Why a Christmas tree to remember the birth of Jesus?

When  I set up a Christmas tree this year, I started to wonder where is the Biblical reference to it and why we do this. There is a legend which says that the Protestant reformer, Martin Luther was wonder struck with the beauty and magnificence  of the stars in the sky one night and he set up a tree to remember this splendor. Also it is said that it was a pagan tradition somehow crept into the Christian world. Personally, I started to have a tree since my son as a child longed for it. I justified that it shows to the world that we are Christians and we celebrate the birth of Christ. If  it is not Biblical should we adopt a pagan tradition? But a tree  has so much significance in our life that  our children and the church members should know this in connection with a Christmas tree.

Death and sin entered in to the world through Adam because of a tree and Life was given by Jesus through a tree. There were two important trees in the garden of Eden. One was the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the other was the tree of life. There were plenty of other trees in the garden and God allowed Adam and Eve to eat of the fruits of  all other trees except that of the tree of the knowledge of  good and  evil. Why God forbid this is His eternal wisdom. But Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and because of this disobedience death and sin entered into the world and the sinner lost the presence and the communion with the Holy God.  If he ate the the fruit of the tree of life in this sinful  state, he will live for ever as a sinner and will belong to devil who made him disobey God's command, and hence will be doomed for ever. The loving God did not want to condemn man for ever. He planned a way of salvation and wanted man to come under this plan. Till then man should not eat the fruit of the tree of life. and so God chased man out of the garden of Eden and placed a sword on the entrance to the garden.After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Gen 3:24.

More than five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Zechariah prophesied that a shepherd will be slain by this sword.
“Awake, sword, against my shepherd,
    against the man who is close to me!”.
    declares the Lord Almighty. Zech 13:7
Jesus is the good shepherd and He refers to this prophecy about Him just on the night previous to His death. Mathew 26:31

Thus Jesus  was slain by the sword that kept man away from God's garden and opened the way to the tree of life.

Because of the disobedience of one man Adam in connection with a tree , the whole of mankind was affected unto sin and death. Because of the obedience of  one man Jesus even unto the death hanging on a tree, the tree of cross,  whole mankind is offered forgiveness of sins and Eternal life! We have to only believe that Jesus came into the world to save the sinners and His death on the cross is offering us forgiveness of our sins and eternal fellowship with God.

Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus!

There lived family consisting of two sisters Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus in a village called Bethany near Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. We read about this family in Luke 10 and John 11 and 12. We understand that all of them were unmarried, and they are not very young, may be in their thirties. It was very uncommon for Jewish women to remain unmarried.  Due to some personal or religious reason they might have  decided not to marry. As their story unfolds there were many incidents which point out that they were very rich influential people, much loved and respected  by friends and family.
There are many beautiful and  thought provoking statements that surround the narration of their life and so much explanation and exposition may be made on many of the quotes. One such verse is in John 11:5.
 " Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." These three people were of different temperaments, different levels of faith, different measures of understanding the truth,and different ways of accepting and showing their love to  Jesus. But  Jesus loved each of them the same in spite of their differences.
Martha seems to be the leader of the family, may be the eldest, always making the decisions for the family not even consulting any of them. Mary was a simple and humble person happy to be led by her sister and not bothered about any of the household affairs. Lazarus was the pet of the house, loved and ruled by both the sisters.Though different in their attitudes, they loved Jesus in their different ways and were loved by Jesus in the same way. He loved the bossy Martha, the docile Mary and the in between Lazarus.  Jesus loves us as we are and He only expects us to accept His love for us and show our love to Him.
When Jesus and His disciples were traveling through their village, Martha invited Jesus to their house to go and stay there and Jesus was glad to accept this invitation. Naturally the disciples also followed him to Martha's house and this shows that the house was a big one to accommodate Jesus and His troupe. Martha was fully occupied with cooking the food for  her many guests. Being rich, she might have had her servants to help her and Mary did not want to interfere in this task. Martha showed her love for Jesus in preparing the feast for Him and His disciples. Mary showed her love by sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to what He was saying. Martha speaks out her mind and complains to Jesus about Mary and questions Him “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”( Luke 10:40). The answer that Jesus gave her was  unexpected: “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41,42).
Many women can find no fault in Martha. she loved Jesus and was very much involved in cooking a good food for Jesus and His company. But Jesus says:  few things are needed. not even these few things are needed, actually only one thing is needed, which is listening to me and spending undivided attention to my words and so do not worry about many things and get upset.
Martha  took heed to this advice and learned many facts from Jesus. This we learn from her conversation with Jesus during the time of the death of her brother Lazarus . Lazarus became sick and the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”(John11:3). But Lazarus died and was buried before Jesus arrived.When Martha heard that He was coming she went out to meet Him, but Mary was at home.  “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”( John11:21-27)
After this conversation, Martha went home and told Mary that the Teacher( Jesus) had come and  was asking for her.
When Mary heard this she stood up and went out to Jesus. Many of their friends also left with her thinking that she was going to the tomb to mourn for her brother. When Martha went out  no one went with her since it was her habit to be going out here and there looking after so many matters. When Mary saw Jesus she fell at His feet crying out loudly. Jesus was deeply touched when He saw her and all other Jews crying and "Jesus wept" ( John 11:35)
Jesus went to the entrance of the tomb where Lazarus was laid and called out in a loud voice "Lazarus , come out" and the dead man came out of the cave and many people believed in Jesus as the Son of God. But when the Pharisees came to know of this incident they plotted to kill Jesus during the ensuing feast of the Passover.
A few days before the feast of the Passover, Jesus again came to Bethany and a feast was prepared for Him and his disciples. Many people crowded there to see Jesus as well as Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Many people believed in Jesus because of Lazarus and so the Pharisees wanted to kill Lazarus too. Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.  You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” ( john 12: 1-11)
The real  story of this small family teaches us Jesus loves us all as we are and reciprocates our love for Him. The most important thing is to learn from Him, to learn the Word of God and to know the facts. Though He loved the family, sickness and death occurred. If we believe in God we shall see the glory of God  even in our loss.
every one in the family showed his love for Jesus in a different way. Martha invited Jesus and His troupe and prepared the best ever meals for them. Mary anointed Him with the most expensive perfume and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Lazarus sat by the side of Jesus in the feast and associated himself with Jesus though he might have known that people are planning to kill him and Jesus.
Let us hope that the plan to kill Lazarus was thwarted and the two sisters and the brother stood witnesses to the death and the  resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus and his disciples knew that the Pharisees will kill Jesus if He went to Bethany and Jerusalem to see Lazarus and  Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (John11:16)
 It was a divine plan that the raising up of  Lazarus from the dead led to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Monte Tursday

 Monte Thursday is celebrated in remembrance of the New covenant established by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  He had supper with His disciples on the night just before his death. He knew he is going to shed His blood  next day as a ransom to redeem all those who believe in Him. During this Last Supper, He told His disciples explicitly that His flesh will be torn and his blood will be shed for the sake of mankind.

we read from the Bible the following verses:

" While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. "....Mathew 26:26-28

Jesus came into this world to offer his life as a ransom to redeem many people.

He is our Sacrificial  Lamb. There is no forgiveness of sins with out the blood of a sacrifice. This is the plan of salvation established by God.

I praise God for allowing and accepting the sacrifice of Jesus, allowing him to die and then raising him up from the dead after three days.

 I praise Jesus for offering himself as a sacrifice for me.

 Jesus obeyed God the Father, even up to the death on the cross, God has lifted up Jesus to the highest places and has given him a name which is above all other names so that every tongue shall say, " Jesus , my Lord and my God"