Come to St Mark’s on Sunday, December 5, at 11am and make a Christingle.

Christingles are a tradition whereby the story of God’s love for the world, shown in Jesus Christ, is told using an orange, a candle, a red ribbon and dried fruits and/or sweets.

Each element of a Christingle has a special meaning:

·  The orange represents the world;

·  The red ribbon (or tape) symbolises the love and blood of Christ;

·  The sweets and dried fruit represent all of God’s creations;

·  The lit candle represents Jesus’s light in the world.

The word Christingle comes from the German word ‘Christkindl’, meaning ‘Little Christ Child’.

The service has its origin in the Moravian church in the 18th century. The Children’s Society has explored the origins of the Christingle service and its website states: “At a children’s service in Marienborn in 1747, Bishop Johannes de Watteville looked for a simple way to explain the happiness that had come to people through Jesus, and created a symbol — the Christingle — to do this”.

Christingle services are also a way of raising money and awareness for the Children’s Society which works to support vulnerable children across the  UK. You can find out more here: www.childrenssociety.org.uk/