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Symbols of the Sanctuary
 Placed in the center of
our physical facilities, the Sanctuary reminds us that God is in our midst
and that worship and teaching are at the center of the Christian life. Its
height and massiveness suggest that transcendence and majesty of the
Almighty God whom we have come to worship. Yet seated in the semi
open-ended pews, we realize that we are gathered together as members of
God’s family, the community of believers. We are reminded that God is both
transcendent and in our midst.
The general theme of the symbolism in our Sanctuary
suggests that we have gathered in this dwelling place of the Almighty to be
fed, for God has come to earth to spiritually and physically feed all
people.
The theme of feeding
dominates. The Chi Rho, the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ,
and the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet –
symbolizing Christ as the beginning and the end, are enclosed in a bursting
sun. This tells us that because of God’s endless love and mercy, Christ was
sent to earth for all people. God in Christ still strengthens and
sustains us today
in the form of the Holy Spirit, which is represented by the dove over the
sun. The six days of creation when God created the world and all living
creatures.
The wafers and chalice indicate that we directly receive
God’s grace through the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion. Five
wafers are used to symbolize the five wounds inflicted on the body of
Christ, and the wafers are round to symbolize the eternal life, which we
receive through God’s grace in the Lord’s Supper.
The five loaves and two fish, based on the miracle of the
feeding of the five thousand recorded in the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel,
remind us that our daily bread – all that we need to live on this earth – is
given us by God. The loaves are rectangular to symbolize the material
world.
 The vine and branches
growing out of the Cross signify what Christ told us, “I am the vine and you
are the branches.” Christ is the very source of our existence. We receive
life from him and his victory over sin, which the Cross and orb symbolize.
The branch continues without end around the base of the altar, suggesting
that the grace of God is everlasting
 The shell and the
drops of water represent Holy Baptism, by which we are made members of God’s
family of believers and are given eternal life. The three drops of water
remind us that we are baptized in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.
 The panels
surrounding the pulpit include symbols for the five seasons of the church
year in which God comes to us.
Advent:
Here the Church anticipates
the coming of Christ, whose coming has meaning only within
the context of the
Cross. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent.
Christmas: The Messianic Rose symbolizes God
coming to earth in human form, Jesus Christ.
Lent: The cross and thorns remind us that God
became human in Christ only to suffer and die for the sin of the world.
Easter: The crown reveals Christ as King of the
world because of his glorious victory over the death he suffered on the
Cross.
Pentecost: Christ left his Holy Spirit to dwell
among his people on earth at Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. The
Dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit, God coming to earth to sustain his people.
The candles indicate that Jesus
Christ, the eternal light of the world, is at the same time truly God and
truly human.
 The many doors leading into the Sanctuary and the open chancel with the open
communion rail remind us that as members of the priesthood of believers we
have direct access to God’s grace through the Word and Sacraments. Having
received God’s grace, however, we cannot keep it within us. The many doors
also suggest that, now fed and strengthened, we are to go forth into the
community and feed the world with the wondrous news of God’s everlasting
grace in Christ Jesus.
The natural
earthy colors used in the Sanctuary
suggest that it is the earth which God created that physically sustains us.
The sandcastings, along with your name and our location on Moore Lake, are
reminiscent of the feeding of the five thousand,
which took place on the shores of the Sea of
Galilee. The massiveness of the Pulpit and the sand-blasted Altar and
Baptismal Font point out the equal emphasis upon the preaching word and the
Sacraments.
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