and girls often think that big people have set apart Christmas as a
day for gathering around the Christmas tree, as a time for Santa Claus,
for the giving of presents and for having a good time generally. This is
not the case. I will tell you why we celebrate Christmas, and
particularly the significance and meaning of the Christmas tree.
Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who
came into this world to redeem us from sin and everlasting death; and
the Christmas tree, laden with its many gifts and suggestive of so much
joy and blessing, is a symbol of the Saviour. In order that you may best
understand the full meaning of the Christmas tree, I must call your
attention to the season of the year when Christmas came. You will
remember that last summer, when the sun rose at half-past four in the
morning and did not set until half-past seven in the evening, the days
were very long, and you could see to go about in the evening until about
eight o'clock and after. At Christmas time the sun goes down at
half-past four in the afternoon, and does not rise until half-past seven
in the morning. So you see that the days are about six hours shorter in
December than they are in the latter part of the month of June.
Christmas occurs at that season when the days are shorter and the nights
are longer than at any other period of the year. In the Bible darkness
represents sin and unbelief and wickedness; and the daytime or light
represents truth and righteousness and godly living. So you will see
that the long nights at the Christmas period of the year, and the short
days, fitly represent the condition of the world at the time when Jesus,
the Son of God, was born in Bethlehem. At no other time in the world's
history was there so much of moral darkness and sin and wickedness and
corruption in the world. Cruelty and crime and wickedness abounded
everywhere. If I were to stop and tell you of the condition of society,
of the wrong and the iniquity, which abounded everywhere, you would be
greatly horrified. It was at such a time as this in the world's history,
when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to this world, that sin might be
banished and righteousness might abound. So you see that Christmas
occurs at that period of the year when the night and the darkness are
the longest of any of the entire year, and it very fittingly represents
the condition which existed in the world when Jesus was born in
Bethlehem, as the Sav