering what the story/origin was with both putting a star and angel on top of Christmas trees?”

There is no shortage of books and articles claiming the “real story behind…” various Christmas traditions. Maybe that such-and-such is “actually pagan” or making some things explicitly Christian. The truth of the matter is, with a lot of things, they just… developed. Over time and in different places and so with some things, we don’t know EXACTLY why we do them. And here’s a secret: things can mean whatever we make them to mean. Sure, some things are pretty set, but with Christmas, it’s fun to have our own traditions and stories.

Christmas decorations are as old as the Christmas tree itself- so… late 1500s, early 1600s. And they were in Germany and decorated with candies and nuts. There was also the very foolish practice of lighting candles on trees. Sometimes wax was affixed to a branch, and sometimes metal poles were affixed to the trunk and spread out. Over time, people realized this was dangerous, and so glass decorations and reflective things that could catch the light became popular.

[shoutout to James in Manitowoc, WI- the home of the aluminum tree for the pictures he sent]

Eventually, Thomas Edison's employees came up with tree lights. And, of course, the tree topper! This could be glass and reflective or lit itself. And the two most common tree toppers are, you are correct, angels and stars. Both are very appropriate for the season- the star representing the star of Bethlehem that leads the wise men to the manger (although this wasn’t on Christmas night). And we do know that on Christmas Eve, the first to proclaim the birth of Jesus was the Angels. But the Angels we tend to see look like fancy, shiny folk with wings. OK… what’s the first thing Angels usually say in the Bible when they meet people: “Don’t be afraid!” In the book of Isaiah, we read about the Seraphim (that word comes from the word “burning,” and so they were bright), and they have six wings covering various parts of their body. In Ezekiel, we get Angels with four faces! A human, an ox, a cherub, and an eagle. They have wheels and wings and lots of eyeballs… there has to be a tree topper with an Angel from Ezekiel- if not, let’s get on that and start selling them for next year.

Other things have been given Christian meaning- the wreath is pretty, but some have suggested it can represent a perfect circle- eternity. Some say that the holly, with its sharp bits, reminds us of the crown of thorns Jesus wore at his crucifixion and that the color red is for his shed blood and green is for spring- for things rising out of the ground. I like tinsel, even though my son Raymond does not- it comes from a story about spiders that wanted to help decorate a tree, and when Santa saw it, he turned it into tinsel- and bright lights represent the true light of the world. And I like the idea of Christmas spiders.

Thanks for your question- tomorrow is the last big show for the season- we’ve got carols and questions and will have a right jolly time. Send me your questions at danv@1517.org

The last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Psalm 89.

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
    with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known

    through all generations.

I will declare that your love stands firm forever,

    that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

    I have sworn to David my servant,

‘I will establish your line forever

    and make your throne firm through all generations.’”

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 22nd of December 2023, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org. 

The show is produced by a man with the wisdom of all three Magi- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who is not afraid of Angels unless they are the baseball kind and we need a win. I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.