Symbols
Most churches are full of symbols - not secret signs, but ways of saying something quickly.
A bit like texting, really.
Here
are some to get you started, but if you look around a church
and
ask questions you will probably find lots more.
This banner
shows two symbols
of the
Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God):
a dove (see Matthew chapter 3 verse 16)
and fire (see Acts chapter 2 verses 1 - 4).
Candles are symbols which remind Christians of Jesus. One time he said, "I am the light of the world."
They may also be lit as symbols of prayer.
*
A Paschal Candle - which is
lit from Easter to Pentecost
in
some churches.
This special candle* has what looks like an A and an upside-down horseshoe on it.
In fact they are both Greek letters - alpha and omega - the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
They stand for Jesus
- the Beginning and the End of all things.
(Check
out the last book of the Bible - Revelation chapter 1 verses 7 and
8.)
This
is the Everlasting Light in a
Catholic church. It is always lit.
It is a symbol of the presence of God, showing that He is always there.
Two more symbols: the letters which look like I H S (but aren't) and the eagle. They are on other pages of Explore a Church.
What do they stand for?
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Here is an altar created by some young people at a camp. How many Christian symbols can you see on it? (The
two big jugs were to tell the story of Jesus turning
water into wine |
