John 1:1-5, Rev. 22:13,16,17,20

Carol "Away In A Manger"

Carol "O Tannenbaum"

Carol "From Heaven Above"

~ from The Martin Luther Christmas Book `

Carol "Stille Nacht"

It is said that one clear Christmas Eve, Luther was walking home from church through the forest. Through the fragrant branches of the evergreens, the stars sparkled as if they were hanging on the very branches of the tree. As he stopped to contemplate their beauty, they reminded him of God's wonderful promises. The tops pointed up toward their maker, as if in prayerful praise, while the stars reminded him of the star of Bethlehem. Wanting to share the experience with the family, he cut one down, and took it home, placing candles in the boughs to simulate the stars. Luther, always a strong believer in the arts, felt that this Christmas tree, in latin, lignum vitae, the "tree of life," ,carried home a wonderful message of God's love - a love which is eternally green, eternally alive, which became enfleshed for us on Christmas Eve.

At first, ornaments on the Christmas tree were meant to reflect the outdoors from where they came: pine cones, little birds, nuts, etc. It was not until the turn of the nineteenth century that trees were dressed as we know them today. Garlands of cranberry or popcorn were common in the nineteenth century, along with flags, bows and other simple decorations. In the Victorian era, in the mid-nineteenth century, blown glass ornaments became popular here and in Germany. In Germany, wooden ornaments and small toys were also placed in trees, while in England, cornucopias filled with nuts and candy were popular; and in the Scandinavian countries, straw ornaments were generally used. However they are decorated, the ornaments represent gifts and gift-giving - a reminder of the gifts the wise men gave to the Christ child, while the lights of the tree represent the stars of night, and the angels who lit up the first Christmas night so many years ago, with their tidings of "Peace on earth, and goodwill to all people." The traditional tree-top ornament is the star of Bethlehem, the Christmas Star. Many trees placed in churches have Chrismons on their boughs, symbols of the Christian faith. They remind us in symbols of the one whose birthday we honor.

There are, of course, other lights that we place during this season -especially the window lights, a tradition that began among Christians during times of persecution. They signaled to other Christians that the Light of the World was present in that house; later it became a tradition for inns to place candles in the window as a welcoming sign. We light ours as a welcome to God's family, and to all who need to hear to Good News of God's love, the One who is the Light.

Heavenly Father, you gave your Son to be a Light to the World, to bring us joy and life. You made Your Son take on human flesh, so that we might know your love. We thank you Him, and for these signs of your love. We pray that, as we see the beautiful lights of Christmas, the Christmas trees, and all of the other wonderful signs of this season, we may be constantly reminded of Your love, shown to us in Your Son