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Ellen G. White in Europe 1885-1887

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Crowd Gathers in Large Baptist Church

That afternoon Mrs. White was scheduled to speak in the large Baptist church in Tramelan. A notice was sent to the pastor of the church, but he refused to read it to his congregation, thinking she would dwell on the Sabbath question. Nevertheless, there were nearly 300 waiting to hear her when she arrived at the church. Her sermon was on genuine faith. She was naturally interested in the responses of the people, and as they filed out, many of them greeted her with expressions like: “I shall take home that which I have heard; I see nothing objectionable in it.” EGWE 253.1

The minister of the church said he was very sorry he had not announced the meeting. Had he known the subject, he certainly would have. EGWE 253.2

Returning to Basel, Mrs. White was on hand for a meeting the next evening in which the nativity story was presented. She gave a short talk. Then a fragrant evergreen tree was brought in loaded down with money gifts for the Saviour. The reason for this service during the Christmas season was to secure financial help for the colporteurs in Russia. Their ministry was made difficult by the fact that the Seventh-day Adventist Church was not recognized by the government. The threat of imprisonment hung over their heads, and their labors were performed with enormous difficulty. The Christmas tree in Basel yielded 429 francs for their support. Quite a harvest! EGWE 253.3

In the Review, Sister White had written: EGWE 253.4

“We are now nearing the close of another year, and shall we not make these festal days opportunities in which to bring to God our offerings? I cannot say sacrifices, for we shall only be rendering to God that which is His already, and which He has only entrusted to us till He shall call for it. God would be well pleased if on Christmas, each church EGWE 253.5

would have a Christmas tree on which shall be hung offerings, great and small, for these houses of worship. EGWE 254.1

“Letters of inquiry have come to us asking, Shall we have a Christmas tree? will it not be like the world? We answer, You can make it like the world if you have a disposition to do so, or you can make it as unlike the world as possible. There is no particular sin in selecting a fragrant evergreen, and placing it in our churches; but the sin lies in the motive which prompts to action, and the use which is made of the gifts placed upon the tree. EGWE 254.2

“The tree may be as tall and its branches as wide as shall best suit the occasion; but let its boughs be laden with the golden and silver fruit of your beneficence, and present this to Him as your Christmas gift. Let your donations be sanctified by prayer.”—The Review and Herald, December 11, 1879. EGWE 254.3

Ellen White in her counsels about Christmas observance recognized that there was no Bible support for the celebration of the day, but she was practical enough to see that Christmas could not be passed by unnoticed by parents. The children would not understand. The wise procedure would be to direct the minds and hearts of the little ones to Christ, whose “birthday” was being celebrated. So she counseled them to bring their gifts to Jesus as the Wise Men did. EGWE 254.4

Her teaching was positive. The counsels were practical and dealt with the everyday issues the church must meet in its pilgrimage through this world. EGWE 254.5

“Let us represent the Christian life as it really it; let us make the way cheerful, inviting, interesting. We can do this if we will. We may fill our own minds with vivid pictures of spiritual and eternal things, and in so doing help to make them a reality to other minds.”—Ibid., January 29, 1884. EGWE 254.6