Hanging The Greeens
Notes
Transcript
We have been in the season of ordinary in the church calendar. Today is the last Sunday of the church year.
Advent is the beginning of the new church year. Advent is a season of preparation as we prepare for the coming of the Messiah and anticipate his return.
Within the traditions of the Church Calendar year is a special occasion on the heals of the Advent season.
The special occasion is called, “Hanging the Greens.”
It is a service where thoughtfully the church decorates for the advent season. Next Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent so I thought I would introduce this service to our church today in preparation for Advent.
Today we will decorate the tree for advent, considering each decoration as it represents a tradition of the advent season.
You were handed bags, so now open your bags. You will notice several decorations in the bag at the appropriate time I will ask you to bring your decoration to the tree.
So let us consider this season of advent for a moment
This season is filled with traditions as we remember the first advent, or coming of the Lord.
Through the centuries Christians have observed a time of waiting and expectation before celebrating the birth of Jesus at Christmas.
This is a season of reflection and preparation
It is a season filled with Joy as it is enriched by Christian traditions that reflect its distinctive Christian message and meaning.
It proclaims the revelation of the love of God in the birth of Jesus, in a humble manger
It points to the hope of Christ’s coming again as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
In a way we are all innkeepers as advent asks us to make room for the arrival of God’s anointed
As we prepare this place for advent let us prepare our hearts and our lives for his coming.
Song Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
The Tradition of Evergreens
A long church tradition in the season of advent is the use of the evergreens. Evergreens were placed in the windows of the early Christians to indicate that Christ had entered the home.
Places of worship were decked with the boughs of holly as a promise of the new life and as a sign of the hope that in Christ all live forever.
Holly, ivy, pine, and fir are called evergreens because they never change their color.
They are ever green, ever alive, even in the midst of winter
They symbolize the unchanging nature of God, and they remind us of the everlasting life that is ours through Christ.
I am reminded of Isaiah 60:13
The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary (Isaiah 6:13 KJV)
The Christmas Tree - the center piece of Christmas and advent.
There are several traditions and legends about the use of the Christmas tree. It is believed by most that Martin Luther was the first to use a lighted tree.
The story is told that one Christmas Even Luther wandered outdoors and became enraptured with the beauty of the starry sky. Its brilliance led him to reflect on the glory of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem’s radiant lives. Wishing to share with his wife and children the enchantment he had felt, he cut from the forest an evergreen, glistening with snow, and took it home. He placed upon it candles to represent the glorious heavens he had seen. The use of a candle lighted tree spread throughout all Europe, making its way to America. Today the evergreen Christmas tree symbolizes everlasting life and its spire points upward reminding people of God.
As we Sing O Christmas Tree bring the greens to be hung on the tree
The Tradition of Bells
I have always loved bells at Christmas and music has always been part of what brings joy at Christmas. As we sing the carols that remind us of good will and the brith of Christ.
There is something about church bells that have gladdened the hearts of Christians for centuries.
Medieval people had a tender feeling for church bells. They were dedicated with prayers and historical bells have rung out glad news at Christmas are the Emperor Bell in Moscow, the Great Bell of China in Peking, Big Ben in London, and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.
It is the ringing of the bells and towers of chimes that bring a joyous sound of good tidings.
As I read I heard the Bells on Christmas Day a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, bring your bell decorations and hang them on the tree.
The Tradition of Poinsettia
As we have seen most Christmas greenery has its roots in European traditions. One colorful plant however, that looks like a flaming star, the poinsettia is a native to the American continent.
It was named after Dr. Joel Robert Poinset, an ambassador to Mexico who first introduced this plant to the United States. The people of Mexico and Central America call the plant, “Flower of the Holy Night.” This plant because of its many pointed star shape has come to symbolize the star of Bethlehem,.
The star on top of the tree and poinsettias represent the star in the sky that helped the wisemen find their way to Jesus in Bethlehem.
After hearing the king, they went on their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on ahead of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
As we sing O Little Town of Bethlehem bring your poinsettia flowers
The Tradition of Angels
It is natural that angels would be part of the advent traditions as they played a role in the birth of our Lord
It was the Angel Gabriel who brought the message to Mary according to Luke 1:26
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth,
An angel appeared to the Shepherds as we read in Luke 2:8-9
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.”
When the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
Because angels appeared high in the sky on the first Christmas, people began placing angels high on the top of their trees as a way to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
As we sing Hark the Harold Angels Sing bring the angels to hang on the tree
The Tradition Nativity Scene
One of the most recognized and heart warming expressions of the Advent season Is the nativity. There is still mystery around why God would send his son into our world as a baby of humble birth, born in common surroundings.
A fulfillment of prophecy is a clue Isaiah 53:2-3
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of dry ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we would look at Him,
Nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him.
He was despised and abandoned by men,
A man of great pain and familiar with sickness;
And like one from whom people hide their faces,
He was despised, and we had no regard for Him.
What we do know is that through Jesus God reached out to the marginalized and often ignored people in society as well as the wealthy and leadership. He still does through us as he seeks the simple and the wise, the powerless and the powerful.
Whenever we see the a Nativity we find ourselves with Mary and Joseph; with the Shepherds, and the wisemen; bowing before the manger, overwhelmed by God’s expression of love in coming to us.
Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Away in a Manger
The Tradition of Gifts Under the Tree
From the very beginning gift giving has been part of Christmas tradition. We remember the wisemen as we have read brought gifts to of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.
Unique to later history of generous givers is the story of Saint Nicholas, who was bishop of Myra in Lycia in the 4th century.
He is reputed to have been wealthy, his emblem being three purses and three golden bells.
This was the symbol of rich Italian families of his day. The good bishop gave his money away secretly to those whom he found in need.
He was deeply interested in young people, giving his wealth especially to maidens whose lack of a dowry was affecting their matrimonial future, and to the needy boys. Gifts coming from unknown sources were commonly attributed to him and parents customarily gave him credit for their gifts to their children.
Eventually his generosity was discovered by the father of three dowry-less daughters. The eldest two received from the chimney of successive nights a substantial gift of gold with their name on it.
The father resolved to watch and see who their generous benefactor could be. His vigil revealed the good Saint Nicholas as the donor of gifts. His names survives today as the human embodiment of unselfish giving.
As we sing We Three Kings the children will being gifts to place under the tree
The Christ of Advent and Christmas
Jesus is the source of the Christmas story and the Bible itself. He is the living embodiment of the word of God
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The greatest gift of Christmas is the gift of God in Christ Jesus. All that we do in this season points to that expression of God’s love.
The son of God came to Bethlehem, born in a manger, born of the most humblest of beginnings. As Christians we seek to pass on our heritage to our children and those who by faith in Christ, become part of the family of God.
The reason we do presents is because of the greatest gift giver, God himself in giving the gift of his one and only son.
The emphasis is to go into this season remembering The Amazing Gifts of Christmas: Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace.
Last year our kids learned about the story of the candy cane, do you remember.
The stripes of the candy cane represent the purifying of Christ’s blood from sin
The shape of the cane represents both the J for Jesus and the shepherd’s hook.
As we hear Carolyn and Pam sing The Best Gift of All bring up the candy canes and hang them on the tree
The other important thing we remember at Christmas is light came into the world the night Jesus was born.
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.
Now we will light the tree!
As the song plays and if you wish to respond to the gospel and accept Jesus as your savior I will remain at the alter
Pray and give the blessing.