Christmas Crowns
- willandjennycrum
- Dec 1, 2024
- 3 min read
The Christmas season is here and as the countdowns begin, this season is the perfect time to practice choosing the Good Portion, Christ! I decorated early this year in an attempt to stave off the frenzy the first week of December. There is one decoration that remains to be hung. My big Silver Dollar City wreath.
“I just couldn’t help myself!” My friend said as she opened the back of her green Tahoe. She had just been telling me about the huge sale Silver Dollar City has to change out their seasonal decorations. The Missouri Themepark is known for its amazing Christmas lights and decorations. As she turned around, I could see her wide smile, eager to show me the treasure she had found for me; she pulled out the largest wreath I had ever seen. "I thought you and the kids would like this!" I jumped back a little to see it all, “I love it! It is huge!” I squealed. “Thank you. Where will I put it?!”
My Silver Dollar City wreath has moved with me all over the country, and this year I think she’ll get some new lights and a big bow. Hanging my SDC wreath will be the perfect start to the Advent season.
Where did the wreath come from anyway? A German Lutheran pastor named Johann Hinrich Wichern is often credited with turning the wreath into a symbol of Advent. The ever-practical Germans used trimmings from their trees to decorate and reduce waste.
Of course, the Evergreen, or Pine, is a tree that symbolizes eternal life as it is green all year long. The shape of the wreath, the circle, has no beginning and no end, which again denotes the eternal life we can have in Jesus. It represents divine perfection. Those may be obvious but get ready! Our deep dive into wreaths is about to turn into worship.
Wreaths originate from Rome. Wreath crowns made of olives, laurel, wild celery, and pine were worn on the heads of victorious athletes. Aside from competitions, head wreaths symbolized honor and joy.
The wreath was said to be, “the ornament of a priest in the performance of sacrifice, of hero on his return from victory, of the bride at her nuptials, and of the guests of the feast.”[1] Did you know the old English word for wreath is “Writhen” meaning “to writhe” or to “twist”? [2]
This brings to mind the most important wreath on the most precious head. If you will allow me to switch holidays on you let me read Matthew 28:29. “and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him saying, “Hail the king of the Jews!” Do you see it? They meant to mock him, but the crown of thorns was the wreath of victory, it was the ornament of the High Priest in the performance of a sacrifice, the crown of the hero, and the decoration for the bridegroom.
Jesus prayed for you before he died on that cross. In John 17, Jesus speaks in the third person, which sounds funny but he does it so that he is crystal clear. Starting in verse 1, “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come, glorify your son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.” Here it is, don’t miss it, verse 3, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
In God’s amazing completeness, he gives everything fullness of meaning. The wreath under your advent candles, and the wreath on your door, they are reminders for us. He stepped out of heaven at Christmas, so we receive Jesus’ victory over the cross and over sin and death.
He is the High Priest (Heb 3:1), he is the hero who will return in victory over death (1 Cor. 15:56) and will return again, he is the bridegroom (Rev. 19:7-8), and scripture says we will be the guests of his great feast (Rev 19:9).
