Featured Hanging of the Greens

I've known RevMitchell for many years and I trust his heart. It may have been done improperly where you saw it but I am confident it didn't happen that way in the High Desert.

Back to 'O Christmas Tree'. 19th Century Germans associated theTannenbaum with faithfulness and fidelity. One English version's third stanza reads:

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your boughs can teach a lesson
That constant faith and hope sublime
Lend strength and comfort through all time.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your boughs can teach a lesson.

Back to the use of object lessons. I can see the association between the familiar and the opportunity to share the Gospel. Folks know Christmas trees.

Here's a link that will take you to a literal translation of the German lyrics for this carol. This is not a hymn and I'm not defending the church's use of it but take a few minutes and know what it says before you throw it out.

 

Fair enough.

Back to your question where you asked, "Seriously, how does singing o Christmas tree in any way teach anything Biblical." God used the fir (the German word for fir is Tannen. Baum is tree. 'O Tannenbaum'is German for fir tree) and the pine tree along with several others planted in barren places so that it would be unmistakably apparent what God had done and created.

Isaiah 41:17-20(KJV)
17 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
18 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:
20 That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
​

There is another German carol that sings about a rose. Maybe you want to ask, Seriously, how does singing about roses, in any way, teach anything Biblical?"

Here's the lyrics:

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen,
aus einer Wurzel zart,
wie uns die Alten sungen,
von Jesse war die Art
Und hat ein Blümlein bracht
mitten im kalten Winter,
wohl zu der halben Nacht.

You may be more familiar with this version:

Lo, how a rose e'er blooming,
From tender stem hath sprung.
Of Jesse's lineage coming,
As men of old have sung;
It came, a flow'ret bright,
Amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Nobody is being encouraged to worship roses. Again it is associating the known - folk know roses - with what you wish to teach.

 

Folks,

One thing worth knowing: The Roman Catholic Church was not made in one "fell swoop" but happened over a period of almost 2000 years. Error begets error and in time may beget heresy.

I have belonged to two Southern Baptist churches since my conversion in 1965. My membership is currently in the church I initially joined. The change in that church in the ensuing 50 years is remarkable and the question is WHY! God the Father has not changed; The Resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ ,has not changed, God the Holy Spirit has not changed; then why is His church in a constant state of change.

The last service I attended just before the Christmas season began the services was interrupted for a period of time while a member dressed as Santa came in throwing candy to the children present in part to advertise the upcoming singing Christmas trees. There are two now because of the size of the choir, I suppose!

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Now to a timeline of errors introduced into the Roman Catholic Communion, some of which rise to the lever of heresy:

Continued:

 

Continued from previous post:

 

For the record, the first epistle of Peter concludes with an allusion to the author being in Babylon, which is often seen as an early church code for Rome. Extra-biblical sources also allude to "Peter and Paul" having 'command' (i.e.: being in a position of authority) over the church at Rome.

 

I don't think these two things have any connection with each other, except they both add to the beauty of the surroundings in the church. Let me answer your question in this way. Would you want to live in a house where the walls were unpainted sheet rock? Hardly anyone would. You still have the same comfortable furniture, a nice HDTV, food in the cabinets and fridge, etc. However, the walls are all sheet rock gray. It's depressing.

So, you paint those walls, maybe white, perhaps a nice bright color. You hang some pretty pictures on them. Viola, your house is warm and inviting. You want go there because it elevates your mood and feels like home.

Same thing with a church. The stained glass windows, and Christmas decorations during season, make it a more pleasant place to go and worship. Now if you are one of those people who thinks that worship should only be done in Spartan surroundings, of course you wouldn't want these things.

And lest you say churches should not be built for their comfort and beauty, remember that Solomon's temple was by far the most elegant and expensive structure in all of Israel. And it was built upon directions provided by God.

 

Iranaeus, Against Heresies (Book III).

 

And it all went down hill from there.

 

Yep, you bring in wax candles and within 650 years you'll be baptizing bells...it's a vicious cycle...

 

IMO, the best greens to be hung are collard greens and they should be hung upside to dry after a thorough washing. You can tell your children that according to extra biblical accounts, Peter was "hung" up side down on a cross because he didn't feel worthy of being Crucified upright the way Jesus was. Then cut them up and Baptize them into a enough water to cover them. You can tell the people that Baptize in English comes from the greek word Baptizo meaning "complete immersion". Then Baptize some pieces of beef neck bone with the collards, add a little salt; you can tell the people that Jesus said his disciples are to be the salt of the world preserving it until the Day of the LORD. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmering for about 2hours or until the "pot liquor" turns color slightly. Tell the people that the flame under the pot is no comparison to the flames of the Lake of Fire that will never "decrease". Then raise them collard up and place on a plate with some of the meat and a side of cornbread. Tell the people that just as you raised the collards and meat up from the pot that Jesus was "raised" from the tomb on the Third Day and was seen by over 500 people before giving the disciples the "Great Commission" to the Apostles and disciples. Explain that Jesus was raised in the flesh. Similar to the neck bone meat except fully alive. Then eat them collards and neck bone and tell the people that Jesus said to be His disciple you must eat His flesh and drink His blood. Use this to explain the Passover meal. Now that is a better message and better greens. You may refer to them as "Hebrew Greens". and Explain the fact that Jesus was the better sacrifice than the animal sacrifices of Passovers previous. Once for all time. Not all people, because as we know by the flames under the pot that some people will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. If Jesus had died for all people then all people would be atoned for and be spotless before YHWH.

Object lesson. Just as Fatherdurand said.
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

That would be padredurand - I ain't the Vicar of the Nawth! :laugh: That said, if your object lesson made the connection for one lost soul then it worked and it was worth the effort.

Now a word about greens. In the nawth we don't eat collard. We use escarole. It's just like collard but three times the price. We don't boil them in water. They are sautéed in olive oil and the fat leftover from the heap of Italian sausage you just browned and set aside. Toss in about 30 cloves of garlic and some red pepper flakes. Once the escarole is el dente - Italian for limp as a wet noodle - back in goes the sausage and small handful of freshly grated Romano.

Is there an object lesson there? I'd say there was. We both say greens and mean something different. I've never eaten collard greens boiled with a neck bone. Might be tasty but I wouldn't know without looking into it. I might even have to experience it for myself. Or, I could just raise my voice and tell you that you were desecrating greens by using dead cow parts and water.

The point is just because you do your greens differently doesn't make it wrong. It is just different. I have no doubt that there are some folk out there doing the Hanging of the Greens in such a way you would wonder if the were a bunch of pantheists. The mature Christian should spot that a mile away and then use the opportunity to correct the error wherever you have a voice.

There are others who use every bit of the Greens to point to the Cross of Calvary.

 

I believe Peter was in Rome as strongly as I believe peter was unmarried and the first pope! That is not the point of the information I posted. I am simply showing that the history of the Roman Catholic Communion shows that once a Church starts adding incidentals to that which is Holy then heresy will eventually follow. This is shown most clearly in the books of 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings.

Poole writes of verse 5:13:

Clarke writes of verse 5:13:

Henry writes of verse 5:13:

Gill writes of verse 5:13:

 

Good info on the Catholic guy there OldRegular. I for one appreciate it. Slippery Slope indeed.

 

Solomons Temple is no more, The Church, the Bride of Jesus Christ, will exist eternally!

 

And what does that have to do with whether our places of worship should be beautiful?

 

You were so excited about Solomon's temple I thought you needed something to calm you down!

 

Well, as for my opinion (which I am entitled), Solomon's Temple is not nearly as exciting as the one yet to be built Ezekiel describes in the last chapters of the Book of same name.

 

True dat, but isn't "Padre" and "Father" equivalent?

We use escarole. It's just like collard but three times the price.
Well I would just eat collards.