CHRISTMAS HOLLY 

        Many homes at Christmas are decorated with Christmas trees and also Christmas wreaths.  In addition, many homes are decorated with Christmas holly, which did not get its name from the word “holy”.  Holly is obviously known for its vibrant red colored berries, which are a significant contrast to the darkness of winter. 

It is sometimes associated with males, considered to give them good luck and protection.  A female counterpart to holly is ivy, as can seen in a famous English carol called “The Holly and the Ivy”.  One line of the carol states that “The holly bears a berry/As red as any blood/And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ/To do poor sinners good.”  Another line says “The Holly bears a prickle/As sharp as any thorn/And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ/On Christmas Day in the morn”.

The vibrant red berry of the holly is truly as red as any blood, and this reminds of the blood that Jesus shed on the Cross.  “Words from Above” in the Bible tell us is Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, and  though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”  Scarlet was a type of pigment used in dyeing clothing, and it was so pervasive that it was one of the most difficult dyes to remove from clothing.  Likewise, sin is a stain on the human soul, and it is possible to remove this stain only through the red blood of Jesus which He shed on the Cross of Calvary.  Jesus is able to turn the stain of sin into pure white, as white and pure, like they say, as “driven snow”.

The holly is also known for its “prickle”, and that prickle is as sharp as a thorn, which can prick our finger and cause a painful soreness.  It is hard for us to imagine the pain which Jesus obviously suffered when the Roman soldiers made a crown of thorns and pressed it forcefully on His head.  They pressed it as deeply into His skull as they could in order to make Him bleed.  They mocked Him with the use of this crown, saying it was a symbol of Him being the King of the Jews.

Jesus also shed His blood in other ways, as well.  He was very severely beaten with a whip made of fragments of steel and bones to inflict as much pain as possible.  It tore His flesh and in the end His body became almost unrecognizable.  Nails were driven through His hands and feet, and a spear was thrust through His side.

        Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville.  He may be contacted at lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com