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Sermon: "Symbols of the Christmas Story" Biblical Texts: Scriptures quoted throughout Some children were putting on a Christmas play. To show the radiance of the newborn Savior an electric light bulb was hidden in the manger. All of the stage lights were to be turned off so that only the brightness of the manger could be seen, but the boy who controlled the lights got confused and all the lights went out! It was a tense moment, broken only when one of the shepherds said in a loud stage whisper, "Hey, you switched off Jesus!" Last week our Sunday School program did not have an electric light in the manger for Jesus, but with Tammie and Vicki's leadership and our great children and youth, and Rainbow Connection with Diana and Brooke, we had a delightful program. This morning I would like to have us spend a few moments looking at some symbols of the Christmas story that are really symbols of the Christian faith. We often use many of them during the Advent and Christmas seasons. The beginning of the Christmas story is Jesus who was in the beginning. We read in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." John uses similar language in 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." The symbols  and  are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Revelation 1:8 we read, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and was and who is to come, the Almighty." Later in Revelation 21:6 we have, And He said to me, "It is done, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment."Long before Christ's birth we see Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming of light. Isaiah 9:2, 6. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them the light has shined.. For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given." We read of this coming true in John 1:4f. "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. There was a man sent form God whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. Lighted Candle We may think about prophetic words of the coming of light as we light the candles of our advent wreath, as we light candles in church on Christmas Eve and as we place lights on our trees. We also read of light in the familiar account of the Christmas story. Luke 2:8ff. "And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over the flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, "Be not afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord." Light accompanied the angels as they gave the message to the shepherds. Of course we have another example of light a short time later the life of Christ. Matthew 2:1,2. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod, the king, behold, wise men from the Eat came to Jerusalem saying, "Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." Star Therefore the star is a symbol of the light of Christ and a symbol of God's leading, providing light for our path. Stars or bright angels are on the top of many trees, high, for all to see. Many decorate with lights, some high for all to see. Recall the words to the Shepherds that the child was born to be the Savior. The very name Jesus means Savior. I Iota is the first letter of the name Jesus.  Chi, is the first letter of Christ, which means Messiah. When we put these two together we have a star.Also the and P refer to a crown and the Kingship of Jesus. and P overlaid is  A code for Christians has been made using the first letters of the words, Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior. iota, chi, theta, upsula, sigma.  Ichthus also is the Greek word for fish, a fine symbol of Christianity and of our Lord. It reminds us feeding the multitudes fish and bread. The fish symbol also includes the word Savior in addition to the name meaning Savior. We may recall the words to the shepherds that the child born was a Savior. 
In Isaiah 52 and 53 we have passages that speak of our suffering servant. Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, upon Him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with His stripes we are healed." We know that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, so the cross is a symbol of Jesus suffering in our place.Have you repented of your sin and accepted Christ. Some may fail to realize that the season of Advent, waiting for the coming of Christ began as a season of repentance to compare with Lent. I do not believe that we grasp the full meaning of Christmas without the cross. I still remember a high school girl who had been in my church when I was teaching math and science in her school. She had come to accept Jesus Christ. I was back from seminary and was able to lead the youth's part of the Christmas service. They were informally sharing what Christmas meant to them. With tears streaming down her face this young lady shared how this was her first REAL Christmas because she had recently accepted Christ as her Savior. Before Christ came the cross was a terrible symbol of shame and reproach. It was a means of executing criminals. But Jesus was crucified on a cross between two criminals. However, we know that Jesus was innocent and He triumphed over death. Because of this the cross has become a symbol of victory for Christ and a symbol of Christianity. Stars may be formed by crosses set at angles. Diagrams of crosses overlaid. Some suggest that this indicates the close relationship between the birth and death of our Lord. We also have special names for different points of the stars. These are: 5 pointed - Epiphany, 6 - Creator's, 7 - Gifts of the Spirit, 8 - Regeneration through baptism. 
Also there are various kinds of cross There is the tau cross for the Greek letter T. This cross is often thought of as a sacrifice on a cross. John 3:14,15 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life." As Jesus spoke these words He was referring to a story in Numbers 21. The people of Israel were murmuring and complaining against God and Moses, so fiery serpents were sent that bit people and many died. Then the people confessed their sin to Moses and asked him to pray that the serpents be taken away. We have the Lord's instructions in verse 8. "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone when he sees it will live." So the serpent on a cross is thought of as a type of Christ. As people bitten by the fiery serpent died, those bitten by the satanic serpent of sin suffer spiritual death. As a bronze serpent was raised up in the wilderness, so Christ was lifted up to bear the sins of men and women. Jesus said, ".and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." John 12:32. This is symbolized by the tau cross. You may realize that there are various shape of crosses; some that have special names. The Latin cross with a long upright. This is probably the most widely used and has a similar shape to that of the crucifixion cross. The Greek Cross has all extensions of equal length. It is a balanced form, easier in design, used by Greek artists and artists today, too. This cross may also be placed at an angle to look like an X or a C, the first letter of Christ in Greek. So when people write Xmas, they are not actually taking the Christ out of Christmas. We also have the Cross with the Shepherd's Crook. Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." We are reminded of the shepherd's loving caring, with the crook to pick us up. The same Greek word is used of a human shepherd, pastor leader of God's people. 
In the Anchor Cross we have a cross rising from a crescent moon, a symbol of Christ's mother. Together they form an anchor. In Hebrews 6:19,20 we read, "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." The cross is also known as a cross of hope. A Cross over the World represents the Great Commission, "Go therefore into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and lo I am with you always, even to the close of the age. Matthew 28:19,20. The cross on top of an orb is an artist's depicting the Lord holding the heaven and the earth symbolizing His dominion over the earth. In Isaiah 9 we read, ".and the government will be upon His shoulder and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, . of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end." That concludes my list of crosses so I want to conclude by briefly considering several other symbols. The Triangle is a common symbol of the Triune God or the Trinity. Three joined circles represents three eternal beings and sometimes is also used for the Trinity. A single circle symbolizes eternity. A Dove represents the Holy Spirit. A 3-D cube speaks of Jesus being the cornerstone. In Ephesians 2:20 we read of Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. It is often decorated with other symbols and sometimes Greek letters. Sometimes a cube or communion table is decorated with three Greek letters: i hz. When I was a kid I thought them meant In His Service, but was told they are the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek. A Rose represents the nativity of Christ. A Daisy represents the innocence of the ?Christ child. The Lily of the Valley symbolizes the humility of Jesus . A butterfly is a great way to picture the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, and the resurrection of all who die with faith in Christ. An orb with rays symbolizes the Son of Righteousness. In Malachi 4:2 we read, "But for you who fear my name the Son of Righteousness shall rise with healing in His wings." A TREE - LIFE The Christ child has been born. We might think about this even more when we have live Christmas trees. A couple times we have used potted evergreens for a live Christmas tree. I REMEMBER ONE Christmas when our tree in church had been freshly cut and came with pine cones and all. Remember Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me." John 14:6 Life in Christ is the true meaning of Christmas. |
| 13 January 2008 cew |