News
A 50-year Christmas tradition at Zion
Scott Wagar
12/23/2014
This Christmas season marks the 50th anniversary of the Chrismons tree at Zion Lutheran Church in Kramer, which celebrates the birth of the Christ Child and His life through a tree of ornaments filled with Christian symbolism.
“It is an absolute beautiful sight and full of special meaning with all of the symbolism,” said Carol Debele, member of the Zion Lutheran Church. “To carry a tradition on for 50 years is truly a sign that it’s an important part of our Christmas celebration.”
Since the late 1950s in the United States, churches of the Christian faith during the start of Advent decorate a Christmas tree with traditional white and gold ornaments that hold symbols of Jesus.
According to the German Lutheran magazine, Chrismons, in association with Wikipedia.com, a Chrismon is a Christian symbol that originated in the early Christian church through what is called a Christogram, which comes from the Latin phase “Christi monogramma,” or the “monogram of Christ.”
In the beginning of the Christian church, Christograms were just everyday letters that held some form of simple calligraphy.
However, by the 20th century Christograms progressed into Chrismons, which became the union of the two words of Christ and monogram, and which stood for the “meaning symbol,” and were represented through ornate Christmas ornaments.
In the U.S., Frances Kipps Spencer of Danville, Va., created the first Chrismons tree at the Ascension Lutheran Church in 1957. It was Spencer who created the word Chrismons, and decided upon the colors of white and gold.
“White is the liturgical color for Christmas and the symbolism that Jesus was pure and perfect,” stated the website www.whychristmas.com. “Gold symbolizes His Majesty and Glory. Chrismons can be made from nearly anything, but paper and embroidered ones are the most widely used.”
After Spencer created her Chrismons tree in Virginia, the idea quickly spread across the country and to every Christian denomination in America.
In 1965, Charlotte Gust of Zion Lutheran Church brought the idea of a Zion Chrismons tree to her fellow church members, which was accepted by the parish.
Zion’s Chrismons tree was no ordinary tree; the congregation came together and made their chrismons from beads, sequins and Styrofoam with copper rings which hold Chrismons that symbolize the church year.
“Many of the members helped with making of the Chrismons,” Debele said. “It was incorporated in Vacation Bible School with the women and children, plus several men shaped the circular copper rings which provided spots for hanging the ‘church year’ Chrismons.”
The copper rings are made up of two gold circles, which signify that God’s existence is everlasting.
“Circles are endless; thus the two gold circles remind us of the nature of our God, who was before time began and will be when time is no more,” states the Zion publication, ‘Chrismons Point to Jesus’ which grants the parish and visitors to the church insight into their Chrismons tree.
“The larger bottom circle is formed as a vine. In John 15, our Lord describes Himself like this, ‘I am the Vine and you are the branches; my Father is the vine-dresser. He who abides in Me and I in Him, bears much fruit.’ The major events of the life of Jesus of Nazareth are linked to each other with this vine. We can tell the story of our Lord by looking at the Chrismons hanging in this ring. They also represent the seasons of the church year.
“The upper circle represents the final season in our church year, the Trinity,” the document continues to state. “Our God is a triune God of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; three distinct persons, yet one God.”
Some of the Chrismons the Zion members place on their tree includes the following:
● Cross – Symbolizes that Christians believe that Jesus Christ died for their sins on the cross
● Triumphant Cross – Has a ball or ring on the bottom of ornament which represents the earth and a cross on top. It symbolizes Jesus is triumphant over anything we can face in the world
● Anchor Cross – In the shape of a ship’s anchor it reminds Christians that Jesus is the anchor of their faith
● Chi-Rho – Looks like a P with an X on it. These two letters are the first two letters of the Greek word Christos which means Christ
● The Star of David – Is the symbol that Jesus was a Jew and a descendant of King David
● Five Pointed Star – Represents the five wounds of Jesus on the cross
● The Nativity Star – Symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem or Epiphany when the Wisemen visited Jesus
● Triquetra – Is made up of three loops which make up a triangle that represents the three parts of the Trinity and symbolize the Christian Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost
● Dove – The symbol of peace and the Holy Spirit. The dove is always pointing down to represent the Holy Spirit that appeared as a dove when Jesus was baptized
● Lamp – Symbolizes Jesus who at times is called the Lamb of God
● Sea Shell – Symbolizes baptism and reminds Christians off the water they are baptized in. It is also the sign of pilgrimage because pilgrims to the Holy Land used shells as a drinking vessel
● Angel – Reminds Christians of the angel who told the shepherds about the birth of Jesus. It also represents the second coming of Jesus where the Bible states will start when an Angel blows a trumpet
● Butterfly – Symbolizes for transformation and the immortal soul
Zion’s Chrismons tree goes up during the first week of Christmas and is taken down after Epiphany Sunday. Each year, the tree has been donated to the church and the men of the parish cut the tree, transport it and set the fir up. Once the tree is set in place by the men, the congregation then places white lights and Chrismons on the tree.
This is no easy task considering the tree has to be at least 15 feet tall in order for the rings to fit properly.
In 50 years, very few of the ornaments have had to be replaced.
“Very few have been added. Mostly they have been repaired from time to time,” Debele said. “They are packed away carefully each year and have stood up very well over the span of five decades.”
As Christmas Day comes this week, the county has a Chrismon tree that grants us insight to the birth of the Baby Jesus and His life on earth, along with the importance of God’s love and goal for the world – salvation and peace on Earth.
With the troubled times our world is presently seeing, that Chrismon tree in the small, rural town of Kramer is the best gift we in the world can receive because it is a gift of hope.