2008 Chrismon Service

Decorating the tree with symbols for Christmas

Until a few months ago, probably nobody in Blandford had heard of a Chrismon Service - but it was brilliant way to start Advent! With the tree up and bare, awaiting the decorations, everybody in the congregation had a Christian symbol to add to the tree until we could light it up and truly show the meaning of "Light coming into the world ..." So here's what the symbols meant ...

	ALPHA AND OMEGA Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last letter. As the first and last letters, THE ALPHA AND OMEGA represents the One in whom creation began and the one by whom Satan’s rule will end and creation will be fulfilled. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit existed before creation in perfect unity with each other. This Chrismon reminds us that although we celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas, Christ always existed before His birth as a member of the Trinity. This early Christian symbol is based upon Jesus’ own words in Revelation 1:8: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
	SEASHELL / SCALLOP Acts 1:5 “.. John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” The seashell or scallop with three drops of water symbolizes the baptism of Jesus and our baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
	TEN COMMANDMENTS Deuteronomy 5:1 “Moses called all the people of Israel together and said, “listen carefully, Israel. Hear the decrees and regulations I am giving you today, so you may learn them and obey them!” The Ten Commandments Stone Tablet symbolizes that God gave Moses 10 good rules to keep. God wants us to live the right way so that we will be happy and free as he intended. We struggle with sin in our lives and we often choose what is wrong. But God’s rules help us because they show us how much we need Jesus to take away our sins and make us new everyday. They also help us to know what is right and wrong if we get confused.

THE DESCENDING DOVE Mark 1: 10-11 “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. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved: with you I am well pleased.” The DESCENDING DOVE is symbolic of the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus when He was baptized by John the Baptist. When Christ was baptized, the voice of God came from Heaven saying “This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased” and the Holy Spirit descended on our Lord in the form of a dove. Jesus is the One who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is “Christ in us” and is the source of our close relationship with God. God lives in us and so the power of God is available to us. Because God lives in us and God cannot reject Himself, we are assured that we will one day be taken to see Jesus face to face. Do you have the Spirit of God living in you?
CHI RHO John 1:41 “He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). In the original Greek, the word “Christ” was written XRISTOS. The letters Chi (X) and Rho (R or P) were combined into one of the earliest known Christian symbols. It is found inscribed on the walls of the Roman catacombs as early as the 2nd century. So this chrismon reminds us that Jesus was the Christ. In Hebrew, the word “Christ” is translated “Messiah,” which means “the anointed one.” Jesus is the Messiah; God’s chosen and anointed king.
CELTIC CROSS John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” The Celtic Cross is a cross used by Christians of The British Isles for many years. The orb in the centre represents the Rising Sun, representative of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who rose from the dead. The arms of the cross are rays of light shining forth from the sun. This reminds us that Christ is the Light of the world.

	ANCHOR CROSS Hebrews 6:19 “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain,” There are two items in this Chrismon: an anchor and a cross. That is why it is called the ANCHOR CROSS or the CROSS OF HOPE. It is another very ancient symbol, often found in the catacombs of Rome. This symbol comes from the Scripture in Hebrews 6:19: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” It symbolizes that Christ is our anchor throughout life, and that if we turn to Him, we won’t need to be adrift in the sea of life. People down through twenty centuries have put their hopes and dreams in Jesus, God’s Son. Is Jesus your anchor? The world can take you where you don’t want to go. It can overcome you and we can drift through life without the anchor of Christ in your life.
	TRIQUETRA Romans 5:5-6 “and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.” The Triquetra. By the Middle Ages, the three interwoven arcs of the triquetra had come to serve as a beautiful symbol of the Trinity … the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Identical in nature, each arc expresses the equality of the Trinity. The continuous form of this symbol also shows the unity and eternal nature of the Divine God-head.
	CROWN OF GLORY Hebrews 2:9 “.. but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” The final chrismon for our tree is the CROWN OF GLORY. A crown has always been a visible symbol of a ruler’s power and authority. This chrismon symbolizes the ultimate sovereignty and majesty due the Son of God. It shows that through Christ, God will rule over the world. At His return, Jesus will be crowned with “many crowns” and reign as “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords” and every knee will bow and every tongue will proclaim that He is Lord!

Add the Christmas Lights to our Tree and its decorations and it speaks of all that we want to be as Christians ..."Let us shine like stars into the community of Blandford and beyond, Spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, our Lord"