Hanging of the Greens
On Sunday, November 26, decorating for the Advent and Christmas seasons - also known as "Hanging of the Greens" - will take place beginning at 9:00 a.m. Friends and members from Overland Park Christian, and Broadway Church, will all help decorate together
The OPCC Worship & Arts commission will prepare the decorations on Wednesday, November 22 so that each person has an opportunity to participate in readying our spaces for the coming Christ. All age and ability levels are welcome to participate at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 26!
Coffee, tea, juice, doughnuts and cinnamon rolls, will also be available!
OPCC worship service at 10:30am in the Sanctuary (and Heartspace Worship at 10:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room) will help us begin the Advent season in prayer and song!
The OPCC Worship & Arts commission will prepare the decorations on Wednesday, November 22 so that each person has an opportunity to participate in readying our spaces for the coming Christ. All age and ability levels are welcome to participate at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 26!
Coffee, tea, juice, doughnuts and cinnamon rolls, will also be available!
OPCC worship service at 10:30am in the Sanctuary (and Heartspace Worship at 10:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room) will help us begin the Advent season in prayer and song!
What does "Hanging of the Greens" Mean?
On this first Sunday of a new church year we prepare for the coming of Christ. The beginning of a new church year is marked by a season of preparation, the season of Advent, and the colors of preparation are blue and purple (not red and green!).
During the Advent season, we prepare for the one who has come, whom we expect to come, and who will come again. We recall God’s entering history as one of us in Jesus Christ and prepare our hearts so that God will find room and expression in our lives.
Historically the protestant church has observed Advent as the four Sundays preceding Christmas Day as an opportunity to prepare our homes, places of worship, and hearts. In other parts of the world they are already two weeks into Advent, and have already adorned their homes and sanctuaries with evergreen and poinsettias. So if you already have your tree up at home, here is your excuse when people challenge you!
In some Christian traditions, Advent begins the day after St. Martin’s Day on November 12, and has been called St. Martin’s Lent. It is a 6-week long season of preparation for the coming of Christ as a baby, mirroring the traditional 6-week long season of Lent prior to Easter. In some parts of the world, especially those that don’t celebrate Thanksgiving like we do in the United States, St. Martin’s day on November 12 is a huge celebration of the harvest, giving thanks for an abundance before turning towards more penitential preparation for the birth of Christ.
No matter when we begin the season of Advent, many different generations and cultures of Christians have had reminders of Jesus’ birth in beautiful music, customs, symbols, and tradition so that we will not forget what God has done. In the Hanging of the Greens, close to home, and in the church building, we share with Christians through the ages the memory and anticipation of Christ’s coming. Some of our customs have non-Christian origins but have been transformed. What is significant for us is not what they may once have meant, or that they are unique to Christianity, but rather what they mean for us today.
As we experience the decorations of the church, we dedicate these symbols and ourselves to the service of God, and God’s arrival. Look for God in the beauty of this place. Hear God in the music around you. Feel God’s presence as we prepare for the Christ – God with us!
During the Advent season, we prepare for the one who has come, whom we expect to come, and who will come again. We recall God’s entering history as one of us in Jesus Christ and prepare our hearts so that God will find room and expression in our lives.
Historically the protestant church has observed Advent as the four Sundays preceding Christmas Day as an opportunity to prepare our homes, places of worship, and hearts. In other parts of the world they are already two weeks into Advent, and have already adorned their homes and sanctuaries with evergreen and poinsettias. So if you already have your tree up at home, here is your excuse when people challenge you!
In some Christian traditions, Advent begins the day after St. Martin’s Day on November 12, and has been called St. Martin’s Lent. It is a 6-week long season of preparation for the coming of Christ as a baby, mirroring the traditional 6-week long season of Lent prior to Easter. In some parts of the world, especially those that don’t celebrate Thanksgiving like we do in the United States, St. Martin’s day on November 12 is a huge celebration of the harvest, giving thanks for an abundance before turning towards more penitential preparation for the birth of Christ.
No matter when we begin the season of Advent, many different generations and cultures of Christians have had reminders of Jesus’ birth in beautiful music, customs, symbols, and tradition so that we will not forget what God has done. In the Hanging of the Greens, close to home, and in the church building, we share with Christians through the ages the memory and anticipation of Christ’s coming. Some of our customs have non-Christian origins but have been transformed. What is significant for us is not what they may once have meant, or that they are unique to Christianity, but rather what they mean for us today.
As we experience the decorations of the church, we dedicate these symbols and ourselves to the service of God, and God’s arrival. Look for God in the beauty of this place. Hear God in the music around you. Feel God’s presence as we prepare for the Christ – God with us!
