Topic: Mistletoe And Holly

Sometimes it takes an imitation to reveal the genuine. In the year 337, theologians first began the observance of Christmas because many Christians were joining their neighbors on December 25th to celebrate the birth of the sun god, Mithras. Unable to eliminate the practice, the Christian church of the day worked hard to change the holiday into a holy day honoring Christ. Many of the things we now associate with Christmas have undergone a similar transformation.

Mistletoe, for example.

Two hundred years before Jesus was born, the Druids (the educated class of the Celts) celebrated the start of winter by burning mistletoe as a sacrifice to their gods. Sprigs were also hung in homes to ensure a year of prosperity and family harmony. If enemies happened to meet under a tree with mistletoe growing on it, they had to lay down their weapons and make peace for a day.

Named "All heal" by the Druids, mistletoe was prescribed as an antidote for everything from poison to infertility. It was also a plant of peace, hope and harmony for Scandinavians. Mistletoe was associated with the love goddess Frigga, which is where the kissing custom comes from. Even the Romans wove the plant into boughs to decorate their homes during festivals.

But when Christmas was formally recognized as a Christian holiday, mistletoe was banned because of its pagan origins. Holly was used as a substitute. Its sharp leaves were to be a reminder of the thorns in Christ's crown and the red berries a remembrance of His blood drops. Even in the early part of this century, mistletoe in corsages was still banned in some churches.

Today, many Christians go further, shunning anything to do with Christmas because of the holiday's pagan past. They assume God will be pleased. However, there's little evidence the Lord is angered when His children deflect attention from the profane and use it to reflect His glory. Jesus was always more concerned about a tree's fruit than its roots.

Over and over, the Lord used social customs and conditions to teach spiritual truths. His apostles taught motives count even more than the mechanics of faith (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Rejecting anything not specifically commanded in Scripture is like a parent scolding a child for every unsolicited act of devotion or affection. Rejecting anything stemming from an imperfect past denies us the ability to reach people with a message about Christ at one of the two times a year when they're most receptive. Few people today know or care about mistletoe's pagan history. For me, it can just as easily be a reminder of Jesus, the true source of prosperity and harmony, the peacemaker and healer of all. I've staked my eternity on the assurance God will accept anything with an ungodly past if it's remade into an instrument designed to honor Him. Including me. And you.

- by Rick Gamble, originally published by Cross Current, Brantford, ON

Title: Mistletoe & holly
Article Author: Rick Gamble
Typist Or Article Provider: Roddy Chestnut
Revised by: Rev. Patrick Kelly, Dec., 2007

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