Christingle……..a word we’ve never heard until we emigrated from South Africa to the UK. With the heightened awareness of being new to a country, we watched families walk to church under tall skeleton winter-trees in Virginia Water, Surrey. So unlike summer Christmases in South Africa, the little girls were dressed in coats and boots – and scarves and hats and gloves were the order of the day. The occasion was the family Christingle service at Christ Church. Inside the old church, the children’s expectant faces lit up in the glow of many small candles. Loved it!
Christingle! Easy to assemble and explain and we can’t wait to see how our little granddaughters respond! Wish we could kidnap our New Zealand family and 2 grandsons, Joshua and Jesse!
I've surfed the net, but sadly couldn't find an advertised Christingle service in the many London churches. Could that be because there are more unmarried young adults than families? Maybe. Be it as it may, we are going to have our own Christingle at home - and it should work just fine.
Isiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
What follows is a short description of Christingle, kicking off with a brief history, the symbolism and how to assemble the Christingle.
In 1749 in a church in Germany a Bishop started a Christmas tradition that is loved by children and adults, and enjoyed in Britain today and around the world. His name was Bishop John de Watteville and he led worship among the Moravian Congregation in Marienborn, Germany. He was the creator of the Christingle service. Christingle means "Christ-Light."The Christingle service is a gentle way to share with our children or our grandchildren the bigger picture of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ and why He came from heaven.
The simple candle service remind us that Jesus brought light into darkness. The looped red ribbon gives opportunity to tell that Jesus shed his blood and died for our sin and salvation. The service is based around explaining the symbolism in the Christingle and as each part in explained the Christingles are assembled. When all is assembled the lights in the church are dimmed and the candles lighted. The candle light on the excited children's faces is a beautiful sight. In John de Watteville's day it is recorded that the children tried to keep their candles alight the whole way home.
How to make a Christingle
- A sweet, juicy, shiny orange represents the goodness of the earth that God created.
- Four sticks (cocktail sticks or tooth picks) are put into four corners of the top side of the orange. These represent the four seasons of the year.
- Onto each stick is threaded dried fruit like sultanas or raisins. This represents all the goodness of the fruit of the earth and the richness of animals and birds that God has provided on his earth. Sometimes we use small jelly sweets or candy.
- A red ribbon wrapped around the orange and fixed in place with a pin represents the blood of Jesus who died for the salvation of the whole world. In the Moravian tradition today a ribbon is looped around a candle at its base.
- The white candle is placed in the very top of the orange into a pre-prepared hole. Sometimes some foil is used to help fix the candle into position. This candle represents Jesus, the light of the world, God's son. In the Moravian tradition it would be made from beeswax and would also represent Christ's purity, as this type of candle burns cleanly.
"I will celebrate nativity - it has a place in history -what is that to me?
Till by faith I met Him face-to-face, and I felt the wonder of His grace,
then I knew He was more than just a God who didn't care....."
