Christmas putz service
11:00 am, January 5, 2010
A European Christmas tradition
As part of the worship service, we featured a Christmas putz. These religious displays originated in Central Europe. The Christmas putz tradition came to America with Moravians settling in Pennsylvania in the 1700s.
More familiar than the Christmas putz is the Nativity scene, or crèche. These display combine all the elements of the Christmas story into a single scene. Figures representing the Wise Men, shepherds, Mary, Joseph, and angels are positioned around the Christ child framed in a stable.
A Christmas putz (pronounced put-s) is a little different. It traditionally has multiple scenes, each presenting a different part of the story. One scene may have a prophet announcing the coming of Christ. A second may trace Mary and Joseph’s travel to Bethlehem. Still another scene may follow the shepherd’s journey, another the Magi’s.
A new way to celebrate the season
Elaborate or simple, in churches or homes – each Christmas putz varies in the parts of the story it depicts. Each is special in its own way. These decorations give us new ways to visualize Scripture and help us integrate the events of Christ’s birth into our own story.
We decorated the sanctuary with our own Christmas putz displays and viewed them as part of the service. You can see them in the slide show below.
As part of the worship service, we featured a Christmas putz. These religious displays originated in Central Europe. The Christmas putz tradition came to America with Moravians settling in Pennsylvania in the 1700s.
More familiar than the Christmas putz is the Nativity scene, or crèche. These display combine all the elements of the Christmas story into a single scene. Figures representing the Wise Men, shepherds, Mary, Joseph, and angels are positioned around the Christ child framed in a stable.
A Christmas putz (pronounced put-s) is a little different. It traditionally has multiple scenes, each presenting a different part of the story. One scene may have a prophet announcing the coming of Christ. A second may trace Mary and Joseph’s travel to Bethlehem. Still another scene may follow the shepherd’s journey, another the Magi’s.
A new way to celebrate the season
Elaborate or simple, in churches or homes – each Christmas putz varies in the parts of the story it depicts. Each is special in its own way. These decorations give us new ways to visualize Scripture and help us integrate the events of Christ’s birth into our own story.
We decorated the sanctuary with our own Christmas putz displays and viewed them as part of the service. You can see them in the slide show below.