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The following is the text from the Hanging of the Greens Service. The text for the scripture readings comes from the World English Bible, a copy of which may be found on the Keystone Christian web site. This was done because the pew Bibles are the New International Version which is copyrighted.
Leader: How shall we prepare this house for the coming of the King?
People: With branches of cedar, the tree of royalty.
Leader: How shall we prepare this house for the coming of the eternal Christ?
People: With garlands of pine and fir, whose leaves are ever living, ever green.
Leader: How shall we prepare this house for the coming of our Savior?
People: With wreaths of holly and ivy, telling of his passion, death, & resurrection.
Leader: How shall we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Son of God?
People: By hearing again the words of the prophets who foretold the saving work of God.
Leader: For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
People: Glory to God in the highest!
“Our Father in heaven, as we await the great festival of Christmas, guide us as we prepare ourselves so that we may know its true meaning. Let us hear, in lessons from Holy Scripture, how the prophets of Israel foretold that You would visit and redeem the waiting people. Let us rejoice, in our carols and hymns, that Your good purpose is being mightily fulfilled. Let us celebrate the promise that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will bring all peoples and all things into the glory of Your eternal kingdom. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”
“But first, we pray for the world that God so loves, for those who have not heard the good news of God, or who do not believe it… For those who walk in darkness and the shadow of death…And for the Church in this place and everywhere that it may be freed from all evil and fear, and may in pure joy lift up the light of the love of God.”
“Prepare our hearts, O God, for the coming of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Deepen our joy in making ready for the celebration of His lowly birth at Bethlehem. By true faith in Him, who is the promise of the prophets, the Prince of Peace, the Redeemer of humankind, may we rightly welcome Him as the Savior of our souls and the Lord of our lives. Amen.”
“Our Christmas celebrations, like a great cathedral, have been developing through many centuries. They are still changing and continuing to grow, while always focusing on God’s wondrous gift to us in the Christ Child.”
“Christmas is celebrated in both the home and the church. It’s true that some of our celebrations have their origin in pagan customs and have little to do with the biblical account of the birth of Christ. But it was those who converted to Christianity who brought these customs to the celebration of Christmas. We need not have any qualms about using these, for the customs, along with the people, were converted to Christianity. These ancient celebrations are being laid at His feet, as gifts for the Christ Child. They can only enrich and gladden the heart of the believer, as we bring our best before the new born King in solemn dedication.”
“Tonight our church will begin to wear its Christmas apparel. We will change the appearance of the church, in order to make ready for the birthday of the King. The preparation for this beautiful season is something we shall do together, sharing in the furnishing of this house appropriately for the Celebration of Christmas – the birth of Christ. In this spirit, we invite each of you to share in the anticipation that you, too, are making it possible for the Lord Christ to enter in. As we decorate the church and wreathe it with song, we will not only explain the history of these symbols, but we will also dedicate them and ourselves to the glory of God and his Son Jesus, our Savior.”
Scripture Reading - Micah 5:2
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.
Narration
“For the ancients, the carrying of the greens into the home had sacramental significance, as if the greens themselves carried with them blessings into the home. Our forefathers spoke of fetching the harrowed sprigs from the woods a “bringing home Christmas.” The wreath, a circle of evergreen branches, has long been a symbol of eternal life; and for many years during the Christmas celebration, evergreens have been used to remind men that Christ, born in Bethlehem, would spring up like a tender plant and live forever.”
“In the words of the poet who has expressed this season of the year so aptly, these thoughts are brought to mind.
I am the spirit of joy; here at the Christmastide
Where hearts are united, I come to abide.
Let your candles be lighted, your holly be hung,
Your hearth fire be merry, your carols be sung.
In this of all houses, the Christ Child will abide;
Make room for His coming, throw the door open wide!
Hang your greens for His welcome, trim gaily your tree,
Put wreaths in your windows…Follow me! Follow me!”
Scripture Reading - John 1:1-2,14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.
Narration
“Christians confess and proclaim that ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’ This is the great message of the incarnation, that Jesus Christ was born into human history in the fullness of time for the salvation of the world. This is what we seek to celebrate, to proclaim and to manifest to all people, especially in this season. In Advent we sing, ‘Come Thou long-expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free.’ At Christmas we join with the angels, singing, ‘Glory to the newborn King!’ It is a season of great tension, expressing hope and expectation for both the first and the second comings of Christ.”
“God’s coming among us is such that we can never fully grasp the mystery of His becoming human, so we must continue to remember and to experience anew, year upon year, the crisis of light in the midst of the world’s darkness and turmoil. We relive the fear and hope and joy that is expressed in the story of His coming to us in the form of a Child, weak in infancy – the wood of whose cradle foreshadows the cross. Our Advent banners remind us of this anticipation – watch, prepare, rejoice, behold.
Scripture Reading – Isaiah 7:14 9:6-7
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.
Narration
“Long before Jesus of Nazareth was born, God had His spokesmen and among them were some of the greatest souls who ever lived – but none of them could measure up to the name Immanuel. It was far too big for them. The prophets anticipated a time when, through God’s power, the nation would be delivered. And in each succeeding king, they hoped they might find this deliverance. At each coronation, their hopes were high for such a deliverer, but always they were disappointed which, in turn, gave birth to renewed hope and anticipation with each new leader.”
“How perfectly the name Immanuel fits our Lord! Jesus Christ was born, and because of all He was and did for humankind, we know that to Him alone belongs this name. The title means just what it says: ‘God is with us!’”
“Here in this sanctuary, we acknowledge the pulpit to be, in a sense, the place from which God speaks to us through Holy Scripture as He did to men of old through the voice of the prophets. From the pulpit and in the lives of His people, the proclamation of the Good News is issued again and again, testifying to us that Immanuel has come indeed.”
Scripture Reading – Daniel 7:13-14
I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Narration
“Because the needles of the pine, cedar and fir trees do not die each season like the leaves of most trees, the ancients saw them as symbols of things that last forever. The book of Daniel as well as Isaiah tells us that there will be no end to the reign of the Messiah, and so we hang garlands of evergreens and evergreen wreaths shaped in a circle, to signify the eternal Kingdom of Jesus, the Christ.”
“Music is so richly interwoven with the history and tradition of Christmas that it provides one of the greatest joys of the season. The superbly blended voices of a cathedral choir, the sweet song of a boy soprano, the simple eager voices of the youth choir, the warm affectionate voices of family and friends around the tree on Christmas Eve, and the energetic young carolers outside your window – they remind us of that first angelic chorus singing of Christ’s birth – of peace on earth and good will toward humankind.”
“While the actual origin of caroling, as part of the Christmas celebration, is unknown, ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’ was one of the early Christmas hymns, written in the 9th century.”
Scripture Reading – First Book of Kings 6:14-22
So Solomon built the house, and finished it. And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar: from the floor of the house unto the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with boards of fir. And he built twenty cubits on the hinder part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor unto the walls [of the ceiling]: he built [them] for it within, for an oracle, even for the most holy place. And the house, that is, the temple before [the oracle], was forty cubits [long]. And there was cedar on the house within, carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen. And he prepared an oracle in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah. And within the oracle was [a space of] twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof; and he overlaid it with pure gold: and he covered the altar with cedar. So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he drew chains of gold across before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold. And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished: also the whole altar that belonged to the oracle he overlaid with gold.
Narration
“Of all Christmas symbols, none is more familiar than the Christmas tree. There are many legends and stories connected with the Christmas tree. An old German legend tells about Winfrid, a missionary to the Scandinavians in the 8th century. One day, he happened to walk into a big forest grove. A large group of people had gathered there under a great oak tree to offer a human sacrifice. Shocked by such brutality, and with surprising courage, Winfrid cut down the sacred oak. As it fell, a young fir tree appeared, as if miraculously, in its place. He proclaimed the fir tree holy, saying it was a symbol of everlasting life because its leaves are evergreen. These, we are told, were his words: ‘Take up the fir tree and carry it to the chieftain’s hall. You shall go no more into the shadows of the forest to keep your feasts with secret rites of shame. You shall keep them at home with laughter and songs and rites of love, gathered around the fir tree to rejoice in the birth night of Christ.”
“It is said that Martin Luther, in an attempt to describe to his wife and children the beauty of the snow covered forest under the glittering sky, went into the forest and cut a small fir tree, set it up in the nursery and put lighted candles on its branches to represent the stars that lit the Bethlehem sky on the night of Jesus’ birth.”
“In ancient times, the cedar was referred to as the tree of royalty. The prophet Isaiah wrote concerning the holy places of worship,
‘The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the fir tree, the pine tree and the cypress together, to adorn the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.’ (Isaiah 60:13)
And from 1 Kings 6, we see the Temple of the Lord was constructed with cedar and decorated with gold. Today we often use cedar along with other evergreens – pine, fir, spruce, juniper, and rosemary – because they represent Christ, who is ever living and eternally the same, and reflect God’s never-failing love for us.”
Whether in humble homes or in a place of worship such as this, the tree with its lights and gold decorations becomes a symbol of Christ as the Tree of Life, offering his gracious gifts of light, life, and wisdom.”
Scripture Reading – Isaiah 53:1-6 & Psalm 22:1-2, 14-18
Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed? For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [Why art thou so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou answerest not; And in the night season, and am not silent.
I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; And thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: A company of evil-doers have inclosed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I may count all my bones; They look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, And upon my vesture do they cast lots.
Narration
“The central symbol of the Christian faith is the cross. It may seem odd or out of place to some to mention the symbol of Christ’s death at the time of His birth, but in reality, it is impossible to separate the two. God’s gift of His Son to the world as a babe in the manger cannot be fully understood apart from the gift of His life on Calvary’s cross. Isaiah 53 prophesied the cross of Christ in his description of the “Suffering Servant”, and the words of Psalm 22 became Jesus’ words on the cross, a description of His passion and suffering.”
“But the cross was not the end – death was overcome with resurrection power and held no ultimate victory over the Son of Man or over those whose faith rests in Him.”
Scripture Reading – Isaiah 35:1-2 & Song of Solomon 2:1
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon: they shall see the glory of Jehovah, the excellency of our God.
I am a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.
Background Narration
“The rose is one of the most exquisite of flowers. Though it can be cultivated close to perfection by many, only God can create that which is perfect. It was Clement of Alexander, living around 200 A.D., who wrote, ‘If I give you a rose, you will not doubt of God!’ We do not doubt of God because we have seen Him in the perfection of Jesus Christ. Because of His perfection, the prophets made references to the rose when speaking of the Messiah. Isaiah tells us that when the Kingdom comes, ‘…the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.’ In the Song of Solomon, the coming Messiah is seen as wondrous as ‘…the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.’”
Scripture Reading – Matthew 4:12-17
Now when he heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, Toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, The people that sat in darkness Saw a great light, And to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, To them did light spring up. From that time began Jesus to preach, and to say, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Background Narration
“This gospel reading speaks with Jesus’ own words of our need to prepare with repentance for the coming of His life of light. One of the most widespread and popular customs in both churches and homes during this season is the Advent Wreath, made of evergreens and representing the cycle of hundreds of years of expectation from Adam to Christ during which the world awaited the coming of a Redeemer. It also reminds us of our need to prepare for Jesus’ coming in the present and the future. The Advent Wreath contains five candles, one each to be lighted during the four Sundays of Advent and the fifth, the Christ Candle, to be lighted on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. The progressively growing candlelight symbolizes the light of Christ.”
“Holly has become a graphic symbol of Christ’s passion with its prickly leaves representing the crown of thorns, the berries representing the blood He shed for us, and the bitter bark representing the drink He was offered on the cross. We place a holly ‘crown of thorns’ around the Christ candle to symbolize the futile attempts of sin and evil to put out the Light of righteousness and to remind us of the purpose of Christ’s birth – to save people from their sins. The crucifixion darkened the light of the sun for three hours and the Light of the Savior for three days, but with the dawn of the Resurrection, the Light of Eternity shone in the world – never to be extinguished!
“Let us pray…Father, bless the lighting of these candles, more and more each week, until your Son is born among us. As the light of these candles grow, so let the love of Christmas, the joy of giving, the happiness of hoping, spread through our homes, our families, our churches, our own lives, that we might come at last to kneel before the manger and know the child of Christmas born within our hearts. Amen.)
Scripture Reading – John 9:1-7
And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. When I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
Background Narration
“Jesus truly is the Light of the World. As we see the lighted candles and the many-colored lights on the trees and houses, they remind us of the One who is coming again to our world. Jesus said, ‘You are the light of the world – so let your light shine before all that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.’”
“The Christophers have a saying, ‘It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.’ We have working within us the power to move back the darkness in our own lives and in the lives of others. May we claim that power by allowing the Light of the world to touch us again in this Advent season, illumining our hearts and souls, and filling us with His love.”
“Join us as we demonstrate the far-reaching effect of the light of His love by ‘passing’ a candle flame from one to another throughout the sanctuary.”
“So just as our candles dispel the darkness in our sanctuary this night, the true Light – Jesus Christ, Himself – dispels the darkness through us, as we are His light in our world!
Scripture Reading – Luke 1:68-75
Blessed [be] the Lord, the God of Israel; For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people, And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of his servant David (As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old), Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To show mercy towards, our fathers, And to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he spake unto Abraham our father, To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Should serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
Background Narration
“For centuries, bells of churches in every land have pealed forth the glad tiding of the birth of Jesus. In medieval times, the bells tolled for an hour before midnight on Christmas Eve and then on the hour, their voices changed to joyous ringing. The tolling was to warn the powers of darkness of the approaching birth of the Savior, whose light would expose and destroy them.
In Bethlehem, the city of the Nativity, it has became traditional to usher in Christmas Eve by the ringing of the bells. As their tones float out on the air and over the countryside, they are a reminder, as were the voices of the angelic hosts so long ago, that “Christ is born!”
