What’s Behind the Chi Rho?

Peace Lutheran Church

Sunday, December 15th, 2024

Introduction:

Symbols, ornaments, pictures…tell stories.

They come from real experiences.

Some are joyful.

Others are painful.

There’s truth to the saying, “A picture is worth a 1,000 words,” especially when you are familiar with the story behind it.

Isn’t that true?

Thank God for these kids!  Today, they sang carols and shared the gospel, using Chrismon’s or (monograms, ornaments)–telling real stories about Jesus.

Folks, I strongly encourage you to learn about these particular Chrismon’s so that we’re not hanging out in the dark, but are coming into the Light–God’s eternal salvation and hope and glory–through these simple, ornaments of faith–that have been used for centuries in the church all over the world.

Let me start with a simple one to illustrate our lesson today.

(*Focus the congregation’s attention on the Christmas tree.)

The Christmas tree is a tangible sign of Jesus Christ.  First, his name “Christ” is front and center of the tree–reminding us that He is the Living Word of God, “Who took on flesh and made His dwelling with us.”

Next, which direction does the Christmas tree point?

That’s right!  The tree points upward.  That’s intentional.  The eternal glory of God was, is, will always be purposed through Christ–having a direct vertical dimension of “God’s kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

But, there’s more!  The Christmas tree has a direct horizontal dimension too.  You see that by the way that the evergreen branches extend outward.  Specifically, God’s Living Word who always gives God’s radical grace–the undeserving gift of eternal life, faith, and hope on any merit on our part–was, is, will always be accomplished through Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross for our sins and his glorious resurrection from the dead.

Do you see the cross in the Christmas tree?

The vertical and horizontal plane–held in Jesus’ glorious hand–always extended–“for you“.

By the way, what color are the branches?

Yes!  Green!  Why?  This is no coincidence.  The color of the evergreen branches means “new growth“–coming from God’s Chosen One who creates new life in us.  Just as the these ornaments hang beautifully on the stretched out branches, telling His story, what about you?  How does your new life–grafted in the Savior–describe what He’s done for you?

I can’t help but be reminded of the words in that beautiful gospel hymn:

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,

of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.

I love to tell the story because I know tis’ true;

it satisfies my longings as nothing else can do

(Pg. 48, I Love to Tell the Story, Dordt University, Classic Hymns of the Christian Faith)

Like the Christmas tree–I want to dive deeper into one of the Chrismon’s that the kids already mentioned.  This symbol, in the original Greek language, the P letter, is pronounced “Rho“, and the “X” in the center is pronounced “Chi“.

(Pause…)

Together, these two letters “Chi-Rho“, tell the story of the Name above all names, “Christos” in the Greek or Christ–the Messiah–the Chosen One of God–rejected by sinful humanity–but the Chosen Savior and Lord of sinners–just as the Holy Scriptures promise us:

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).

What’s directly in the center of this Ornament?

Yes!  The cross–God’s true door to eternal life–God’s true fountain of pure living water–that washes us clean from our sins and makes us righteous with God and each other, just as hymn writer Fanny Crosby wrote:

“Jesus, keep me near the cross, there a precious fountain,

Free to all, a healing stream, flows from Calvry’s mountain.

In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever.

Till my ransomed soul shall find rest beyond the river.”

Each passage in today’s Scripture readings describes the glory in Christ and His cross–the center of our living vertically and horizontally–with Him and each other.

Starting with our responsive reading in Psalm 80 vv. 3 and 7–repeating the new life we have in Christ:

Restore us, O God;

let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Yes!  God’s holy face shines always shines in the Light of Christ–taking on flesh and being born in Bethlehem, sheepherder country, just as prophet Micah preached several hundred years before Christ’s miraculous birth that he–heaven’s Shepherd of souls–sacrificed His blameless life for wayward sheep–for you and me–at Calvary’s mountain.

In the NT–Luke carries this message of Christ forward that–even in John’s great turmoil, facing inevitable death–John asks the Lord an honest question, a question we’ll all face, especially in dark times, “Are you the Messiah or not?” “How do we know for sure that you are the Chosen One?”

Jesus takes John/us back to the center–the Chi-Rho–through Christ’s cross–where the dead are raised, the blind see, the deaf hear–the eternal gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord gives us new, eternal life–just as blind Fanny Crosby “saw” and wrote about the glorious hope in Jesus’ sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, “A healing stream, flows from Calvry’s mountain, till my ransomed soul shall find peace beyond the river.”

St Paul describes this “healing stream,” to the church gathered at Rome.  Flowing from Calvry’s mountain, redeeming your ransomed soul–Heaven’s True Redeemer–bought your salvation at a criminal’s cross where he died, was buried, and was raised again from the dead “for you“.

Likewise, the Chi-Rho symbol demonstrates–that “In Christ”–the “old Adam, Eve” in you is gone…”crucified with Christ,” and the new Spirit-filled son and daughter of God through Jesus Christ is reborn,–producing much spiritual fruit, just as we see on the extended branches, Jesus reminds us: “That which is born of Spirit is Spirit,” hince the dove–the Holy Spirit–in the cross–the door of Christ–your deliverer, Savior, God–the producer of His spiritual fruit–forever.

Brothers and sisters, that’s the Good News behind the Chi-Rho.

Let’s pray.

Discussion Questions –

“That which is born of Spirit is Spirit.”

What does that look like in our lives?

How does the cross of Christ reflect new life in us?

What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit in the cross?

How does the Christmas tree point to Christ and His cross?