Mistletoe

The meaning is not so romantic …

A few centuries back, some people noticed that mistletoe tended to grow where birds had left their droppings. “Mistal” is an Anglo-Saxon word that means “dung” and “tan” means “twig,” so mistletoe actually means “dung on a twig.”

Mistletoe was associated with Frigga, the Scandinavian’s goddess of love. This is where the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe originated. Frigga, however, was actually a real person who was the wife of Oden – both were raised up to a God-like status even though they were merely people.

In America the mistletoe is hung on the doorway of homes at Christmas.

Many bird species rely on mistletoe for food and nesting material. Butterflies lay their eggs on the plants and use the nectar as food. Mistletoe is also an important pollen and nectar plant for bees.

Love in the Bible – God showed His love in sending Jesus, His only Son. Jesus came to die for us and God knew that, which shows how much He loves us.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:6-8

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.