The Hanging of The Green Wednesday, November 28, 2018 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Yorktown, VA Hanging of the Green Service November 28, 2018 w w w w w w w PRELUDE THE CHIMING OF THE HOUR WELCOME We gather this evening as we eagerly await the coming of the Light of the world to bring us new life and new hope. Advent is a time of expectation and preparation. Let us prepare our hearts and this house for the birth of Jesus. w HYMN, No. 202 UMH “People Look East” (During the singing of the final verse those who will hang the wreaths are invited to go to the narthex.) SCRIPTURE, Mark 1:1-3 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (NRSV) THE CALL TO WORSHIP, Isaiah 2:2-3 (NRSV) In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ How shall we prepare this house for the coming of Jesus, the King? With branches of cedar, the tree of royalty. How shall we prepare this house for the coming of Jesus, the eternal Christ? With garlands of pine and fir, whose leaves are ever living. How shall we prepare this house for the coming of Jesus, our Savior? With wreaths of holly and ivy, symbolizing His passion, death and resurrection. How shall we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus, the Son of God? By hearing again, the words of the prophets who foretold the saving work of God. Glory to God in the highest! SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 60:13 “The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the elm, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will glorify where my feet rest.” HYMN, No. 234 UMH “O Come, All Ye Faithful” {vs. 1-3} (Wreath processional during music) THE EVERGREEN The most striking and universal feature of Christmas is the use of evergreens in churches and homes. Holly and ivy, along with pine, fir and cedar are called evergreens because they never change color. They are ever-green, ever- alive, even in the midst of winter. The red berries of the holly are a symbol of the blood Christ shed for our sins. The blue berries of the cedar remind us of Mary’s sapphire robe. Early Christians placed evergreens in their windows much like we still do today, to indicate that Christ had entered the home. The evergreens symbolize the unchanging nature of God and remind us that everlasting life is ours through Jesus Christ. There are many legends associated with the Bible. Let us begin this legend with the recorded event written in Scripture and recorded by Matthew about Mary and Joseph’s flight to Egypt. The Gospel writer says, An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. And the angel said to him: "Rise up and take the Infant Jesus and his mother and escape with them to Egypt. Stay in Egypt until I bid you return. You are no longer safe. Go, for Herod sends his soldiers to seek out the Child and destroy Him." So, Mary and Joseph and their Infant Child left the warmth and security of their land and journeyed into Egypt. One legend says they hastily gathered their belongings and escaped into the night. They must run from the jealous wrath of Herod and his men. They must escape from the death decree handed down by Herod. No one could know their destination. Secrecy was the only way, lest their families and friends come under the decree of death. Over rocky hills and dusty roads, they traveled wearily; Mary and the Infant on the back of a donkey; Joseph, alert and watchful, walking beside them. With heavy saddened hearts and fearful weary bodies, they made their way all night long and into the following long day. In the afternoon, they saw dust in the distance behind. Fast riding soldiers came, soldiers sent from Herod, sent to carry out Herod's dreadful mission. Where could they hide? Where could the Holy Family find protection? The hillside was barren, offering no shield. Quickly, a frightened Joseph guided Mary and her child into a clump of cedars on a hill. Immediately, the bare cedar twigs greened with color, thickened with growth to shield the Holy Family. The white berries of the cedar tree turned to sapphire blue to match the robe that Mary wore that day. So, Mary, mother of Jesus in a robe of sapphire blue could blend with cedar trees, and go unnoticed by passing, hunting soldiers. Since that day, cedars and plants like them have never shed their leaves; never lost their green; for they sheltered the Holy Family. Forever green, to honor the day they received the Infant Christ Child. Evergreen, everlasting, eternal, green branches are a part of our preparation, our waiting: a symbol of hope, a symbol of eternity, a reminder of love received. Evergreen is a symbol of the eternal promise of renewal, a symbol of the eternal and everlasting God. (The Advent Wreath begins to be trimmed.) THE ADVENT WREATH Advent wreaths have their origins in the folk traditions of northern Europe, where in the deep of winter people lit candles on wheel-shaped bundles of evergreen. The greenery and candlelight gave comfort at this darkest time of the year, Later, Eastern European Christians adopted this practice and by the sixteenth century, Advent wreaths became what we know them as today. Both the evergreen and candles are circular in shape and symbolize ongoing life, reminding us of the continuous power of God, which has no beginning and no end. An advent wreath contains five candles. The three purple candles in the advent wreath symbolize the coming of the Messiah, or Christ, from the Royal line of David. In Biblical times the color purple was always reserved for royalty as it was expensive and rare. Each candle itself symbolizes hope, peace and love. These candles are lit on the first, second and third Sundays of Advent. The fourth candle is pink and represents joy. The fifth candle is known as the Christ candle. It is white and the only candle placed inside the Advent wreath. The Christ candle is lit on Christmas Day and points to Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Light of the World. THE CHRISMON TREE Chrismons are a relatively new addition to the Christmas tradition. Chrismons originated at Ascension Lutheran Church in Virginia in 1957 by Francis Spencer. Feeling that the traditional brightly colored Christmas ornaments were just not appropriate for a place of worship, she began looking for something that would better reflect the Christian faith. Many of the symbols used are quite ancient, such as the star of David, the Greek letters for Alpha and Omega and Icthys known as the fish symbol. A Chrismon is a monogram of Christ, proclaiming the name, the life, and the saving acts of Jesus the Christ. Chrismons are handmade Christian symbols and are not to be bought or sold. At St. Luke’s, we are truly blessed to have an elaborate and extensive selection of Chrismons to decorate the trees in our sanctuary and in The Grove, that were hand-made by our members. THE FISH The fish is the most ancient symbol for our Lord, and was used as an easily recognized secret sign by early Christians. The Greek word for fish, “ichthus” (pronounced ik-thoos), is formed by using the first letter of each of the words in Greek which stand for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior”. Since non-Christians did not suspect its secret meaning, the image of the fish offered protection from persecution. THE BUTTERFLY The butterfly is a symbol of Christ’s resurrection and eternal life. It comes out of the cocoon with a body able to soar into the sky. THE CROSS There are many designs for the symbol of the cross. The cross is always a symbol of Christianity, because Christianity was founded not only on the birth and teachings of Jesus of Christ, but on his death on the cross AND his resurrection. THE TRIANGLE The triangle in different forms represents the Trinity– Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. THE DOVE The dove reminds us that our souls go to heaven, as Jesus did when he left earth. It also is a symbol of peace, for the “Prince of Peace.” At Jesus’ baptism, the gospel of Matthew tells us that when Jesus “came up out of the water, Heaven was opened to Him and He saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove resting on him.”(3:16) THE HEART The heart is the symbol of love, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Since the love of God is present through both the Old and New Testaments, the heart is an excellent symbol to represent Christ.