Tis' the Season...
One question: What is the purpose of the Christmas Tree in Christendom?
Currently, I am having trouble placing it's significance in this season of the Christian calendar.
Peace be with you all.
Joseph
Currently, I am having trouble placing it's significance in this season of the Christian calendar.
Peace be with you all.
Joseph
posted by Joseph | 5:58 PM
10 Comments:
Here's what Wikipedia has to say on the history of Christmas trees:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree
I don't think it has much liturgical significance, though it would be nice to be able to put it up and decorate it on Dec. 24th and take it down on Jan. 6th.
Richard's right. It appears that there's not much in the way of historic liturgical significance... though of course you could use it liturgically & invest it with great meaning for your class or congregation.
Evergreen - Christ is ever-living?
Lights - Christ is the light of the world?
Alternatively: "Because that's the way we've always done it."
We dealt with the use of a Christmas tree in our hanging of the greens service by using the information on The Voice (cresourcei.org)
"Today, the Christmas tree is the center of our festivities. Glittering with lights and ornaments, it is a part of the beauty and meaning of Christmas. There are several legends and stories about the Christmas tree.
The first use of the Christmas tree was in the medieval German Paradise Plays, held outdoors and portraying the creation of humankind. The Tree of Life was a fir tree decorated with apples. Later other ornaments were hung upon them, such as paper flowers and gilded nuts. In England branches or whole trees were forced into bloom indoors for Christmas. From these beginnings the use of a tree at Christmas was established. Martin Luther was perhaps the first to use a lighted tree.
The story is told that on one Christmas Eve Martin Luther wandered outdoors and became enraptured with the beauty of the starry sky. Its brilliance and loveliness led him to reflect on the glory of the first Christmas Eve as seen in Bethlehem's radiant skies. 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 to all Europe, then America came to regard it as the central ornament of Christmas."
We then invited children to hang their chrismons (http://www.cresourcei.org/symbols/chrismon.html) on the tree. Like everyone else, I agree that there is no historic precedent but by the use of chrismons and the lighting of the tree, the symbolism is very beneficial in our worship gathering.
What about the Nativity? Why is it not the focus of our festivities? Why a tree, and not Christ, His earthy parents, and the scene of the night of His birth, as illustrated in the Biblical text? Why do we not emphasise this as the focal point?
Even if it is emphasised in the Church over a tree, then why not in the home?
Peace
Joseph
Weird, I always thought my church back home was the only one that hung chrismon's. As to Joseph's last comments, I don't know that there isn't an emphasis on the Nativity. I've never seen two churches celebrate Christmas the same way. They may have similar names for certain traditions i.e. Hanging of the greens, but they are rarely the same in practice or even theologically.
Interestingly my mother gave my wife and I a nativity set (Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus). She didn't inspect the contents of the box very carefully and we all gasped when I unwrapped Mary and she had ultra blond hair. It looked terrible, so my mom (bit of an artist) painted the hair dark brown. It was an improvement. I will say that it is interesting how the nativity is used as decoration. I'm not sure how I feel about those big plastic yard versions and some of the sets are very odd.
Today in my class we talked about the Advent readings for this year. We talked about how Advent is often misunderstood to be a celebration preparing for the birth of Christ, but it is actually pointing to the "second coming" through the lenses of the birth of Christ. The readings for the first Sunday of Advent are actually prophetic texts referring to the second-coming. I just started reading "The Origins of Christmas" by Joseph Kelly. I let you know if I find anything interesting.
Didn't Jesus himself institute the use of the tree so that we have a place to put all the material goods that are ours by birthright into His kingdom? Aren't people looking for a further theological significance just overlooking the fact that we deserve to be rewarded for being good 20th-century Christian consumers?
Who's sardonically?
I sincerely hope that this isn't the last post that this blog sees
That's what I've been trying to say, although its tough convincing my wife we shouldn't have one.
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