Our Chrismon Tree

First Lutheran Church 3600 W. Friendly Avenue Greensboro, NC 27410

Cross with blood in chalice – After supper, Jesus took the cup saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it in remembrance of me.” (Cor. 11:25)

Nativity – The scene of the birth of the baby Jesus. (Luke 2:1-7)

Cross with crown – Be thou faithful until death and I will give thee the crown of life. (Rev. 2:10)

Crown of seven crosses – the transfiguration of our Lord.

Fish with IOXYC – the Greek word for fish, IXOYC, is an acrostic on the first letters of the Greek words – Jesus (I) Christ (X) God’s Son (Y) Savior (C). (John 20:31)

Anchor cross – represents Jesus, The Hope of the World (Hebrews 6:19)

Fisherman’s net – And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Peter and Andrew, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. He said unto them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him. (Matt. 4:17-22)

Descending dove – The Holy Spirit at our Lord’s baptism. (Mark 1:10)

Angel – And the angel said to them “Be not afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy.” (Luke 2:10-11)

Cross with circle inside and white cross – the cross shows how monograms can be hidden in a design. Among the letter combinations that are readily discernable are: XP, SPC, IC-IX and IC-XC for Jesus the Christ.

Cross with gold circle and descending dove – Jesus, when He was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold the heavens were opened to Him. He saw the spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon them. (Matt. 3:16)

Creator’s star – 6-pointed star – represents the six days of creation. (Exodus 20:11) Fish with bread basket – this is a Eucharistic symbol.

Crown – the Kingship of our Lord; his victory over sin and death; his place of honor at the right hand of God. Butterfly – Upon his death on the cross, Jesus did not stay in the tomb. He burst forth alive on Easter Day! The victory of this resurrection is shown by the butterfly.

Shepherds staff with Alpha and Omega – I am the good shepherd – the beginning and the end. Jerusalem cross – cross of crusader Kings – Five crosses – five wounds of our Lord.

Menorah – symbol of faith and hope and for Old Testament worship. Cross on top of orb – artists often show our Lord holding a cross-topped orb. The earth and heaven in the Lord’s hands; the world united in Christ.

Cross formed from a Chi Rho is the basis for this Chrismon. (The triangle for the Holy Trinity) calls attention to the Christ’s divinity while the monogram of His mother Mary (M) suggests his human birth. IHC HIS –a monogram of our Lord’s given name. Based on the Greek name for Jesus – IHOYC – the most common of these monograms is the Iota Eta Sigma (HIS)

Candle – the light symbolizes Jesus who is the light of the world. Empty Tomb – the angel spoke to the women – He knew they were looking for Jesus – The angel told them, “He is not here, He has risen.”

Shamrock – One God in three persons. Jacob’s ladder – Jacob had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, and with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. (Gen. 28:12)

Cross with Alpha and Omega – the cross is a reminder of Christ’s saving work and the Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, symbolic of Christ’s divinity. (Rev. 22:13, Isaiah 44:6)

Ten Commandments – Here is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Hand of God – reference to the hand suggests the creative act, supportive care, judgment and power. Pierced heart – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Teardrops on sword signify Mary’s grief for her son. (Matthew 5:8)

Redeemer cross – a reminder that Jesus died for our sins. Chi Rho (XP) – Christ – the XP symbol is one of the most ancient of all monograms used to remind us of Christ.

Star (6-pointed) – called the Creator’s star to represent the six days of creation.

Open door – Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come to him and eat with him, and he with Me. (Rev. 3:20)

Epiphany star with rose – the star, which the wise men followed, point to his divinity. The rose symbolizes our Lord’s nativity. (Matt. 2:1-2; Isaiah 35:1)

8-pointed star with sea shell – the star of baptism or a regeneration – eight is symbolically used to mean regeneration.

Chalice – In the same way, after supper he took the cup saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me.” (I Cor. 11:25) Heart with cross and anchor on top Faith – Hope – Love (I Cor. 13-13)

Triquetra – any design of 3 equal parts symbolizes the Holy Trinity, one God in three persons. Christ in the manger – the halo represents Christ’s goodness; the rose represents his mother, Mary. (Luke 2:7)

Ladder with IHOYC – monograms of our Lord’s given name are based on Greek for Jesus, IHOYC. Daisy – a flower of simplicity – the innocence of the Christ child.

Draped crosses – a Lenten symbol; one cross draped with purple – the color purple is the color of royalty and kingship as well as the symbol of contemplation and prayer, and is used during Lent. One cross draped in black – the color of death, mourning and is used on Good Friday. One cross draped with white – the color of the resurrection and used on Easter Sunday. (Found in Matthew 27-28; Mark 15-16; Luke 23-24 and John 9-20)

Noah’s Ark - stands for salvation or more particularly the salvation which the church affords.

Harp – Sing unto the Lord with the harp, and the voice of a Psalm. (Psalm 98:5)

Thorny crown – a thorny crown was placed on Christ’s head – the center cross for Jesus, the other two for robbers.

Calvary cross - a cross on three steps – the three steps from top to bottom stand for faith, hope and love.

Shell with tear drops – symbol of baptism in the name of three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. (Matt. 28:19)

Fisherman shoes – Wear shoes that are able to speed you as you preach the good news of peace with God. (Ephesians 6:15)

Church – I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” (Matt. 8:15)

The History of Chrismons

The first Chrismon tree stood in the nave of a small Lutheran Church in Danville, Virginia in the year 1957. Since then many churches have adopted the custom of using the lovely handmade ornaments with their beautiful symbolism. Chrismon (kris’mon) is a combination of the parts of two words. Christ and Monogram. It is just that – a monogram of Christ. The evergreen tree on which these ornaments hang symbolizes the eternal life Christ has won for us.

Colors

All Chrismons are made in either white or gold or a combination. White, the liturgical color for Christmas, suggests innocence, purity and perfection of Christ. Scripture often uses white to portray purity and equates it with light to denote completeness. In our culture it is the color of joy. Gold is a symbol for the glory and majesty of God and the Son of God.

The Chrismons at First Lutheran At First Lutheran, the tradition of a Chrismon tree began in the early 70’s. FLC member Joanne Weaver took a class in downtown Greensboro, became intrigued with the idea and started a class at the church. She asked the women's circles to join in, and they responded. Over the years many others have contributed Chrismons to this lovely tradition. The tree originally was in the sanctuary, but it was moved to the narthex so that more people could get closer to it and to look at the intricate ornaments. "We even tried it on the balcony one year, but we were scared to climb up that ladder over and over," Joanne says, laughing. The tree is put up each year by dedicated volunteers before the first Sunday in Advent.

Phone – 292-9125 Fax – 294-5369

Email – info@firslutheran.com Website – www.firstlutheran.com