FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF PARIS REV. JOHN BURTON DECEMBER 7, 2014 SERMON: THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD TEXT: 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. Symbols all around us «Lexus, Mercedes, Jaguar symbols of success «Wedding Rings symbols of love and commitment «Fancy smart phones symbols of importance «Cowboy boots symbols of individualism «Talking on the cell phone while driving symbol of a death wish At Christmas these are joined by Santa Clauses and Reindeer and Snowmen symbols both of giving and big business. Everywhere I go, especially at night, I find myself looking at and admiring all the Christmas lights and decorations. But those lights and decorations do not often tell me what the folks who put them up are really celebrating. Is it 1. The exchanging of neat gifts that you have been hinting about 2. The annual family get-together 3. Santa Claus and the elves 4. The end of the college semester and a return home for some good cooking and T.L.C. 5. The endless series of parties 6. Or is it something to be happy about? I just can t tell from the street. Often I cannot tell even when I am sitting in people s living rooms. That is why we have our Chrismon Tree, that when people come here they can see our faith is not in Santa Claus but in God about and in his Son, Jesus Christ. Our Chrismon Tree allows us to see and to reflect on the symbols of Christ life.
SYMBOLS The Chrismon Tree was first created in 1957 by the members of Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville Virginia. There are a few concrete rules that go with having a Chrismon Tree: First, all the ornaments must reflect on Christ Jesus, God the Father, or God s work through the Church. Second, all the ornaments shall be either gold or white in color the symbols of purity and greatest worth. There is one exception a very few symbols may contain a drop of red, representing Christ s shed blood. Third, the lights on the tree shall never shine brighter than the actual Chrismons. And lastly, three specific ornaments shall top the tree. The nativity star by which the Magi were led to Christ The crown of thorns representing the sacrifice by which we are saved The crown of righteousness which is, as Paul said, the crown that faithful Christians shall be given when they get to heaven. Beyond those four rules this Chrismon Tree is a work of the people. It is not meant to be decorated by others and seen from afar. This tree calls people to come forward and ponder the meanings of each and every ornament. Therefore, I am going to invite people to come forward and help decorate the Chrismon Tree while I continue to talk about its meaning. [Translation if only 2-3 people come forward I will have to keep preaching till they are completely finished so it could be a long sermon! I suggest you come help me get to the end of my sermon!] STARS There are many starts to hang on our tree. They are reminders for us to look up. We are not supposed to go through life with our nose to the grindstone and our eyes on the concrete, merely trying to keep from falling on our faces for one more day.
God wants us to look up and see the glories of his creation! Look up and see the stars beaming brightly! Look up and realize there is more to live than just wealth and the accumulation of toys. GLOBES They are hanging a number of globes which ought to remind us of the ownership of our world. God is the Master of this vineyard, as Jesus used to put it, and we work for God. And there will be an accounting for how we manage this world not just in terms of politics and government but also in terms of the actual environment. This globe and all the creatures and plants on it belong to God. TRINITY SYMBOLS There are a number of trinity symbols to remind us that no matter how hard we try, God is not someone that we can capture in one neat little box or symbol. God is multi-talented, multi-leveled, and multi-faceted. God chooses to come to us as Father/Son/Holy Ghost or, if you prefer: Creator/Savior/Sustainer. When we look on these symbols we remember that as wonderfully complicated as humans are God is infinitely more complex. CHRIST SYMBOLS Naturally there are plenty of Christ symbols! He is a Sacrificial Lamb laying down his life for us He is a Lamp to light our way He is a Dove descending to bring us hope and peace He is a Fish broken to feed the multitides He is a Chalice poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin He is a Butterfly rising out of the tomb to new life He is a Sunburst revealing God s true glory to us He is a Anchor rock solid, sure and strong, unfailing in our hour of need He is a Rose of Sharon blooming in the desert, drawing people to his beauty He wears a Crown reminding us that he is truly our Lord and Savior CROSSES No Chrismon tree can be complete without the cross, here in many forms, reflecting on the great cost of our salvation. Each cross reminds us of exactly how expensive that first Christmas really was. It s a tiny bit like getting all your credit card bills on the same day in January and seeing just how much more you spent than you expected! [Saint Visa s day!]
The crosses remind us of a gift that we can never equal or repay. Jesus gave his life for us. And all he asks is that we live our lives to him. It is our way of saying thank-you for what Jesus did for us on the cross! LIGHTING Gazing upon these symbols, hear again the word of the prophet Isaiah. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined. In the midst of our personal darkness, we have seen a great light! Not just Daylight at the end of a long, sleepless night. The yard light at the end of a long trip. A candle when the power goes off. A headlight when you ve broken down on a lonely road We see Jesus Christ the light of the world. When our lives are dark we are drawn to his light. So it is today that when we light this Chrismon tree we are drawn to its beauty and love of Christ it represents. BEING A CHRIST-MONOGRAM It is not enough to joyfully look upon the Chrismons and the Chrismon Tree. We are called to be Chrismons, to be Christ-monograms, to represent Christ in all that we say and do. Just as we look at the Chrismons on our tree and learn about Christ others look at us and learn about Christ by observing what Christians say and do. What do you think people will learn about Christ by watching or listening to you this Christmas? It matters! It matters a whole lot to all the people who are wondering if Christianity is for them. How you represent Christ matters!