My childhood was filled with trips to Roberson Museum, a true Binghamton tourist attraction. Every Christmas they would display trees decorated from around the world. This exhibit had the ability to take us to distant lands such as Sweden, Russia, and Ethiopia.
Advent is like a book you have read thousands of times before, but each new reading sparks something new.
This weekend, my wife started decorating our home. The Christmas tree stands prominently in our living room. Living rooms and public squares all over the world will display their Christmas trees, evergreens.
Leaves never fall from the evergreens. Thistles remain green throughout all the seasons even winter. I have probably seen evergreens thousands of times. Yet this symbol represents so much for the Advent season:
Evergreens represent life.
Evergreens with year round fur represent eternity.
Evergreens represent the Gospel by seeing the cross and the resurrection.
As the words of the Switchfoot song “Evergreen” say, “I want to be evergreen, I want live all year round.” The evergreen provides us with a picture of our lives in Jesus Christ. The celebration of the Incarnation points us to our eternity with Christ.
Hopefully, Advent becomes a season where we can stop to see the pictures of Gospel right in front of us.
What are your traditions for celebrating Advent?