The Nativity of our Lord – Christmas 2025
The Advent Wreath and Candles
Central to our celebration of the Savior’s birth not only this morning , but throughout the pre-Christmas season of Advent has been the “Advent Wreath and Candles” which are found in the front of the sanctuary today. For the first time this year, the large white candle in the center, the “Christ Candle,” is lit, since this morning we are here to celebrate His birth. It symbolizes the fulfillment of Christmas prophesy — the nativity of Jesus Christ, the Savior and Light of the world. In addition, the four smaller candles (formerly 3 purple and one pink) have been replaced by four white candles. The color of white is used to symbolize the personal purity and righteousness of Christ our Savior, as well as to typify the status (of fully forgiven, heaven-bound saints) that Jesus’ substitutionary perfect life and sacrifice has secured for us. The significance of each of those four smaller candles is explained in what follows:
The First Candle (violet/white) is the Candle of Prophesy, symbolizing the Old Testament prophecies of the Advent, or coming, of the Savior.
The Second Advent Candle (violet/white) is the Bethlehem Candle. It symbolizes the coming to earth of Jesus, the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary.
The Third Advent Candle (pink/white) is the Shepherd Candle. Through this candle’s symbolism we recall the coming of the Savior into our hearts and lives through the Means of Grace (the Gospel in Word and Sacrament).
The Fourth Candle (violet/white) is the Angel Candle. It represents the final coming of the Savior in glory with all His angels for the final judgement.
Other than the reading of Luke 2:1-20 from the King James Version
The portions of God’s Word used in this worship flyer have been taken from The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version Copyright 2019, The Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
Used with permission. Music and lyrics, as needed, are used with permission via OneLicense.net #A712831
Pre-Service Prayer
O Lord, we welcome Thee, Our hearts for joy are leaping,
Thou Jesus, dearest Child, Thy precious promise keeping
Art Come from heav’n to earth To be our Brother dear;
Thou, gracious Son of God, Wilt banish all our fear.
To Thee alone we cling, For Thee all else forsaking;
On Thee alone we build Tho’ heav’n and earth be quaking.
To Thee alone we live, In Thee alone we die;
O Jesus, dearest Lord, With Thee we reign on him. Amen
Pre-service Prayer
Pre-service Music “Carols of the Season”
Oh Come, All Ye Faithful, Joyful and Triumphant
Oh Come, Ye, O Come Ye, to Bethlehem.
Come, and behold Him, born the King of angels.
Oh Come, let us adore Him. Oh Come, let us adore Him.
Oh Come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord.
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee Born this happy morning
Jesus, to Thee all glory be given,
Word of the Father, Now in flesh appearing.
Oh Come, let us adore Him. Oh Come, let us adore Him.
Oh Come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord.
+ + + + + + + + + +
Rejoice, Rejoice, this happy morn, A Savior unto us is born,
The Christ, the Lord of Glory. His lowly birth in Bethlehem
The angels from on high proclaim And sing redemption’s story.
My soul, extol God‘s great favor,
Bless Him ever For salvation
Give Him praise and adoration.
+ + + + + + + + + +
Of the Father’s love begotten, since the world began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega, He the Source, the Ending, He
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see.
Evermore and evermore.
+ + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + +
From heaven above to earth I come,
To bear good news to ev’ry home;
Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
Whereof I now will say and sing.
To you this night is born a Child, Of Mary, chosen virgin, mild
This little Child of lowly birth Shall be the joy of all the earth.
We Praise Our God
The Greeting and Invitation to Worship
At the Pastor’s invitation, the Congregation will rise for
The Invocation
Pastor In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen.
The Responsive Reading
Pastor: Oh come, let us worship the Lord
Congregation: Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving.
Pastor Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.
Congregation: We have seen Christ’s glory, the glory of the Father’s
only- begotten Son, full of grace and truth.
The Opening Prayer for Christmas Day
Almighty God, in Your incomprehensible mercy, + You sent Your one and only Son to take upon Himself our human nature. + By virtue of Christ’s gracious coming + and His atoning work, + deliver us now from the oppression of our enemies: + Satan, + our sinful flesh, + and this evil world, + which relentlessly seek to turn us back toward spiritual darkness. + Transform us, we pray, + by the power of Your Holy Spirit + into living Lights for Christ, + that we might daily grow in faith, joy, and service to You. + This we seek in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, + Your Son, our Lord, + Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, + one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Opening Hymn Hymn 36 A Great and Mighty Wonder
A great and mighty wonder, A glorious mystery:
A virgin bears an infant Who veils His deity.
Repeat the hymn again:
“To God on high be glory and Peace on earth to men.”
The Word becomes incarnate And yet remains on high,
And cherubim sing anthems To shepherds in the sky.
Repeat the hymn again:
“To God on high be glory and Peace on earth to men.”
While thus they sing your Monarch Those bright angelic bands,
Rejoice, O vales and mountains, And oceans clap your hands.
Repeat the hymn again:
“To God on high be glory and Peace on earth to men.”
Since all He comes to ransom, By all be He adored,
The Infant born in Bethl’em The Savior and the Lord.
Repeat the hymn again:
“To God on high be glory and Peace on earth to men.”
All idols then shall perish And Satan’s lying cease,
And Christ shall raise His scepter, Decreeing endless peace.
Repeat the hymn again:
“To God on high be glory and Peace on earth to men.”
After which, the Congregation will rise for
The Confession of Sins and Absolution
Pastor – Let us now rise and join in confessing our sins to God.
All – Almighty God we have come together to stand in Your presence, to hear Your Word and to worship You.
Pastor – But who may appear in Your presence, Heavenly Father, and who may call on You for help?
All – He who has clean hands and a pure heart; He shall receive blessings from the Lord.
Pastor – O Holy and righteous God, You alone can make us clean. We have rebelled against You and become worthless. But Your mercies never end; they are new every day. At Your command and promise, therefore, we come to You and confess our sins.
All – O Holy and most merciful Father, I am altogether sinful from birth. In countless ways I have sinned against You and do not deserve to be called Your child.
But at Your gracious Word I come to You, and for the sake of my Lord, Jesus Christ, I plead: God have mercy on me a sinner!”
The Words of Absolution and Assurance
Pastor – Having heard your confession, I as a called minister of the Living Word assure you that our gracious Father in heaven has heard your prayer, and now, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, and according to the command and authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in His place, I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you. Amen.
Congregation: To the melody of “Ode to Joy” (cwh, 1999)
Joyful, joyful we adore You, God of glory, God of love!
Heav’n and earth bow down before You,
Praising You, our Lord above.
You our Father, Christ our Savior,
With the Spirit faith provides,
Life eternal we’ve been granted, gracious gift that e’er abides.
You are giving and forgiving, Ever glorious, Ever blest.
Source of every kind of blessing, Giver of eternal rest.
You have claimed us as Your children
Heaven’s heirs through faith alone —
In the Rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ, our Lord, Your Son.
Lord, receive our prayers and praises,
weak and humble though they be.
Yours the power, Yours the glory, Both today and endlessly.
None beside You, None before You, God of mercy, full and free.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, ever blessed Trinity.
The Psalm for This Festival Psalm 72
Pastor: God give Your authority to judge to the King.
Congregation: Give Your righteousness to the Son of the King.
Pastor: He will obtain justice for the afflicted among the people.
Congregation: He will save the children of the poor, and He will crush the oppressor
Pastor: He will rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Congregation: All kings will bow down to Him. All nations will serve Him.
Pastor: He will certainly deliver the poor person who cries out
Congregation: From oppression and violence He will redeem their lives because their blood is precious in His sight.
Pastor: May His name endure forever.
Congregation: All nations will call Him blessed.
Pastor: Blessed be the Lord God, Who alone does marvelous deeds.
Congregation: May the whole earth be filled with His glory.
After which the Congregation may be seated
The Second Hymn “Away In A Manger”
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.
The stars in the sky, looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask You to stay,
Close by me forever And love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in Your tender care,
And take us to heaven, to live with You there.
We Give Our Attention to God’s Word
An Old Testament Prophecy Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, from you will go out the One Who will be Ruler for Me over Israel, Whose goings forth are from the beginning, from eternity.
Our Response In Song Hymn 50 “Once in Royal David’s City”
Once in Royal David’s City stood a lowly cattle shed
Where a mother laid her Baby in a manger for His bed.
Mary was that mother mild – Jesus Christ, her little Child.
He came down to earth from heaven
Who is God and Lord of all.
And His shelter was a stable And His cradle was stall;
With the poor and mean and lowly
Lived on earth our Savior holy.
But our eyes at last shall see Him
Through His own redeeming love.
For that Child, so dear and tender, Is our Lord in heav’n above.
And He leads His children on To the place where He has gone.
Not in that poor, lowly stable With the oxen standing by
Shall we see Him, but in heav’n Set at God’s right hand on high.
Then like stars His children crowned,
All in white, His praise will sound.
The Reading of Luke 2:1-7 The Birth of the Savior
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room from them in the inn.
The Fourth Hymn “What Child Is This?”
What Child is this, Who laid to rest, On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud The Babe, the Son of Mary!
Why lies He in such mean estate Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear; for sinners here
The silent word is pleading.
Nails, spears shall pierce Him through,
The cross He bore for me, for you
Hail, hail the Word made flesh, The Babe, the Son of Mary!
So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh;
Come peasant, king, to own Him.
The King of kings salvation brings;
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise the song on high, The virgin sings her lullaby;
Joy, joy, for Christ is born, The Babe, the Son of Mary!
The Angels Announce Christ’s
The Reading of Luke 2:8-14 Birth to the Shepherds
And there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, “Fear not. For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Congregational Hymn Hymn 61 “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”
Hark the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful all you nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”
Christ, by highest heav’n adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail th’ incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with us to dwell Jesus, our Immanuel!
Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”
Hail, the heav’nly Prince of Peace! Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by, Born that we no more may die,
Born to raise us from the earth, Born to give us second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”
The Shepherds Visit the Christ
The Reading of Luke 2:15-20 Child and Return, Glorifying God
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, “Let us now go even to Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Congregational Hymn Hymn 54 “Where Shepherds Lately Knelt”
Where shepherds lately knelt and kept the angel’s word,
I come I half-belief, a pilgrim strangely stirred;
But there is room, and welcome there for me,
But there is room, and welcome there for me.
In that unlikely place I find Him as they said:
Sweet newborn Babe, how frail! And in a manger bed,
A still, small voice to cry one day for me,
A still, small voice to cry one day for me.
How should I not have known Isaiah would be there,
His prophecies fulfilled? With pounding heart I stare:
A Child, a Son, the Prince of Peace for me,
A Child, A Son, the Prince of Peace for me.
Can I, will I forget how Love was born, and burned
Its way into my heart unasked, unforced, unearned.
To die, to live, and not alone for me,
To die, to live, and not alone for me.
The Sermon based on Genesis 3:15
I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will crush His heel.
How the Grinch Tried to Steal Christmas
(….and Why We Need Christmas So Much)
Our Confession of our Faith
…..Excerpted from the Athanasian Creed
Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the universal Christian faith. + Which faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, + without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
And the universal, Christian faith is this, + that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. + Neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the Substance. + For there is one Person of the Father, + another of the Son, + and another of the Holy Ghost.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation + that he also believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. + For the right faith is that we believe and confess + that our Lord Jesus Christ. the Son of God, + is God and Man; + God of the Substance of the Father, + begotten before the worlds; + and Man of the substance of His mother, + born in the world; + Perfect God and perfect Man, + of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead + and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood; + Who, although He be God and Man, + yet He is not two, but one Christ: + One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, + but by taking the manhood into God; + One altogether; not by confusion of Substance, + but by unity of Person.
For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, + so God and Man is one Christ; + Who suffered for our salvation; + descended into hell; + rose again the third day from the dead; + He ascended into heaven; + He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; + from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. +
At Whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies + and shall give an account of their own works. + And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; + and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the universal, Christian faith; + which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, + he cannot be saved.
We Offer Our Gifts to the Lord
Our Offerings of Love to our Lord
We will be passing an offering plate through our chapel at this point. For those unable to worship with us in person, if you would like to participate in this offering, we offer you the following suggestions for providing God with Your thank-offerings through our ministry:
1) You can send a check (no cash) in the mail to Grace Lutheran Church (415 N. 6th Place, Lowell, AR 72745)
2) Or, go online to our website (www.gracelutherannwa.com) and use the giving option there.
The Offering
The Offering Interlude
As the offerings are brought forward, the Congregation rises for prayer
We Bring Our Prayers to the Lord
Any Special Prayers
Our Christmas Prayer (offered in Unison)
O GOD THE FATHER, we praise You for the gift of Your Son, Who was born in the poverty and lowliness of Bethlehem so that we might enjoy the riches of Your grace and the blessings of being Your children now and forever.
O GOD THE SON, we adore You for humbling Yourself to be born a human being in order to be our Savior; for bearing the burden and curse of all our sins; and for offering Yourself to our Father in heaven as the perfect sacrifice and satisfaction for our sins
O GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT, we glorify You for having made in our hearts a home for the Savior of the world; and for bringing the peace of forgiveness and salvation to our souls by giving us the faith to believe in Him Who is the Prince of Peace and King of Kings.
O BLESSED HOLY TRINITY, on this holy day give us humble and contrite hearts that we may joyfully claim the Babe of Bethlehem as our Lord and God. Remove from us the tattered robes of our own self-righteousness, and instead adorn us with the spotless garments of Christ’s righteousness.
Use every gift we receive during this Christmas season from friends and family to remind us of Your greater gift to us: the Gift of a Savior from sin, so that our hearts might rejoice and our tongues might sing, “Glory to God in the highest, forever and ever!”
We offer this prayer in the name, and for the sake of the Christ Child, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, Who has also taught us to pray:
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
The Closing Service
The Closing Hymn Hymn 62 “Joy to the World”
Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King;
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and heav’n and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns! Let all their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.
Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, Repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow Nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make His blessing flow Far as the curse is found.
Far as the curse is found. Far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders of His love.
After which, the Congregation will rise for
The Closing Prayer
We thank You, Almighty God, for the gift of Your Son, Who humbled Himself to become our Brother. Grant that the birth of our Lord Jesus may bring us into the glorious liberty of serving Him in His Kingdom. We ask this for the sake of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with the Father and the Spirit is One God, forever and ever.
Congregation Amen.
The Benediction
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
And the love of God
And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
Silent Prayer
Announcements
Postlude
A Brief History of The Christian Church’s Celebration of Christ’s Birth…..and the History of some of our more Familiar Christmas Traditions written by Charles Huebner
What is the most important church festival? No doubt many church-goers would answer, “Christmas, of course!” But it wasn’t always that way. As a matter of fact, for the first 350 years after Christ’s birth Christian churches didn’t celebrate a December 25th Christmas. (There is evidence that the origins of a primitive and isolated Christmas celebration can be traced back to 98 AD, but it was not embraced church-wide and was rather short-lived.) For early Christians the major Church festival of the year was Easter, with each new Sunday (the Lord’s Day) being a fresh reminder of Jesus’ resurrection on the first day of the week. In fact, church members who did consider formally commemorating Christ’s birth were afraid that by doing so, outsiders might come to think of Jesus as just another one of the many earthly rulers whose birthdays customarily were celebrated in those days.
Instead of being concerned with a December 25th Christmas, the ancient church was much more interested in January 6, the Festival of Epiphany, which directed people’s attention to the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry: his baptism and first miracle. Today, of course, Epiphany lies in the shadow of Christmas and has even taken on a Christmas theme. We now use Epiphany to relate the final chapter of the Christmas story, the coming of the Wise Men.
It was during the fourth century that the spotlight began to shift from Epiphany to Christmas. One reason was a growing emphasis on the miraculous, yet human, birth of the Savior. The early Christians had to contend with a cult known as the Gnostics (“Knowers”). These heretics down-played Jesus’ humanity. To them it was unthinkable that the eternal Son of God should come into the world as a little baby. They taught that Jesus first became divine at the time of his baptism. Gnosticism posed a serious threat to the early churches, much like cults who are pulling thousands away from Christian churches today. It was only natural that discussions about Christ’s humanity would center on his birth.
The only problem was, nobody knew when the Savior was born. The Bible gives no specific date. And if the first generation of Christians knew it, either they didn’t write it down or it wasn’t preserved.
When Was Jesus Born?
Most serious Bible students realize that Jesus was probably not born on December 25th. The shepherds had their flocks in open fields, which implies a date prior to October. Furthermore, no competent Roman administrator would require registration involving travel during the season when Judea was generally impassable due to the rainy season (late October into March).
If Jesus wasn’t born on December 25, just when was He born? Although the Bible doesn’t explicitly identify the birthday of our Lord, many scholars have developed diverse opinions as to the likely birthday of Jesus. (It reminds one of the rabbinical observation: “With two Jews, you are going to have three opinions!”)
Then Why Do We Observe December 25th?
As we noted earlier, the early Christian church did not celebrate Jesus’ birth, and therefore the exact date was not preserved in their writings or their festivals.
The first recorded mention of December 25th is in the Calendar of Philocalus (A.D. 354), which assumed Jesus’ birth to be Friday, December 25th, A.D. in the year 1. Putting together what scant information they had, theologians sought to arrive at the date. Some attempted to establish the day when Zechariah (the father of John the Baptist) served in the temple; they then combined it with the annunciation to Mary which took place “in the sixth month” following (Luke 1:26).
Others tried to determine at what time of the year the shepherds might or might not have been in the fields of Bethlehem. Such calculations have led to a variety of possibilities: January 2 or 6, March 28 or 29, April 18, 19 or 20, September 29, December 25.
The church father Hippolytus (about 170-235) is given credit for being the first person to set the date as December 25. He had concluded that the time of Christ’s life from His conception to His crucifixion was exactly 33 years. Having somehow determined (we now know his conclusions were erroneous) that both these events took place on March 25, it was simply a matter of adding nine months to get the day of Jesus’ birth, December 25.
About the same time that Christians were deciding Jesus’ birthday was important, another momentous event took place. The Roman Emperor Constantine (280-337) was converted to Christianity. He subsequently issued his “Edict of Toleration” in A.D. 313, which enabled the formerly persecuted Christians, figuratively-speaking, to exchange their rags of rejection for the silks of royal recognition. Suddenly Christianity had changed from being a persecuted religion to having the “status” of being the official state religion. Because of this, many people found it politically advantageous to become Christian. Needless to say, more than a few of those “conversions” were less than sincere. The predictable urgency to adopt/embrace cultural changes favoring Christianity inevitably forced many former pagan rituals to be adapted to Christianity with some new “Christian” trappings of their own.
The date of December 25th, which was officially proclaimed by the church fathers in A.D. 440 as the birth date of Jesus, was actually a remnant of the Roman holiday of Saturnalia. The Saturnalia (December 17-24) was always observed near the winter solstice (December 21/22), which itself was among the many pagan traditions inherited from the earlier Babylonian priesthood. The Saturnalia always culminated in the celebration of the shortest day of the year and the birth of the “new sun” on December 25. These days were marked by processions, lighting candles and giving presents. This was also a time of merrymaking and overindulgence.
Since the Romans were not inclined to give up their holiday, it seemed natural for the Christians to replace the birth of the sun with the birth of “the Sun of Righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). However, victory over paganism was not easy, nor was it total. In fact, to this day, since that first celebration of Christmas (historians believe it occurred in 336), Christians have been trying their best to keep Christ at the center of the Christmas celebration, often against rather formidable secular and materialistic competition.
The Christmas Tree, Wreaths and the Advent Wreath
The Advent wreath is a combination of two very common symbols: light and the fir tree. From the early centuries of Christianity it has been the practice to represent Christ by a burning candle. The fir tree also has a long history of religious use.
One of the most popular themes for the medieval “mystery plays” revolved around the telling of the story of Paradise. In those plays, the Garden of Eden was typically portrayed by a fir tree hung with apples. In the Eastern churches (Eastern/Greek Orthodox) December 24th was celebrated as the Feast Day of Adam and Eve. The custom of putting up a Paradise (eventually known as a Christmas) tree in the home on December 24th, decorated with apples, came into Europe (and the Americas) by way of the East.
In Germany there was also a custom of placing a lit Christmas candle on top of a wooden pyramid decorated with evergreen twigs. In time the wooden pyramid was replaced by the Paradise tree, decorated with apples and lighted candles.
Undoubtedly the use of wreaths (and the Advent wreath, in particular) was developed in large part in connection with the Christmas tree. Advent wreaths, such as we employ in church, originated a few hundred years ago among the Lutheran Christians of eastern Germany. A wreath of evergreens, made of various sizes, was either suspended from the ceiling or placed on a table. Four candles (called the prophecy, Bethlehem, Shepherd and Angels candles) successively lit over the four Sundays of Advent were fastened to the wreath.
The general symbolism of the Advent wreath lies in the growing light of the wreath, increasing each week as we approach the birthday of Jesus, Who is “the Light of the world.” That same symbolism is connected to the lights of the Christmas tree and the lights that adorn homes at this time of the year……even if that significance is lost to most people today.
What About Santa Claus?
Santa Claus means Holy Claus, short for Nicholas. The word “santo” is “holy” in Latin as well as its descendent tongues, such as Spanish and Italian. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, St. Nicholas was born in the ancient city of Patara. As a youth he traveled to Palestine and later became Bishop of Myra. He was imprisoned during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian and was later attendant at the First Council of Nicea in A.D. 325.
Legend says that Bishop Nicholas showed unusual kindness to the poor and the weak; oftentimes leaving things for them on their doorsteps while they were asleep. In the Middle Ages he became patron saint of charitable fraternities, children, and other things as well as patron saint of the City of Moscow, Russia.
After the Reformation, the legend of St. Nicholas died out everywhere except in Holland. It migrated to the U.S. with Dutch Reformed Christians. The Dutch Christians referred to him as “Sinter Klaus,” from which the name “Santa Claus” is derived.
Later in Germany, St. Nick would traditionally arrive on his Feast Day, December 6th. A man dressed as St. Nick would go door to door loaded with a giant sack. To those children who had been good during the year, he gave presents. To those who had been bad, a lump of coal was their lot. “How did he do that?” the kids would wonder.
St. Nicholas’s red outfit was derived from the red colors bishops, like Bishop Nicholas wore. The modern version of St. Nick originated in a series of Thomas Nast engravings, which appeared in Harper’s Weekly between 1863 and 1886.
A Few Other Christmas Affections and Traditions
The Night before Christmas was first published in 1822 and picked up widespread popularity and republishing, and remains a favorite part of Christmas for many to this day.
During Queen Victoria’s reign in England (1837-1901), tree decorating was a commonplace practice. Incidentally, Martin Luther is reported to have been the first person to actually put lights, in the form of candles, on a Christmas tree. The story is that he was inspired to do this because of his taking a walk among some evergreens one clear evening. Seeing the starlight twinkle around the trees’ branches led him to use candles to produce a similar effect inside the house. (One can only speculate whose house was the first to burn down as the result of a Christmas tree.)
In 1880, Woolworth’s stores began selling the first manufactured Christmas tree ornaments. They caught on immediately, quickly spreading across the country..
In Mexico and southern parts of the United States, Las Posadas has been a major Christmas tradition. In recent years it has become increasingly popular here in our United States. During Las Posadas children go door to door asking for shelter, just as Joseph and Mary did when Mary was about to give birth to Jesus. The proper response from the person who answers the doors is always a negative head shake and these words are spoken, “no posada” (no shelter). Candles placed in paper bags (luminarias) serve as chains of lanterns on the ground leading up to the doors to show the expectant couple the way.
Rudolph, the “genetically mutant” reindeer (because of his red nose), is a latecomer to our modern American Christmas observance, and has absolutely no religious significance whatsoever. In 1939, the store Santas at various Montgomery Wards department stores throughout the country gave away 2.4 million copies of a booklet called “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” The story was written by Robert May, an advertising executive who worked for Wards. In 1949, western singer Gene Autrey recorded a musical rendition of the poem. His song has become familiar to us all, since it became an overnight, sensational hit.
Keeping Christ in Christmas
Christians today often do their best to fight the ongoing secularization of their holidays. In so doing, some have gone so far as to reject anything to do with holidays like Christmas…..saying it/they are not Biblically ordained. We should point out that the New Testament doesn’t really ordain anything for the Church other than the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. But it does not prohibit the observing of special days either (Romans 14:5,6), and since we live under God’s grace, as Christians we are free to honor different days if we wish…..as long as the Lord is honored in all that we do.
Perhaps one of the best ways for us, as Christians, to keep Christ as the center of our Christmas observance is for us to better understand and appreciate some of the various symbols and customs that have come to be used to celebrate Christ’s birth across the centuries, so that we can better distinguish between what is “sacred” and what is secular…..and then use them with the intent of retaining and emphasizing the uniqueness inherent in the mystery and majesty of what truly lies at the heart of Christian Christmas: the incarnation…..the birth of the Son of God, and Mary’s Child, Who is our LORD and Savior.
For instance, at Christmas we remember the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh presented by the Magi by giving gifts to family and friends. As more than a “precedent” for our Christmas gift-giving, these gifts of the Wise Men were given to celebrate Jesus’ deity and royalty (the gold), His priesthood (the frankinsense), and His death (the myrrh….and ointment often used in connection with a person’s burial).
Consequently, we can make this Christmas season – and every Christmas – a real, Spiritual celebration, regardless of how our seculcar world approaches it. We can do that by bringing our Lord the gifts of our hearts and lives, as well as offerings worthy of Him as the only One Who could save us. Let’s also do our best to grow in our faith during this time of the year, by keeping our hearts and minds focused on God’s Word, and particuarly the various Scripture lessons associated with the seasons of Advent and Christmas…..as we are intending to do today.