1 The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer

At lanta, Georgia

www.redeemer.org

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C H R I S M O N S What are Chrismons and what do they mean?

Chrismons are symbols of our faith, a combination of two words, CHRIST and Monogram, meaning a monogram of Christ.

Where did they originate?

Chrismons were first used in 1957 to decorate a Christmas tree in the Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Danville, Virginia. Ascension graciously shared their patterns with the WELCA Redeemer circle who presented the first chrismon tree in 1966. In 1999-2000 Betty Davis, Ann Martin, Elisabeth Bryant, Helen Streunsee and Frances Huss organized the Chrismon Guild to replenish the aging Chrismons. They assembled “kits” and offered them to anyone in the congregation! Thanks to many busy hands, we now treasure more than 200 beautifully crafted symbols of our faith that enhance our nave trees during Advent through Christmas.

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The evergreen tree represent eternal life, the lights, added in 1991, remind us of Jesus- the light of the world, and provide a background for the basic gold and white Chrismons. The traditional liturgical colors of gold and white symbolize the glory and the majesty of God (gold) and the white - the innocence, purity and perfection of our Savior.

O Come,

O Come, Emmanuel!

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Chi Rho: The first two letters of the Greek

word for Christ.

Owl: The symbol of wisdom.

The Celtic Cross: The circle at the top of

the cross represents “eternal life.”

The Shepherd’s Crook: The symbol for

Christ the Good Shepherd.

The Manger: The symbol for the birth of

Christ.

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Apple: The Forbidden fruit symbolizing sin.

The association between 'apple' and

'sin' possibly derives from the similarity

of two Latin words malum and malus

meaning “apple” and “sin” respectively.

The Living Cross: A symbol of

Resurrection and new life.

Coptic Cross: It is shaped like the letter T

surmounted by an oval or circle. Originally

theEgyptian symbol for "life", it was adopted

by the Copts. (Egyptian Christians)

The Fleur-De-Lis: The conventionalized

form of the lily, the flower of the virgin Mary,

and the symbol of the annunciation of Jesus.

The Standing Lamb: The symbol of Jesus

Christ. (John 1:29) “The Lamb of God who

takes away the sin of the world.”

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The Angel of God: Many kinds of messen-

gers who announced Christ’s birth and resur-

rection.

Dove: The symbol of the Holy Spirit and

used especially in representations of our

Lord's Baptism and the Pentecost. It also

symbolizes the release of the soul in death,

and is used to recall Noah's dove, a harbinger

of hope.

Fish: Ichthus (ikh-thoos) the Greek word

simply meaning “fish”. The Greek spelling for

ichthus is -- Iota,Chi, Theta, Upsilon, and

Sigma. The English translation is IXOYE.

The five Greek letters stand for the words

meaning, “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.

The Tau Cross : A simple cross formed by

the Greek Letter “Tau”. It is the most ancient

of the forms of crosses. It was the traditional

sign made by the Israelites on the door posts

of Egypt on the night of the Passover.

The Three Circles : Intertwining circles

symbolize the eternal quality of the Trinity

since the circle has no apparent beginning or

ending. The circles represent Father, Son,

and Holy Spirit.

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Dove and Shell: Symbols of Baptism.

The Maltese Cross: Formed of four spear-

heads with points touching at the center. The

eight points symbolize the Beatitudes. The

cross is the emblem of St. John the Baptist.

The Christmas Rose: A symbol of the Na-

tivity and of Messianic prophecy.

The Harp: A symbol for joy and

praise.

Alpha and Omega: Symbolizes the first

and last letters of the Greek Alphabet. God is

the “beginning and the end”.

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Bells : Used for a variety of

purposes- to celebrate, to call to

worship, and to honor life events .

The Crown: Symbolizes the

kingship of Christ and His victory

over sin and death — “The King of

Kings:, the “king of Glory”, “The

King Eternal”. It also symbolizes the

reward of the faithful.

IHS: The first three letters of Jesus

in Greek.

The Pelican : An exclusive Christian

symbol that denotes the sacrifice of

Jesus Christ and is representative of

atonement and redemption. The

pelican is said to pierce its breast to

feed its young ones.

The Shell with Drops of Water:

Represents Baptism. The drops

represent father, son and holy spirit.

The Peacock: A symbol of

immortality and resurrection.

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The Latin Cross with Fish: These symbols are the Latin Cross which is believed to be the type used for crucifixion and the Fish, symbol used by Christians.

The Descending Dove: Symbol of the Holy Spirit and the Baptism of Christ.

The Torch: Symbolizes the truth of

the Gospel carried into all the world.

The Passion Cross: The points of

this cross remind us of our Lord’s

suffering.

The Latin Cross: This cross is

believed to be the style of the

cross used for Crucifixion.

The Sun of Righteousness: The circle of eternity with flames shooting in every direction.

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The Sacrificial Lamb: The

scriptural symbol for Christ, the

Lamb of God who takes away the sin

of the world.

The Five-Pointed Star: The great

symbol of the Epiphany; the star

that led the three wise men to the

nativity.

The Dogwood: The Center is

symbolic for the crown of thorns

and the reddish tips of the flower

petals Christ’s wounds.

The Poinsettia: The star-shaped

leaf pattern is said to symbolize the

Star of Bethlehem,and the red color

represents the sacrifice of Jesus.

The Christian Flag: Symbol for Christianity. The red cross is the Jerusalem cross and red for Christ’s sacrifice.

The Victorious Lamb:

Represents Christ’s victory over

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The Trinity: Triangle representing

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Iota Chi: The first letter of the

Greek word for Jesus and the first

letter of the word for Christ.

The Greek Cross: It is a very early

form of Christian cross and the circle

denoting eternity.

The Ten Commandments: The

laws given to Moses for the people of

Israel.

The Cross with Orb: Symbolizes

Christ's dominion over the world.

The Bible: God’s Holy Word.

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Eight Pointed Star: Symbolizes

Regeneration. The number eight is

traditionally associated with the

baptism.

The Ship: This symbolizes the

Church. The main part ,the nave, is

called “skibet”, Danish for ship.

The Tau with Serpent: This

refers to John 3:14, “As Moses lifted

up the serpent in the wilderness, so

The Hand of God: pointing down

stands for God the Father and is

called the creative hand of God.

Maltese Cross : Is a symbol within

a symbol in that it is made of the

initial letters of the Greek words for,

"Jesus Christ, God, Son, Savior."

The Christmas Rose: Symbolizes

the Nativity of our Lord.

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The Chalice : Used to symbolize

the Passion of Christ and the

sacrament of the altar.

The Butterfly: It symbolizes the

resurrection and life everlasting for

the believer.

The Burning Heart: Symbolic of

Christ’s love for humanity and our

love and devotion to Christ.

The Jerusalem Cross :Symbol of

unity of all Christians.

The Candle: “Let your light so

shine before others that they may

see your good works and glorify your

father in heaven”.

The Messenger Angel: According

to religious tradition, angels live in

heaven and act as God’s servants

and as messengers between God and

human beings.

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Chariot of Fire: The fiery chariot calls to memory how the prophet Elijah was carried into heaven.

The Calvary Cross: This is the

Latin cross standing on the three

steps which represent Faith, Hope,

and Love.

The Greek Cross: The trefoil ends

are symbolic of the holy trinity.

The Holly Leaf: The prickly leaves

represent the crown of thorns that

Jesus wore when he was crucified.

The berries are the drops of blood

that were shed by Jesus.

The Dogwood: The Center is said

to stand for the crown of thorns and

the reddish tips of the flower petals

Christ’s wounds.

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Cover Photo:

The parament featured is used on our

lectern. It includes the Jerusalem

Cross, Alpha and Omega, the Lamp

and the Iota Chi, as the handle of the

Lamp. The blue brocade fabric is the

Tudor Rose pattern.

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731 Peachtree Street NE

Atlanta, Georgia 30308

(404) 874-8664

www.redeemer.org