Luke 21:25-36

Today’s message is about signs.

Life is full of signs of one kind or another. Like the DPW sign on the highway to our place in New Hampshire. Just as the road winds between two cemeteries, the Protestant cemetery on the right, the Catholic cemetery on the left, the great big yellow highway sign says, “Go Slow, Thickly Settled.” Or like the Krispy Kreme Donut sign in the front window of the store on the Kingston Pike. Everybody knows that when the red circle is lighted, it means the donuts are hot off the assembly line. Hmmmmm-mmmmmm!

Life is full of signs. The special look a teenage girl gives a boy in her high school algebra class. A red sky at night indicating a sailor’s delight. A buyer’s subtle hand motion indicating they are making a bid at an auction. A traffic signal turning yellow, meaning, “Speed up, only twenty more cars through the intersection!”

Signs are all around us.

Jesus says we need to learn to recognize them.

In Luke’s Gospel, the disciples have heard Jesus tell them the day will come when Jerusalem will be destroyed and the Temple – the very seat of religious authority – will be left in rubble. Looking back, we know this happened in 70 AD, just as Jesus predicted. And the disciples are worried about this. After all, Jerusalem is their spiritual center. But Jesus assures them that this seemingly tragic event is actually a sign that the true Kingdom of God is drawing ever closer. The disciples are concerned about all the upsetting events that will occur – wars, famines, persecution, natural disaster. But Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid! These are signs that the Kingdom is drawing near! So look up, and see these things for what they are: signs of the coming of the Kingdom.”

Our faith is full of sign language.

When we feed the hungry in the name of Jesus, it is a visible sign of the invisible Kingdom of God. When we love our neighbor, and offer forgiveness to those who sin against us, we are living out in this broken world the wholeness of the Kingdom of heaven. We are an advance sign of the Kingdom that is coming.

So Jesus tells us in Luke 21, “When you see the signs, stand up, and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near!

The season of Advent is a season of signs. Candles in windows. Lights on houses. Christmas carols filling the air. They all have the same message: no matter who you are, or what you’re going through, stand up, raise your head, for God is coming very close to you!

And here we gather on this Sunday morning. The first Sunday in Advent.

We all carry burdens today. We all face challenges. We have a prayer list as long as your arm, and even then that list doesn’t include everyone who needs help from above. Some of us have lost loved ones, others face grave illnesses, many are caregivers of those who are frail. All around us in the world, there are wars and rumors of war, oppression and injustice, difficulties of every kind.

But God does not want us to despair! Instead, the Lord sends signs designed for us to grab hold of in hope and anticipation. And here, in the season of Advent, the signs are many. It’s as if God is saying to us, “I know what you’re going through. So I’m giving you this sign as the evidence of my love and promise to bring you through!” 

The early Christians, who suffered incredible persecution and hardship, found great comfort and strength in such signs. Some, they called Chrismons ­– meaning Christ monograms. In many churches today, Advent begins with the decorating of a Chrismon Tree, a custom first developed in 1957 at the Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Danville, Virginia. Chrismon ornaments are made with only two colors. White stands for the purity and perfection of Christ. Gold represents the majesty and glory of Christ.

Today, as Advent begins, I invite you to join me in bringing ornaments to the Chrismon tree. The Chrismons have been lovingly and tenderly crafted by members of our Church Crafters – God’s special partners in creating beautiful things here in East Tennessee. And may all these beautiful Chrismons be signs to us – that no matter who you are, or what you’re going through, stand up, lift up your head, for God’s redemption is drawing near!

(There follows here a Chrismon service)

Chrismon Service

Triangle and circles – Marty

The first symbol on our Chrismon tree is the Triangle With Three Circles. The Triangle is one of the most ancient symbols of the Trinity, representing God’s power and majesty. The Circles represent eternity, reminding us that God’s love and promises are forever. The Book of Genesis tells us that “In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth.” By this we know that the eternal God is the very Source of our lives. As this Chrismon is brought forward, let us sing “Holy, Holy, Holy”. 

Open Book – Bob

The next Chrismon depicts an Open Book. It represents the Bible, the faithful and true Word of God. And the Bible points to another Word. The Living Word of God. John writes, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God, and all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” As this Chrismon is brought forward, let us sing a verse of “Jesus Loves Me”. 

Rose – Steve

One of the important understandings of our faith is that life is difficult. Because humankind chooses life without God, God’s good and perfect will for the world is thwarted. But God, in love, will not give up on us. From of old, God has spoken through prophets and others, promising that light will one day shine in the darkness through the coming of a Savior. Solomon described this Savior as the Rose of Sharon. Isaiah spoke of  the desert breaking forth with flowers! The next Chrismon is a beautiful cross-stitched rose, representing the joy that will blossom in sorrow. As the rose is presented, join your voices in singing, “Lo, How A Rose E’re Blooming”.

Shepherd’s Crook – Bob

God’s promise to us is that he himself will be our shepherd. Psalm 100 says it well. Listen:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord is God!
It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.
We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Is it any wonder then, that when the time came for the Savior’s advent, among the first to hear the news were shepherds out in the field? As the Chrismon representing the Shepherd’s Crook is presented, let us sing, “The First Noel.”

Stars – Steve

John 3:16 says that, “God so loved the WORLD, that he gave his only Son..” The symbol of the Star is important because it represents the great truth that God’s love is for everyone, everywhere. By a Star, God appealed to wise men living in the East to come and worship the newborn King. As the Star is carried forward, our song is “As With Gladness, Men of Old”.

The Names of Jesus – Marty

From the time of his birth to the present, women and men have tried to describe the beauty and meaning of who Jesus is. Sometimes, words alone were not enough, and so symbols were created. There is the familiar IHS  – iota, eta, sigma in Greek. These three letters are the first letters in the Greek word for Jesus. There is the common Alpha and Omega – meaning the beginning and the end. Another symbol is the ICTHUS – a fish-shape containing the first letters in Greek of the phrase, Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior. In our faith tradition, there are many symbols representing Jesus. All of them remind us that the love of God expressed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is too high and wonderful to ever be captured in words alone. God’s love can only be experienced. As several symbols representing these descriptions of Jesus are brought forward, let us join in wondering about Christ’s meaning in our own lives as we sing, “What Child Is This?” 

The Cross – Bob (the three ministers present these Chrismons)

When we think of Jesus, we think not only of his birth, but of his life, death and resurrection. As several Chrismons depicting various kinds of crosses are presented, let us sing, “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord”. And let us gather around the table for Communion.

The Crown – Steve

Read Mark 16:1-7

The Scriptures tells us that, by life, death and resurrection, Jesus has become our King of kings, and Lord of lords. We are promised that he will reign for ever and ever and ever. So even today, many years removed from the events themselves, we know that we are a part of what God has done and is doing to bring new life and freedom. We place the Crown on the very top of the tree to help us look up, for our salvation draws nigh! And let us sing, “Crown Him With Many Crowns!”

Fish – Marty

The last symbol placed upon this year’s Chrismon tree is the Fish. It reminds us of how Jesus multiplied the fishes and loaves. It also causes us to remember that followers of Jesus in every generation have to make choices about following him. In the early days of our faith, when Christians were hunted down and killed by Roman authorities, the people developed a code by which they could tell who was a believer and who was not. One person drew an oblong arc, and then invited the other to complete the code. Those who did not understand the meaning of the Fish could not complete it, and gave away their identity as agents of the State. Those who were fellow followers of Jesus, knew that the drawn oblong arc only needed to be mirrored on the bottom, forming the Christian Fish. This symbol today is the symbol of our church as part of the International Council of Community Churches. Together, we seek to complete the circle with others so that the power of Jesus’ love may be known to the world. As we place the Fish symbol on the Chrismon tree, let us look forward to the day, and vow to work for the day when Jesus returns, and all God’s family is brought together in love! This Advent hope is expressed in the song, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”.