In our Sunday School classes this season our young people have been learning about the meaning behind many of the Christmas holiday symbols. They have learned that centuries ago the Christmas tree was once displayed in the center of town and people would gather around the community tree and tell stories from both the Old and New Testament. However, the church at the time did not like people gathering together in the city streets and had the trees removed. Undeterred, the people then began the tradition of having the Christmas tree in their homes, they continued to tell their stories and filled the trees with a variety of meaningful decorations.

We have learned that the dove that adorns the top of many people’s Christmas tree is a symbol of the peace that Jesus brings in the world.

The manger is a symbol of his humble beginnings and the star is a symbol of the promise of his blessings and of God’s love for the world.

In addition to learning about the symbols of the tree, manger, and star the classes have been able to interact with these symbols through different art projects and will be using them in the Christmas Pageant on December 8th.
This has been a fun and interactive learning time and our young people are looking forward to bringing it into worship for their annual Christmas pageant.