I Love to Tell the Story of Jesus

Pastor – Christmas is a time when we all can become like children.  We marvel at the beauty of the season.  We look in wonder and awe and continue to ask those age-old questions.  Who are we talking about? What are we celebrating?  Why do we celebrate?  We invite all of us to become like children tonight and ask questions.
	For more than thirty years we have been decorating our church Christmas tree with Chrismons.
The word Chrismon is a made up word meaning Christ monograms or symbols that tell us about Jesus.  Our confirmation age young people and their parents and a few other adults will share in a question and answer session as we decorate our tree.  Every one of us will join is singing some of the songs that also contain some of the thoughts these symbols represent. 
Tree

Young Person – Why do we put up a Christmas tree?  Tell us the stories that you know!

Adult – There are many wonderful stories about this tree.  It’s really like a tree filled with stories about Jesus.  We’d all love to tell you the stories about Jesus as we put the trimmings on this tree.  You can help us by singing verse one of ------

#390  Lutheran Book of Worship
I Love to Tell the Story

Adult -  First of all, the evergreen tree has branches that are always green.  They look so alive all year long.  This reminds us that we will live with Jesus forever because Jesus lived and died for you and me.

(Song  to be sung by a group – Praise team and/or youth or a soloist)

“O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree”

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us.
They’re green when summer days are bright:
They’re green when winter snow is white.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us.

Young Person – (Hold up ornaments with circles and point to Advent wreath)  Why do we have circles in so many of the ornaments for the tree and evergreen branches put on a circle to make wreaths?

Adult -  A golden circle or evergreen branches put on a circle to make a wreath reminds us that we will live with Jesus forever.  A circle is a reminder of eternity, without beginning and without end.

White
Young Person – Why have we used only white and gold on the tree?

Adult - The tiny white lights on the tree remind us that Jesus is the light of the world.  White is the liturgical color for Christmas.  In the Bible white is often used to portray purity and completeness.  

Pastor -  Isaiah reminds us that God forgives.  

Is. 1:18 - 18  Come now, let us argue it out, says the LORD:  though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

At the end of the Bible in the book of Revelation we are told that the saints of God are clothed in robes of white.

Revelation 7:13-15 - Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?" 14  I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows."  Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  15  For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

Gold
Young Person -  Why is gold used on the tree?

Adult - Gold is used to show the majesty and glory of God.  In Old Testament times gold was used to decorate the temple and for many of the temple furnishings.  In the New Testament we are told that streets of heaven are made of pure gold.  God gives us the very best and we are to give our very best to God.  God is majestic and wonderful!

Star
Young Person – Why do people often put a star on top of the tree?  We sing about it in lots of songs like Hymn #69, verse 5. Lutheran Book of Worship 

#69 – I Am So Glad Each Christmas Eve. Verse 5

(Young people hold up examples of different kinds of stars and place them on the tree.)

Adult -  There are many different kinds of stars.  Some have four, five, six, seven, or eight points and some have many, many points.
Stars with many points remind us of the many stars in heaven that God created.
Stars with six points remind us of the six days of creation.  They also make us think of the Star of David the King, and ancestor of Jesus.

Stars with five points make us think of the wise men from a faraway country who followed a star to the house where Jesus and his family were staying.

Pastor – In the Old Testament God already told the people that a Messiah would come.  Numbers 24:17b tells us – “a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel”  Indeed the Messiah was descended from Jacob as we read in the account from  Matthew 1:1-2 - An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.  2  Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
	In the gospels we hear of the wisemen following a star.  We will sing the first verse of hymn #646 in With One Voice.

# 646 - We Three Kings of Orient Are. Verse 1.

Pastor - Stars with four points remind us of the close relationship between the birth and death of Jesus.  It is as if the ends of the cross go to the points of the star.  We want to be led by the gracious Lord Jesus who died for us on the cross.  That thought is expressed in verse one of hymn #82 in the Lutheran Book of Worship.

#82 – As with Gladness Men of Old. Verse 1.

Sun
Young Person – There is another ornament that almost looks like a star but it also looks like a sun.  What is the story behind this ornament?
(Hold up ornament)

Adult – The prophet Malachi compared the Messiah, the one for whom people were waiting, to the sun. The Chrismon with the Christ monogram on it reminds us of that prophecy.  Listen to Malachi 4:2.  But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. Malachi 4:2a
Jesus was the “Sun of Righteousness.”   That is what we sing about in verse three of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” – Hymn # 60 in your Lutheran Book of Worship.
#60 - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Verse 3.

Pastor – That endless light is also named in hymn #263, verse 4.

#263 - Abide with Us, Our Savior.  Verse 4.

Rose
Young Person -  Why do we put roses on a Christmas tree?  
(Hold up ornament)

Adult – A very long time before Jesus was born there was a prophet named Isaiah.  He said that a descendant of Jesse, the father of King David, would be born and God’s spirit would rest on that person.  He talked about the family tree of Jesse and said a branch would grow from that family tree.  Listen to the story of that family tree from Isaiah 11:1-2
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.  2  The spirit of the LORD shall rest on  him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.  Isaiah 11:1-2
Another Bible verse talks about the “Rose of Sharon” and people think that the writer was talking about Jesus as that rose. 
I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.  Song of Solomon 2:1

A hymn was written that called Jesus that rose on the family branch of Jesse.

Let’s sing the Christmas hymn about this story in the Lutheran Book of Worship.  Verses 1, 2,  and 4
 
#58 - Lo, How a Rose is Growing. Verses 1, 2,4.

Butterfly

Young Person – Here is an ornament with a butterfly.  What does that tell us about Jesus?
(Hold up ornament)

Adult – The butterfly is a symbol of the resurrection and eternal life.  As the butterfly changes from a pupa or chrysalis to a winged adult, so we, through Christ will be raised from the dead and have new lives.  

In Christ there's hope
For life that's bright and new.
Our bodies too will change
When earthbound days are through.  

Cornerstone
Young Person – This ornament looks like a block,-- a building block.  It has letters on it.  What does the block with the letters on it mean?
(Hold up ornament)

Adult – When a building is constructed the foundation has to be strong.  Some rocks or stones in a wall are more important than others.  Sometimes a stone in the corner tells when a building was built and may even have information about that year placed inside of it.  That is sometimes called a cornerstone.  In Jesus’ time when buildings had many arches, a keystone at the top of the arch kept the whole arch from collapsing.  It kept the other rocks in place.  That also was sometimes known as the most important stone. 

Pastor -  In Mark 12:10 we read about Jesus who is the cornerstone.  - Have you not read this scripture:  "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; Jesus is that important stone.  Our lives are built on a solid foundation, Jesus.  Listen to what the writer of Ephesians says about Jesus as the cornerstone.  

Pastor - Ephesians 2:20 - So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20  built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.  21  In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the LORD; 22  in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

We sing about the cornerstone in the Lutheran Book of Worship in the first verse of hymn
#367  Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation. Verse 1.

Young Person -  What do the letters on the block and other ornaments represent?
(Young people hold up various ornaments with letters on them and then put them on the tree)

Pastor - The letters on the ornaments are letters representing the name of Jesus.

 The letters are from other languages like Greek and Latin that were used by the early Christians.  They are letters that remind people of the wonderful name of Jesus.  We love to hear and share the name of Jesus.

Jesus Christ
XP or CHI RHO	  In Greek the first letters of the word  the Christ or Messiah.  The letters may be superimposed on each other.

IHS	Based on the Greek word for Jesus –  – Iota Eta Sigma

INRI	Latin superscription on cross.  Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews.  John 19:19

In one of our hymns, # 345 in the Lutheran Book of Worship we sing about the name of Jesus.

345 - How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds.  Verse 1.

Cross
Young Person -  There are a lot of different crosses that can be put on the tree. Do each of them have a special meaning?

Adult -  Any form of the cross reminds us of our Saviour’s sacrifice for our sins.  Different forms of the cross help us think of what Jesus did for us.  We can sing about what the cross means for us in verse 1 of hymn #104 in the Lutheran Book of Worship. 

104 - In the Cross of Christ I Glory. Verse 1.

Here is the LATIN CROSS (Hold up ornament)
	This is the most widely used form of the cross today.  The empty cross reminds us that Jesus rose from the dead.

 In the GREEK CROSS (Hold up ornament) all parts or arms of the cross are equal.  This design was used by the early Greek Christians.

This is ST. ANDREW’S CROSS  (Hold up ornament)
Tradition says that the apostle Andrew, one of the disciples, died on this form of cross.  When he was about to be put to death, he asked to be crucified on a cross unlike that of his Lord Jesus.

Young Person – Here is a very different cross!  It has a snake on it.
(Hold up ornament)

Adult -  It is the TAU CROSS.  This resembles the Greek letter T and suggests Moses’s staff and the promise of a Messiah.  If it has a bronzed serpent on it, it is the staff God told Moses to use to save the people of Israel on their way to the promised land.  In Numbers 21:5-9 – we read, The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?  For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food."  6  Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.  7  The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us."  So Moses prayed for the people.  8  And the LORD said to Moses, "Make  a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live."  9  So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Young Person – How does that relate to Jesus?

Adult - John 3:14 tells us the following:  “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,”  Jesus would be nailed to a cross and lifted up on it and die there.

Anchor
Young Person – This symbol looks like a ship’s anchor but also like a cross. 
(Hold up ornament)

Adult – When the early Christians were persecuted some of them hid in the catacombs or tombs in Rome. There they used an anchor as a sign or symbol to hide the cross that marked their place of worship.  Now we also call the anchor cross the cross of hope.  An anchor holds a boat or ship in place and keeps it from going places where it should not go.  Jesus is our anchor and keeps us safe on the stormy seas of life.
Hebrews 6:19-20 tells us:  We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, 20  where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.  

We sing about that hope and the anchor in the Lutheran Book of Worship.

294 – My Hope is Built on Nothing Less.  Verses 1 and 2 with refrain.

Young Person (Holds up cross with orb)  Here is an ornament that has a cross on top of a golden ball.  It must mean that Jesus died for the whole world.

Adult – Yes, that is the cross of victory. It shows the triumph of the gospel in the entire world and the fact that the world is united through Christ. It also means that we can go and tell the whole world about the love of Jesus.
We sing the refrain and verse three of Lutheran Book of Worship. 

#70 - Go Tell It on the Mountain.  Refrain and verse 3.

Cross and Crown

Young Person – Here is a cross and a crown.  What do the two of them mean together?
(Hold up ornament)

Adult – Those are a symbol of the reward of the faithful in life after death for those who believe in the crucified Savior.  

Listen to the words from Revelation 2:10b - Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

 In hymn 487 in the Lutheran Book of Worship we sing about bearing our cross and joy hereafter.
#487 - Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus. Verse 2.

Dove
Young Person -  Why is there a dove to place on the tree?
(Hold up ornament)

Adult -  The dove reminds us of the presence of God hovering over the water at Creation. The descending dove signifies the Holy Spirit at our Lord’s baptism.

Pastor - Mark 1:10 says, - “And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.”

Young Person -  The dove is also a symbol of peace.  It reminds us of the peace God brings us through the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives.  We sing about that in verses 1 and 4 of hymn 486. Lutheran Book of Worship. 
486 - Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart. Verses 1 and 4.

Fish

Young Person – Why is there a fish ornament?  I’ve also seen the fish in jewelry that some people wear.
(Hold up ornament)

Adult - The fish was used as a secret sign by early persecuted Christians to indicate they were believers in Jesus. Sometimes they scratched a fish symbol into the sand on a road to point to places where they were gathering to worship or to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  The first letters of the Greek words for “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior” spell the Greek word for fish.

Lamb

Young Person – Why is there a lamb with a banner over it?
(Hold up ornament)

Adult -  The LAMB WITH A BANNER OF VICTORY makes us think of	the “Agnus Dei” or Lamb of God, no longer wounded but standing victorious.  The banner represents the church and the staff represents the cross on which he was slain for the sins of the world.
We sing about the Lamb of God in hymn 103, Lutheran Book of Worship. 

#103 - O Christ, Thou Lamb of God

Shell

Young Person – Why is there a sea shell ornament?
(Hold up ornament)

Adult – The SHELL WITH THREE DROPS OF WATER symbolizes the baptism of Jesus and our baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Matthew 28:19 says, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we sing hymn 194 in the Lutheran Book of Worship to remind us of our baptism.

#194 - All Who Believe and Are Baptized. Verses 1 and 2.

Shepherd’s Crook

Young Person –This ornament looks like a cane with a curve on the end.  
(Hold up ornament)

Adult – It is a SHEPHERD’S CROOK.  A shepherd used that kind of stick to reach out to help or pull back sheep when they were in danger.	Jesus, our Savior, said, “I am the good shepherd.”  

John 10:11  says   "I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
We sing about Jesus, our good shepherd in hymn 456 in the Lutheran Book of Worship says that too.
456 - The King of Love My Shepherd Is.  Verse 1.

Adult - The shepherd’s crook also reminds us of the shepherds who came to the manger where the baby Jesus lay.  We sing about them in hymn 56 in the Lutheran Book of Worship.

#56 - The First Noel.  Verse 1 with refrain.

Triangle or Three Circles or Arcs
Young Person -  There are so many symbols that help us remember the story of Jesus.  What do the triangle and three circles mean?

Adult – (Hold up TRIANGLE OR THREE CIRCLES OR THREE ARCS ) – These are symbols of the Trinity in which three figures or parts combine to make one complete form.  We know God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We sing about the Trinity in hymn number 165 in the Lutheran Book of Worship.

165 - Holy, Holy, Holy.  Verse 1.
 
Alpha and Omega

Young Person – What are these letters?  One looks like an A but what is the other one?
(Hold up ornament)
Adult – Those are the first and last letters of the alphabet in the Greek language.  In Greek the first and last letters of the alphabet are Alpha and Omega. They are like our A and Z.  They remind us of the fact that our Lord was there from the beginning and will always be there – from the first to the last.
Listen to this Bible verse from the book of Revelation.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."  Revelation 22:13

We ask God to be in our lives from beginning to the end.  We sing about this in a hymn when we ask for the Spirit of God to live within us from beginning to the end.  Let’s sing verse two of hymn 315.

#315 – Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.  Verse 2.

Pastor – There are so many ways to tell the story of Jesus!  Our tree can help us think about and share the many wonderful stories we know.  When you come to church during this special season you may want to think about the symbols on our tree and tell others who were not here tonight about what the ornaments tell about God’s love for us. We began this evening with the first verse of hymn 390 I love to tell the Story.  Now let’s sing verses two and three.

#390 - I Love to Tell the Story. Verse 2 and 3 with refrain.

Advent Chrismon Sermon
Prepared by Rev. Dr. Loretta Kuse and Dr. Hildegard Kuse