The Story of the Three Trees

It is said that late one Adventide, Martin Luther was seen dragging two evergreen trees through Wittenberg and right into the Castle Church where he regularly preached. Folks, seeing and hearing of this, must have wondered what the great Doctor was up to this time!
Christmas morning, there the trees stood, one on each side of the altar with apples tied to their branches. What could it mean?
Drawing attention to one of the trees, Luther asked if they didn’t recognize the Tree of Life, which our Lord Himself had planted in the Garden long ago. What a wonder it was, for here man could reach out, take the fruit it bore in every season, eat, and live. But what tragedy has befallen us sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, for our first parents were tempted and ate of that other special tree: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Good, our first parents well knew, for our Lord had given them every good thing for our life and blessing—but eating, they sadly now knew (and you do, too) what evil is, for it brings sorrow and death to us all. Loving us, our Lord came calling that afternoon and, seeing man now fallen, He would not that we should forever be separated from Him by sin forevermore, so we were driven from Paradise, lest we eat from the Tree of Life.
Drawing attention to the tree standing on the other side of the altar, Luther apologized for only bringing the one, for this was a representative of that vast forest glade—the trees planted along the banks of the river which flows from beneath the throne of the Lamb, which John writes of in the Revelation of Jesus. Yes, and there are fruits on that tree as well! For they bring us life and their leaves are for the healing of the nations. Ah, but don’t you know it, this December we feel the cold, and doesn’t your stomach grumble for the breakfast waiting the end of the Mass back home? Fine as you may think it, sixteenth century Wittenberg is not yet heaven, that new Jerusalem. That is yet to be. This Tree of Life is just as far out of our reach as the one barred from us in Eden!
Now wait, what about the Tree standing there in the middle? You see it every time you come to church. What about that tree, there above the center of the altar? Yes, the Tree on which our Savior poured out His life for you! Behold the Holy Cross. Here my beloved, Jesus Himself is made for your good, the Fruit of Life. As the rivers once flowed from Eden, as the water of life flows from the throne of the Lamb in that Paradise yet to be (oh how we long for it!), so the water of the Baptismal font is here mixed with the Word of Life as Jesus joins us to Himself and we are made living. And there, you see the pulpit Luther’s preaching from, the glad proclamation of the Word of Life! And here, beneath the altar cross, Jesus—the Word made flesh—meets us in His own Body and Blood, a wondrous Feast for our forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation!
By sin, we’ve lost the first Tree. The second awaits us in heaven’s Paradise. But to bring us from death in sin to eternal Life, Jesus has given us the Tree of the Cross.
Happy and blessed Christmas, fellow redeemed!
James Wilson is pastor of Resurrection Lutheran Church in North Bend, Oregon.