The Christian Christmas Tree
Advent 2006
Most years we have used an Advent Ring to help focus our thoughts during the preparation for Christmas.

Back in Advent 2003, we decided instead to hang Christian symbols - or 'Chrismons' (shortened from "Christ Monograms") on our Church Christmas Tree.

This went so well, we decided to "Give it another go" in 2006 and given the number of items to be dealt with, we added them at all nine services though Advent - A number at our Carol service, and several at each of the the services on Christmas Eve including Café style All-Age event, Communion and finally Christmas Day's Family Service.

There were no liturgies or responses for the congregation and each week the Worship Leader and Preacher appointed for the services

Contents

The History of Chrismons

Our 2006 Chrismons List

Downloadable Resources


 Danville Chrismons Tree

The History of Chrismons


In 1940, a Reverend George Pass, an elderly minister visited the home of Mrs. Frances Kipps Spencer in Danville, Virgina during the Christmas season and influenced her greatly.

Mr. Pass was from a poor church and, in order to acquire the materials to make decorations, asked Mrs. Spencer for her discarded wrappings. His creations from these meagre materials were then shared with his congregation.

Mr Pass' great devotion moved Mrs. Spencer and her husband, Harry, to continue the tradition and make their own ornaments for decoration of their tree.

In 1957, Mrs. Spencer volunteered to be in charge of the decorations for her church, The Ascension Lutheran Church of Danville. She decided instead of traditional balls and coloured lights, that handmade ornaments would be more appropriate.

Mrs. Spencer began to study the monograms of Christ and, after discovering the Latin word chrisma, the name Chrismon was born. Four instructional books were written by Mrs. Spencer with the help of her congregation so that this "ministry" might be shared throughout the United States and the world.

"Early Christians used symbols of the early church to transmit the faith and beliefs of the artist/teacher to the viewer. Thus the inspiration was shared and passed on." - Frances Kipps Spence

Our 2003 Chrismons List

The Christian Christmas Tree

During Advent we are placing Christian symbols on our Christmas tree. These are Christian monograms or Chrismons, for short. Each represents an aspect of The Gospel for us to reflect upon. The display is also known as a Jesse Tree. Below is a list of the symbols and their Christian meaning.

Alpha and Omega:

 The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet which signify that Jesus is the beginning and the end of all things. (See Revelation 1:8.)

Bell:

A bell calling people to worship symbolizes the need of priority for the things of God over the secular. In general, the sounding forth of the Word.

Bible, open:

 Symbolizes the Word of God.

Butterfly:

 Symbol of the resurrection and eternal life. As the butterfly leaves the pupa and soars upward with a new body, so through Jesus Christ are his followers borne to a new life.

Cup:

 A symbol of the blood of Christ and of the sacrament of Holy Communion.

Chi Rho:

 A monogram of the first two letters, Chi (X) and Rho (P), of the Greek word for Christ.

Christmas Rose:

 Symbol of the Nativity and of messianic prophecy, a white hardy rose that blooms at Christmas.

Circle and Triangle:

 Suggests the eternity of the Trinity.

Anchor Cross:

Used by the early Christians in the catacombs. Ancient Egyptian in its origin.

Budded Cross:

 It suggests the young or immature Christian.

Cross and Crown:

 These symbolize the reward of the faithful in the life after death to those who believe in the crucified Saviour. “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

Cross Pattée:

 Resembles the Maltese cross. A beautiful form of the cross used widely for decorative purposes.

Daisy:

 Conventionalized, symbol of the innocence of the Holy Child. Popular usage started toward the end of the fifteenth century.

Dove:

 The dove expressed innocence and purity. It signifies the Holy Spirit and the presence of God as hovering over the water at creation, and above Jesus at his baptism.

Fish:

 A secret sign used by the early persecuted Christians to designate themselves as believers in Jesus. The initial letters of the Greek words for “Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour,” spell the Greek word for fish.

Fleur de Lis:

 One of the most popular symbols for Mary.

Harp:

 The symbol for music, especially that rendered in praise of God.

Lamb:

 The blood of a lamb without blemish was commanded by God to be sprinkled on the door posts of Hebrew homes in Egypt so his destroying angel might pass over and spare Israel. This was memorialised in the Passover Festival. in the New Testament, the lamb is often used figuratively to symbolize Christ and his sacrifice.

Lamp:

 A symbol for the Word of God. Probably coming from “Your word is a lamp to my feet” (Psalm 119:105).

Manger:

 Suggestive of the simplicity of poverty surrounding the birth of Jesus and typical of his entire life.

Clover:

 The prominent three leaves make the clover an easily understood symbol of the Trinity.

Shell with Drops of Water:

 A symbol of our Lord’s baptism.

Star, Epiphany:

 The star of Jacob (Numbers 24:17) finds its fulfilment in the “manifestation” of Jesus to the Gentiles (Matthew 2:1-2).

Torch, Burning:

 As a Christian symbol it signifies witnessing for Christ. “Let your light so shine” (Matthew 5:16).

Trumpet:

Symbol for the day of judgement, the resurrection, and the call to worship.

We arranged our use of the Chrismons to work equally well with following the traditional Advent pattern recalling aspects of Advent preparation, with the Revised Common Lectionary readings for “Year C” and the 2006 Scripture Union Light  notes themes.
The name Chrismons is copyright © The Ascension Lutheran Church of Danville. All Rights Reserved.
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Last updated 26th November 2007