by Dale Reeves

Story Pastor

 

Several Mondays ago, I was singing this Christmas carol with a new twist . . .

“Deck the halls with mirth and gladness, Fa la la la la la la la la,

Chase away our sin-sick sadness, Fa la la la la la la la la.

Hang we now the decorations, Fa la la la la la la la la,

All because of our salvation, Fa la la la la la la la la.

 

See the wreaths and trees before us, Fa la la la la la la la la,

As they speak that Christ is for us, Fa la la la la la la la la.

Boughs and garlands welcome all, Fa la la la la la la la la,

Saints and sinners hear the call, Fa la la la la la la la la.”

 

At the beginning of last week, a good number of our Difference Makers and church staff gathered to deck the halls of our church building in preparation for the Advent season. In the words of our First Impressions coordinator at Christ’s Church, Jenne Kennard, “I am extremely thankful for all the difference makers who showed up to help. It was very cool to see it all coming together in such a short time. We do this because we want people who are new to their faith to come and see our church as welcoming!”

 

In the church where I grew up, Clovernook Christian Church, we called this decorating party, “The Hanging of the Greens.” I love this event for several reasons as we celebrate the arrival of the Messiah’s birth—over 2,000 years ago in the little town of Bethlehem. Just as Isaiah prophesied 700 years before Messiah’s birth that there would be no end to his reign, we hang the evergreen wreaths and garlands, and assemble Christmas trees, to symbolize the ever-living presence of our Lord and Messiah.

 

In the words of George Frideric Handel from John’s Revelation, “And he will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15, NIV).

 

Reason #1—Symbols

I love the sights and smells of Christmas. And, I love the symbols that our decorations represent. Fir and pine boughs are natural signs of everlasting life, persisting in summer and winter and retaining their color even as their leaves change and fall. Cedar wood is associated with royalty. The green leaf of the holly and its red berries vividly remind us of the crown of thorns our Savior wore on our behalf and the blood he sacrificially shed for our salvation.

 

When I think about the Christmas tree, I am reminded that our Lord came through the root of King David, through the tribe of Judah. As Isaiah the prophet foretold, “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples” (Isaiah 11:10, NIV). Jesse, a farmer and sheep breeder from Bethlehem, was the grandson of Boaz and Ruth in the Bible, and the father of King David. As Jesus declares in the last book of the Bible, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16, NIV).

 

I love to sit and reflect in the solitude of the early morning or late night as I soak in the ambience of beautiful Christmas lights. When I think of Christmas lights I think of Jesus as the light of the world (John 8:12). And, then my mind travels to where I meditate on what it means for the followers of Jesus to reflect his light wherever we can. The apostle Paul challenges us with these words: “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true” (Ephesians 5:8, 9, NLT).

 

One of our difference makers, Michele Ellis, who is a great bearer of his light, helped us decorate this past week with beautiful lights and wreaths. I love what she said when I asked her why she was here to help:

“I am called to serve. I have a desire to serve wherever I can. I want to be a disciple of Jesus, not just a follower!”

 

Reason #2—Community

I asked several of our difference makers why they showed up to help us deck the halls at church this week. A common theme was community.

 

Longtime member of Christ’s Church, Karen Gambill, stated,

“What I love most about decorating the church for Christmas is the fellowship. This year the ‘Fishbowl’ team was an already cohesive Bible study group. That is only the start though since you get to interact with whoever shows up to help while you search for the supplies you need. When one task is completed, you just jump in where needed. All hands on deck!”

 

We are grateful for Karen planning and organizing a Christmas Carol Hymn-Sing that will take place in our chapel this coming Sunday at 6:00 pm. Hope to see you there as we ring in the Christmas season in style. You can find out more here.

 

Deb Church reflected,

“I love being a part of Deck the Halls! It puts smiles on the faces of young and old alike, and I’m convinced it puts a smile on Jesus’ face as well. God’s house should be beautiful and reflect the hearts of those who enter. My only regret is that we can’t leave everything in place longer!”

 

Adrian Williams said this was his first year to help us deck the halls at church. He remarked,

“I thoroughly enjoyed it. While I had a really good time putting up the lights along the second-floor rails overlooking the lobby, and the smaller Christmas trees on the stage and in the volunteers’ room, my favorite part was working with my fellow congregants who were there to help. I had the pleasure of working with Larry Collins who was a ball of energy and a joy to work with. I look forward to doing this and other volunteer efforts in the future.”

Dezra Lawson, our communications coordinator at Christ’s Church, responded,

“This is my fourth Christmas here and I enjoy getting the church ready for this season. As a staff member, this year was extra special to me because I knew the behind-the-scenes prep that went into the look we were aiming for to match our theme, ‘Unwrapping Christmas.’ The wood wall this year is by far my most favorite of all time, seeing the wreath I know Bryce Resor (our students minister) worked hard to design, create, and print, then seeing it large scale on the wall was beautiful. I also love the kids’ words shared on the “My Gift to Jesus” wall in our coffee area. I loved seeing Matt James’s vision for the large presents on stage become reality as Bill Church hand-made them almost identical to the original idea. The gift towers Gary Riffle built are really cool, and the presents throughout the lobby were all wrapped by a bunch of difference makers! I truly enjoyed seeing all the details many of us poured into this year’s theme come to life!”

Bill Church works with Matt James on our production staff to bring each teaching series to life visually. He also serves as our stage manager many Sundays throughout the year. I asked Bill why he invests so much of his time to make our auditorium stage look amazing. He shared these words:

“It comes down to one word: Love. My love of Jesus, love of my church, and I love to use the abilities God has blessed me with to serve him and his church. We are so blessed to have the people, family, and community that we have serving in our house of worship. Anything to help advance Christ’s kingdom!”

 

Reason #3—Hope

The apostle Peter challenges us with these words, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV).

 

Not only is Jesus the reason for the season, he is the “reason for the hope that we have!” We must be hope dispensers in a world that so desperately needs it. As a community of faith, we loved getting to know one another as we decorated our church building, but even more we look forward to sharing the hope with kids and adults alike who will come to our church building over the next several weeks.

 

The psalmist bids us to harken to his words:

“Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies—he is the King of glory” (Psalm 24:9, 10, NLT).

 

We invite you to experience the joy of this season with us every Sunday this month as our lead pastor, Brad Wilson, teaches each week on the theme, “Unpacking Christmas.” If you missed last Sunday’s teaching, you can check it out here.

In the midst of our busy lives and preparations, slow us down, O God, as you call us to anticipate the coming of the King of glory, the child of promise. With hope we await the coming of your kingdom.

 

“O holy Child of Bethlehem,

Descend to us, we pray,

Cast out our sin and enter in,

Be born in us today.”