One of the many favorite advent decorations in our church is the Chrismon Tree. That’s right — it is a Chrismon Tree, not a Christmas Tree. What is the difference you might ask? I recently discovered a delightful guide to our Chrismon written from 1975, when our Chrismon tree was dedicated.
Here is what our dedication booklet says: “The word “Chrismon” is a combination of the Greek letters, Chi and Rho, the monogram for Christ. These monograms were discovered in many places—some on jewelry or utensils, others on doors or buildings, and still more on the walls of the catacombs in Rome. Early Christians used them to identify themselves to one another, to designate meeting places of the church, and sometimes to witness their faith to unbelievers. Of most importance is the inspiration from the faith and dedication of these early believers–handed down to us through these early symbols. Over the years the Chrismons have developed so that they may now be a monogram, sign, symbol, type, or a combination of such figures. The one requirement is that they refer primarily to our Lord and God. The evergreen tree on which the Chrismons are being hung symbolizes the eternal life which Christ has won for us.
The small white lights represent Christ, the Light of the World. All Chrismons are primarily done in two colors, gold and white; the gold representing the glory and majesty of God, and the white the purity, innocence, and perfection of our Savior. All of the Chrismon designs are explained on the following pages, and are used with the permission of the Lutheran Church of Ascension, Danville, Virginia, where the Chrismon Tree was originated in 1957. Our Tree, with its first Chrismons, has been faithfully reproduced by the women of the United Methodist Church of Geneva to help celebrate the birthday of our Lord, Christmas, 1957. It is planned that the Chrismon Tree with its message and beauty will be an ongoing project of the church. It is our hope that these Chrismons will make God’s revelation in Christ and His love more real to you this Christmas season and throughout the year.”
When you look closely at the tree, you’ll see that these Chrismons are indeed not the typical ornament. They are handcrafted symbols of our Lord. Here is just one page from the dedication booklet that annotates a few of the symbols.
I’ve made copies of this dedication booklet available by our Chrismon so that if you want to better understand its many rich symbols you can use a booklet as you gaze upon the Chrismon Tree – or to help explain to children what the Chrismons mean. (I’ve also included a photocopy of the booklet for our homebound readers).
I’m grateful for the women of our church who have kept this beautiful tradition going for nearly 50 years.
This advent season, I invite you visit the church anytime the building is open, turn the tree on, and grab a booklet and spend time reading, gazing and praying as an Advent devotional of the gift we have in Christ Jesus.
