A WORD FOR TODAY, December 3, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, December 3, 2021
“Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Has God really said, “You shall not eat of any tree of the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, but not the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, “You shall not eat of it. You shall not touch it, lest you die.”’ The serpent said to the woman, ‘You won’t really die, for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate. Then she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.” Genesis 3:1-6, WEB
I love Christmas trees. One of the questions people ask me is “How many do you have this year?” I haven’t counted yet, but I usually have about a dozen. Some are very small, others are tabletop trees. I have some that I hang from wreath holders on my closet doors. I even have one in a bathroom. The centerpiece of our decorations is a fresh cut Christmas tree that is usually too big.
Christmas trees are the perfect temptation for cats. I’ve seen several posts recently of cats doing what cats do. One was a video that showed a cat jumping to a tree that the owners hung from the ceiling. They thought the cat would not be able to bother it, but the cat proved them wrong. Another post was a picture of a cat acting as a tree topper. How it got up that high, I’ll never know. Cat parents often experience fallen trees, something that happened at least once during my childhood. We had plenty of broken balls, too. The cats love to eat the tinsel, one of my favorite tree decorations, but I’ve given it up to protect them. Sammy loves to chew on the branches of the artificial trees; the one in the bathroom has already ended up in the sink. Dangling ornaments and wires are perfect targets for playful cats.
The Christmas trees were a similar problem when our children were young. Toddler fingers are drawn to the shiny balls hanging on the low branches. They eventually learned that they should not touch, but we were constantly vigilant during the early years. We also learned to be creative in the way we displayed the tree. We tried to set it out of reach. One year we wrapped large boxes and used them as decoration at the base of the tree, making it impossible for a toddler to get close enough to cause trouble. Boxes never helped keep the kittens away. We love the trees, but we also know we are putting temptation in front of those who are bound to cause trouble.
One of the hardest questions asked by non-believers is “Why would God put the fruit tree in the middle of the garden and then tell Adam and Eve not to touch?” They argue that it is not the serpent doing the tempting in today’s scripture lesson, but rather God himself. They say they can’t believe in such a being. There are some people who refuse to put up the decorations to avoid the problems that come when there are animals and children around. We have certainly lost some ornaments over the years, but it is always worth the joy of having the trees in the house. We do what we can to teach them to how to act around them and hope they do what is right.
The story of the fall is difficult for many to understand because they reject a God that would allow those He love to be tempted, but there is joy in learning how to live rightly according to the Word of God. They don’t understand why God would make something good untouchable. They forget that God did not ignore their needs; He gave them good things. See, there were two fruit trees in the garden: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve could touch the tree of life; as a matter of fact it was that tree that would give them life forever and ever. The untouchable tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
As we journey through Advent, we recall that God has given us everything we need. He even gave Adam and Eve a tree they should not touch so that they would learn to be obedience. Disobedience caused a uncrossable chasm between the Father and His children. And yet, even as Adam and Eve were eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God already had a plan to restore their relationship. This Advent we wait, once again, for the coming of the Savior, the child to be born in Bethlehem. We are reminded by our Christmas trees that even when things are there to tempt us, God’s promise of forgiveness is true.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org.
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