Newsletter of St. James United Methodist Church

DECEMBER 2015
Newsletter of St. James United
Methodist Church
439 Greene Street, Augusta, GA 30901
The Rev. Thurman Norville, Pastor
From Pastor Thurman
Chrismons and The Chrismon Tree
WHAT'S A CHRISMON?
Christians need to remember that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birthday. Chrismons and
the Chrismon Tree are excellent symbols which focus our attention on the importance of Christmas and the meaning.
The Chrismons are a type of Christmas Tree decoration used in many churches and often in the homes of Christians.
The Chrismons are often placed on evergreen trees or Christmas trees in churches and Christians’ homes during the
Advent Season.
Chrismons are white with gold decorations of beads, ribbon, and glitter. Chrismons can be made from nearly anything, but paper and embroidered ones are the most widely used. White is the liturgical color for Christmas and
symbolizes that Jesus was pure and perfect. Gold symbolizes His Majesty and Glory. It is common, however, to see
these ancient Christian designs in colors other than white and gold. These would not be Chrismons, but simply
Christian symbols -- and there's nothing wrong with that!
Chrismons were first made by Frances Kipps Spencer at the Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville, Virginia. She also
thought of the word, Chrismon, which is a combination of Christ and monogram (meaning symbol). The idea quickly
spread to other churches. It is also tradition that Christian groups make their own Chrismons with their favorite
symbols and place them on the tree.
The larger Chrismons below are traditionally used by the Methodist Church; however many local Methodist congregations develop their own traditional Chrismons, keeping the Christian symbols as a bases for their creations.
The Cross symbolizes that Christians believe Jesus Christ died for everyone on a Cross.
The Latin Cross, also sometimes called the Roman Cross. The base of the Cross has three steps that
symbolize faith, hope, and love.
The Irish or Celtic Cross is a normal cross with a circle in the middle to symbolize eternity.
The Triumphant Cross represents the earth with the cross on top. It symbolizes Jesus is triumphant
over anything we can face in the world.
The Jerusalem Cross was worn by the crusaders going to Jerusalem, in the middle ages. It can
symbolize the Four Gospels in the Bible, the spread of the Gospel to the four corners of the earth or
the five wounds of Jesus when he died on the cross.
The Eastern Cross is used by many Eastern or Orthodox Churches.
The Furca or Upsilon Cross comes from the Greek letter Y. It is also called The Thieves'
Cross from the two robbers who were crucified on each side of Jesus. It also symbolizes the
choice between good and evil.
The Anchor Cross reminds Christians that Jesus is the anchor of their faith.
The Fish is one of the oldest Christian symbols. The letters, from the Greek word for fish
(ichthus), stand for Jesus (I), Christ (X), God (Q), Son (Y), Savior (S). Some of Jesus' disciples
were fishermen.
Alpha and Omega are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet. Used together, they
symbolize that Christians believe Jesus is the beginning and end of all things.
The Chi-Rho looks like a 'P' with an 'X' on top of it. These two letters are the first two
letters of the Greek word 'Christos' which means Christ.
The Star of David, sometimes called the Star of Creation, is a symbol that Jesus was a
Jew and a descendant of King David.
A Five Pointed Star represents the five wounds of Jesus on the cross
The Nativity Star is the symbol of the Star of Bethlehem or Epiphany, when the Wise Men
visited Jesus.
An Eight Pointed Star represents baptism and regeneration.
The Crown is the symbol that Jesus in King. It shows that Christians believe Jesus is ruler
over heaven and the earth.
The Shepherd's Crook or Staff remembers that Jesus sometimes called himself a shepherd. It
can also represent the shepherds who were the first people told about the birth of Jesus.
Both of these symbols represent the Christian 'Trinity' of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The
Triquerta is made of three loops making a triangle representing the three parts of the trinity.
The Trefoil (at the bottom) is three equal circles intertwined to form a whole.
Hands in Prayer help Christians remember that they should pray to God.
The Scroll represents the Bible.
The Dove is the symbol of peace and the Holy Spirit. It is shown pointing down to represent
the Holy Spirit that appeared as a Dove when Jesus was baptized.
The Lamp and The Candle both represents that Christians believe Jesus in the Light of
the World.
The Shell is a symbol for baptism. It reminds Christians of the water in which they are baptized.
It is also a sign of Pilgrimage, as Pilgrims to the Holy Land (Israel) would use a shell as a
drinking vessel.
The Keys are a symbol for the Church in all the world. Jesus told his friend Peter "I will
give you keys to heaven."
The Ship is also a symbol of the Church, sailing towards heaven
The Cup or Chalice is a symbol of the Mass, Eucharist or Communion. It also represents
God's forgiveness.
The Angel reminds Christians of the angels who told the shepherds about the birth of
Jesus. It can also represent the second coming of Jesus, which the Bible says will
start with an Angel blowing a trumpet.
The Lamb is a symbol for Jesus who is sometimes called 'The Lamb of God'.
The Butterfly is a symbol for transformation and the immortal soul.
The Heart is a symbol of love and reminds Christians that God is love.
The Lion is a symbol for Jesus who is sometimes called 'The Lion of Judah'. .
Jesus is also represented as Aslan the Lion in the Chronicle of Narnia books by
C S Lewis.
The White Rose is a symbol for purity and can represent Mary.
Thanksgiving Dinner
November 15, 2015
ADVENT:
The red-headed stepchild?
Marilyn Grau
Advent means coming. Traditionally it’s a time to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ. But in
today’s Western society, Advent is largely ignored. Christmas isn’t coming; the Christmas season is
here, beginning the day after Thanksgiving--if not before. Street lights are strung; trees are decorated;
and Christmas music fills the airwaves the entire month of December. In fact, Christmas Day is considered by many as the end of the Christmas season, not the beginning! (Think about it: even in the church,
don’t we hold our Christmas parties during Advent instead of during the actual 12-day Christmas season?)
So what do we do about this? Let’s face it: we are all a part of our culture. To try to change society
would literally be swimming upstream. And frankly, we look forward to the excitement of the prolonged
Christmas season. We enjoy shopping for those we love, watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” on TV, baking
cookies, and planning family gatherings. But perhaps while we’re getting our homes ready for Christmas,
we can also give Advent its due by taking some time out of our busy schedules to prepare our hearts for
the coming of Christ.
Phyllis Crim recently emailed to the church office a calendar called “Random Acts of Christmas Kindness”
that, sure enough, began on December 1 and ended on the 24th. So I’ve taken the liberty of inserting
that calendar here, adding the last two days of November, typing in an act of kindness for those days,
and changing its name to Random Acts of ADVENT kindness.
I have also changed a few of the random acts from those originally listed, and you may want to do the
same. But I am definitely going to give this a try; would you like to join me? As my (now grown) niece
used to say as a child: “Can’t hurt; might help.” Have a blessed Advent.
PREPARING OUR HEARTS FOR THE COMING OF CHRIST
RANDOM ACTS OF ADVENT KINDNESS
Nov.
29
Take a friend to
church with you.
30
Run an errand
for a shut-in.
Dec.
Compliment
a friend.
Be kind to a
harried sales
clerk.
Take flowers to
Be a courteous
a sick friend.
driver.
O God, our times are in your hand: Look with favor, we pray, on your servants as they
begin another year. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen
their trust in your goodness all the days of their lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Dot Layman, 12-3
Frances Goodwin, 12-4
Frank Toole, 12-8
Grayson & Tanner Beveridge, 12-17
Martha Toole, 12-20
Alexis Norton, 12-21
Trisha Williams, 12-31
Anne Barton / Andrea Spano
We need your help in providing gifts for our neighbors
who will join us for our Christmas breakfast. All of
this can be found at the Dollar Tree stores in your
neighborhood.
Please bring items in on Sunday, or drop them off at
the office during the week. We will be putting bags together on Dec. 17th, starting at 10:00 in the morning. We
can certainly use the extra help with this assembly line project.
We need the following:
125 pairs of socks
125 Chapsticks
125 gloves (brown, can be found at Dollar Tree)
125 small Kleenex packets (Dollar Tree)
125 men’s small deodorant
Peppermint balls (wrapped individually)
125 face wash cloths
125 bars of soap
2 boxes of Q-tips, 500 ct. for a small First Aid Kit
125 shampoos/conditioners
4 boxes of sandwich bags for a small First Aid Kit
8 boxes of 25/30 ct. gallon zip lock bags
5 bags of floss picks (green or white)
Assorted reading glasses from 1.25 to 2.50 at Dollar
125 toothbrushes
Tree
Bible Study Tuesdays
10 a.m. - Fellowship Hall
Men’s Club
Meeting
cancelled in
December.
---------------A prayer group is being
Last Bible
the
formed
to prayStudy
duringfor
the
week
for
our
families,
church
year: December 15;
families, and our friends. If
you Christmas
would like toluncheon
serve on
this prayer group please call
to follow at the
Melvis Reeves at 706 7306225 DoubleTree
for more information..
Hotel
Griffin Circle
Christmas Party
December 11
at Joan Harwood’s
3618 Jamaica Drive
SUNDAY DEC. 13 - 5 p.m.
CHURCH CHRISTMAS PARTY
Bring Finger Foods
CHURCH OFFICE
CLOSED THURSDAY &
FRIDAY, Dec. 24-25
and
THURSDAY & FRIDAY,
Dec. 31-Jan 1
St. James United Methodist Church
The Fellowship of the Friendly
439 Greene Street
Augusta, GA 30901
The Rev. Thurman Norville, Jr.
Pastor
Marilyn Grau
Administrative Assistant
Walter Harwood III
Organist
Raymond Hookfin
Sexton
706-722-8373
stjamesunitedmethodist50@gmail.com
www:stjamesaugusta.com