Clark Dunkle

The Christmas Tree Effect Clark Dunkle

In June of 2011, on one of the hottest nights of the entire year in the small town of Franklin, Tennessee, God revealed to an obscure, unsuspecting itinerant minister a revelation in the form of an undecorated Christmas tree. In the hours that followed, God made clear to him this tree represented the Gospel that Jesus Christ commissioned both the original disciples and us to preach to every creature. It consists of only five powerful words, along with the star of grace to top it all off. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each had different ways of recording this commission of our Lord Jesus. Matthew tells us to go teach, Mark tells us to preach the Gospel, Luke tells us what the Gospel is, and finally John tells us the most effective way of preaching it. Unfortunately, throughout the years, the church has decorated and thus obscured the Gospel through "ornaments" that were never intended to be placed on the tree. By preaching these ornaments, we effectively alienate and push away the very people that we hope to be saved.

The Christmas tree effect is a message that is needed in these polarized times of decreasing church attendance. By returning to the simple yet majestic Gospel of Jesus Christ of two thousand years ago, sinners, as well as stagnant believers, can draw new hope in its unvarnished message of unconditional love and forgiveness, giving them the hope that they had lost so long ago.