Preparing Our Hearts and Sanctuary for the Coming Christ

As the Advent season begins, the Hanging of the Greens invites us into a sacred rhythm of preparation. In Methodist tradition, decorating the sanctuary is not merely beautifying a space—it is an act of worship that helps us enter holy time with our whole selves: memory, sight, sound, and community.

This year, our theological focus highlights the theme of renewal, echoing how God restores creation, community, and hope. Sandra Gravett reminds us that God’s work in Scripture consistently draws people back into right relationship—with God, with one another, and with the created world (Gravett et al. 2008). The Advent season embodies that restoration as Christ enters every level of life.

The Meaning of the Greens

Evergreens have symbolized enduring hope for centuries. Long before Christianity embraced them, evergreen branches testified to life persisting through winter. Scripture itself often uses natural imagery—trees, rivers, mountains—to reveal God’s steadfastness and presence, as noted throughout The Jewish Study Bible (Berlin and Brettler 2014). When the Church adopted this symbol, it became a sign pointing toward Christ, the One whose promise remains evergreen even in our winters.

Hanging the greens affirms that even in seasons of exhaustion or uncertainty, God’s life endures and breaks through.

Circles of Grace: The Advent Wreath

The Advent wreath’s circular shape represents eternity—no beginning and no end. In Wesleyan theology, this mirrors the movement of God’s grace: prevenient grace preparing the heart, justifying grace reconciling us, and sanctifying grace shaping us into Christlikeness. John Wesley emphasized that grace is both continuous and communal, always moving us toward holy love (Wesley 1765).

Thus, when we hang the wreath, we proclaim the Advent truth: God’s love surrounds us completely.

The Chrismon Tree: A Living Christology

Our Chrismon tree bears ancient Christian symbols—Chi-Rho, fish, manger, cross, crown—each witnessing to the story of Jesus. In a year when our sermons and studies focused deeply on Christology, the tree becomes a visual proclamation that Christ is the center of Advent hope. As the HarperCollins Study Bible notes in its commentary on the Gospels, the incarnation reveals God’s choice to draw near in embodied, relational ways (HarperCollins Study Bible 2006).

The Chrismons remind us that Advent is not abstract—it is Christ coming to dwell with humanity.

Light That Breaks the Darkness

Light appears in Scripture as a defining metaphor for God’s presence—shining in darkness, guiding the faithful, and revealing truth (John 1:5; Isa. 9:2). The lighting of the Advent candles echoes this biblical theme. In a world that feels heavy with conflict, fear, and exhaustion, lighting a candle becomes what theologians call an “embodied sign” of faith (Gravett et al. 2008).

Each candle testifies to the Gospel promise: the darkness will not overcome the light.

An Ecotheological Reflection

Your studies on ecotheology this year remind us that God often works through cycles of renewal seen in creation—much like the prairie burns in the Flint Hills that lead to thriving growth. In this sense, the Hanging of the Greens becomes a small ecological parable:

• life persists through the barren season,

• creation offers symbols of God’s faithfulness,

• and renewal comes through preparation.

Gravett notes that biblical writers frequently draw from the land itself to reveal God’s renewing activity (Gravett et al. 2008). The greens we hang echo that truth: God brings new life to places that appear dormant.

A Community Practice of Holiness

One of the greatest strengths of JC 1st UMC is that preparing the sanctuary is a community act. Children carry branches with excitement. Youth hang Chrismons. Adults gently untangle lights. In this simple work, we practice what Wesley called social holiness—the belief that faith grows best in community (Wesley 1739).

We do not prepare for Christ alone.We prepare together.

Come, Lord Jesus

As we hang the greens for Advent 2025, may our sanctuary—and our hearts—be prepared for the One who comes bringing hope, light, and renewal.

Come and join the work.Come and step into the story.Come, Lord Jesus.

Bibliography

Berlin, Adele, and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. The Jewish Study Bible. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.

Gravett, Sandra L., Karla G. Bohmbach, F. V. Greifenhagen, and Donald C. Polaski. An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible: A Thematic Approach. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.

HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version, with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books. Revised edition. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006.

Wesley, John. “The Character of a Methodist.” 1739.

Wesley, John. A Plain Account of Christian Perfection. 1765.