5 TRUTHS THE UPSIDE-DOWN CHRISTMAS TREE TEACHES US ABOUT CHRISTMAS

While the unexpected beauty of an upside-down Christmas tree may cause us to stop and stare in awe and wonder, there are deeper truths about Christ and Christmas we can unlock by taking the time to ponder this magical Christmas symbol.

THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE UPSIDE-DOWN CHRISTMAS TREE

I think it was a few years ago when I saw my first upside-down Christmas tree.  I was in Chicago with friends, and it was hanging (by some sheer feat of physics and a whole lot of wire) by its base, beautifully decorated and lit in a department store on Michigan Avenue.

I was definitely in awe as I gazed at this magical marvel, but I walked away, not sure what to make of this inverted symbol of Christmas.  Was it just fun and whimsical?  Was it a subtle (or maybe overt) slam against Christmas?  Was there some secret meaning or message?  I wondered as I wandered.

So being the research nerd that I am, I had to investigate.  Translation: I had to Google it.

What I found was quite fascinating.  Rather than being a new, trendy fad, the upside-down Christmas tree is a rather old, meaningful tradition.  After looking up many sources, I learned that Christian missionaries hung the tree upside down to suggest that it was more than a floral decoration and used it to explain the basic concept of the Trinity:  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

The symbol of the upside down tree may have begun in 7th century. Folklore around the topic credits a Benedictine monk named Boniface. According to the legend, Boniface saw a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree, and in response he cut down the tree and in its place grew a fir. Then, Boniface cut down the fir and turned it upside down, using its triangular shape as a way of explaining the Holy Trinity to the pagans.

Katie Bourque, Good Housekeeping

Pretty cool.  I am not sure if it convinces me to hang my tree upside down (maybe next year?), but it does make me think about the Christmas story and how Jesus came to turn everything upside down.  Not only then when he lived and walked on the earth, but even now in my own life.

HOW JESUS CAME TO TURN THINGS UPSIDE-DOWN LIKE THE UPSIDE-DOWN CHRISTMAS TREE

The Jewish people were awaiting a Messiah: a king that would rescue, rule, and reign by ushering in a political movement by overthrowing the Romans and establishing a new kingdom here on earth.  Instead, Christ came to establish a spiritual kingdom that turned things completely upside down.

They expected a king to come with honor and glory…Jesus came as a baby in a lowly manger.

They expected a political revolution…Jesus came to bring spiritual transformation.

They expected to rule alongside him with power…Christ told them that the first would be last and the last would be first.

They wanted a mighty conqueror…Jesus came as a servant leader.

They thought that Christ would only come for the religious…Christ chose to call the sinners.  

They thought that keeping the law and doing good works made one right with God…Jesus said it was a free gift of grace given by His atoning death on the cross.

CHRIST’S UPSIDE-DOWN KINGDOM

When Jesus gives The Sermon on the Mount, he describes his upside-down kingdom, which is radically different from what people imagined or expected.

When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:

You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

Matthew 5:1-12 (The Message)

He continues by saying such radical things such as the meek will inherit the earth, that to be angry with your brother is just as bad as wanting to kill him, that we should love our enemies and pray for them, and that we need to choose between serving God or serving money.

Yes, this message shook things up, especially among the religious waiting for the Messiah.

HOW JESUS WANTS TO TURN OUR LIVES UPSIDE-DOWN

 I believe Jesus is still in the business of turning things completely upside down.

The last two years have left all of us feeling confused, mixed up, and jumbled.  Our expectations not only of Christmas but of life have been completely wrecked, haven’t they?

It is as if someone took the snow globe, turned it upside down, shook vigorously, and never set it back upright to let the beautiful sparkly snow settle peacefully back down to the bottom.

Many of us have had to reevaluate and reassess many areas of our lives from this new perspective.  Life looks different and may never return to the “normal” we once knew.

But maybe it has been God all along who has been doing the shaking, the disrupting, the upending.  Maybe turning things upside down was the only way He could get our attention and force us to see things we needed to see.

Here is a profound truth I see when I gaze at the beauty of an upside-down Christmas tree:  

GOD SHOWS UP IN THE UNEXPECTED

And when we truly seek Him with whole hearts, minds, and souls, He shows up in the most unexpected ways and asks us to look at things from a completely different viewpoint.

Picture yourself (not unlike the upside-down Christmas tree) walking around in a permanent handstand and viewing the world from that perspective.

5 TRUTHS ABOUT FOLLOWING CHRIST THAT WE LEARN FROM THE UPSIDE-DOWN CHRISTMAS TREE

As followers of Christ, how does an upside-down way of looking at things impact our lives?  Here are five significant truths I have learned while walking on my hands.

UPSIDE-DOWN TRUTH #1: WE EXPECT GOD TO MAKE US HAPPY. THE BIBLE SAYS HE IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING US HOLY.

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.“

Hebrews 12:14 (ESV)

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:14-16 (ESV)

UPSIDE-DOWN TRUTH #2: WE EXPECT LIFE TO GO WELL FOR US IF WE SERVE, LOVE, & GIVE. JESUS CALLS ALL OF HIS FOLLOWERS TO SUFFER AS HE DID.

But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.“

1 Peter 4:13 (ESV)

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.“

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV)

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.“

Romans 8:18 (ESV)

UPSIDE-DOWN TRUTH #3: WE EXPECT TO BE LOVED AND APPRECIATED BY OTHERS. JESUS CALLS US TO LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY, FORGIVE ENDLESSLY, AND BLESS THOSE WHO HURT US.

But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.“

Luke 6:27-28 (ESV)

Ephesians 4:31-32

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.“

Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV)

To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Romans 12:20 (ESV)

UPSIDE-DOWN TRUTH #4: WE EXPECT TO BE REWARDED FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING. THE BIBLE SAYS WE WILL BE MISUNDERSTOOD AND EVEN PERSECUTED FOR THE TRUTH.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.“

Matthew 5:12 (ESV)

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.“

John 15:18-20 (ESV)

But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.“

1 Peter 3:14-16 (ESV)

UPSIDE-DOWN TRUTH #5: WE EXPECT THAT OUR WILL, EFFORT, AND GOOD WORKS WILL MAKE US BETTER PEOPLE. CHRIST SAYS THAT IT IS ONLY THROUGH GRACE ALONE THAT WE ARE SAVED.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.“

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

Galatians 2:16 (ESV)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.“

Romans 5:1-2 (ESV)

HOW TO EMBRACE AN UPSIDE-DOWN CHRISTMAS

I know this is not your typical Christmas devotional reflecting on the Christmas season. I love to read the gospel of Luke and reflect on the birth of Christ, and it is a beautiful and straightforward story.

But looking at the upside-down Christmas tree reminds me to think beyond the manger, and it challenges me to remember that Christ came to usher in a kingdom…one that turned and continues to turn the world upside-down.  It is a spiritual kingdom that runs counter to many things that this world thinks are important.

Being upside-down is not comfortable, not easy, and definitely not cool. People will stare, they will ask questions, and they may even move away from you.

But during this Christmas season, we need to remember that the baby in the manger came to turn this world on its head.

I challenge you to reflect on this upside-down kingdom and what role Christ may be calling you to play to bring about the change that is so desperately needed in our world. Think about what it might look like for you to celebrate with an upside-down Christmas of your own.

While you may not see me walking around on my hands or trying to suspend an inverted tree from my family room ceiling, I want to look at things differently this season.  I hope you will join me, so we can both be a part of Christ’s upside-down world!

LET’S TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE-DOWN TOGETHER!

I hope the biblical truths in this post help you embrace the true meaning of the Christmas season. Christ has called each of us to be a part of His upside-down kingdom and impact our world with His love, grace, and truth.

Would you consider joining me on this mission? Sign up by filling out the form below, and you will receive weekly blog posts, monthly newsletters, free faith resources, and more!

If this post spoke to you in any way, would you mind leaving a comment, sharing it on social media, or even letting a friend know? My heart is to reach as many people as possible with the hope, love, and peace that only Jesus can bring not only at Christmas but throughout the year!