Blessing of a Christmas Tree

Sometime in the evening the tree is blessed, and afterwards the festive lights are lit for the first time. The following form may be used for the blessing.

Officiant: O God, come to my assistance.

All: O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Officiant: Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the Lord, for He comes.

All: Sing to the Lord a new song; * sing to the Lord, all you lands.

Officiant: Sing to the Lord; bless his name; * announce his salvation day after day.

All: Tell his glory among the nations; * among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.

Officiant: For great is the Lord and highly to be praised; * awesome is he, beyond all gods.

All: Splendor and majesty go before him; * praise and grandeur are in his sanctuary.

Officiant: Give to the Lord, you families of nations, give to the Lord glory and praise; * give to the Lord the glory due his name!

All: Bring gifts, and enter His courts; * worship the Lord in holy attire.

Officiant: Tremble before him, all the earth; * say among the nations: the Lord is king.

All: Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound; * let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!

Officiant: Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the Lord, for he comes; * for he comes to rule the earth.

All: He shall rule the world with justice * and the peoples with his constancy.

Officiant: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

All: As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Officiant: Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the Lord, for He comes.

Reader: Lesson from Isaiah the Prophet. Thus saith the Lord: The land that was desolate and impassable shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice and shall flourish like the lily. It shall bud forth and blossom, and shall rejoice with joy and praise: the glory of Lebanon is given to it: the beauty of Carmel, and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord and the beauty of our God.

All: Thanks be to God.

Officiant: And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse

All: And a flower shall rise up out of his root.

Officiant: O Lord, hear my prayer.

All: And let my cry come to You.

Officiant: Let us pray. O God, who hast made this most holy night to shine forth with the brightness of the True Light, deign to bless this tree (sprinkles it with holy water) which we adorn with lights in honor of Him who has come to enlighten us who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. And grant that we upon whom is poured the new light of Thy Word made flesh may show forth in our actions that which by faith shines in our minds. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Besides the historical explanation given above, there are of course many beautiful legends and much symbolism behind the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree is a sign of the great Tree of the Cross; it is noble because it is by a tree that the whole world has been redeemed. The splendor of the Christmas tree reminds us of the redemption of even the material creation by Christ--and recalls the lovely legend that all the trees on earth blossomed forth on Christmas night. And the evergreen is traditional for the Christmas tree, for it reminds us of the everlasting life that Christ won through His Incarnation, Death, and Resurrection.




 
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