Reformation Sunday Banners, Part 1

October 27, 2013, is Reformation Sunday.  Eight of our historic banners, most of which we are hanging in the Sanctuary and Swain Hall during our Season of Celebration, were originally made for a "Festival of Faith" service on Reformation Sunday in 1975.  Twenty women (all members of the church) worked more than 300 hours sewing the banners, which symbolize eight historic Confessions of Faith.  Below is the color photo of the banners in place for the service:

Here are the explanations of the four banners on the left, from left to right:

• The Scots Confession (Scotland, 1560)
  • The blue of the shield is the background color of the Church of Scotland. The tartan, X-shaped cross is a form called St. Andrew's Cross, after the apostle who brought the Gospel to Scotland. The tartan, or plaid, is that of the Hamilton clan in honor of the first martyr of the Scottish Reformation, Patrick Hamilton. The Celtic cross at the front of the shield is another ancient form of cross associated with Christians of the British Isles. The Bible and the sword remind us that Paul called the Word of God "the sword of the Spirit," and the sharpness of John Knox's preaching of the Word was a major power for reformation in Scotland. The ship is a symbol for the Church; the confession contains a remarkable, strong doctrine of the Church. The burning bush which is not consumed is to remind us of Moses's Mt. Sinai experience; it is a symbol of God's presence and call, and the chief symbol of the Church of Scotland.
• The Theological Declaration of Barmen (Germany, 1934)
  • This banner features a crossed out swastika and the cross rising as a protest and witness against Nazi tyranny and any effort to take the role of God and control of the Church. The fire symbolizes the suffering and death which follows from defense of the faith against tyranny, as for some of the Barmen signers, but the cross survives such persecution and the crisis of war, rising out of the flames.
• The Second Helvetic Confession (Switzerland, 1566)
  • The blue and white are the heraldic colors of ancient Switzerland. The cross is again dominant on this banner because of the extensive discussion of salvation in the Confession. The "hand and the burning heart" is a traditional symbol for John Calvin, father of Presbyterianism in its Swiss homeland. The lamp symbolizes knowledge and discipline, two of the themes of the Helvetic which make it unique. The shepherd's crook and the pasture stand for the pastoral ministry and the flock's care for its own members. The chalice and the waves represent Holy Communion and Baptism.
• The Nicene Creed (4th Century)
  • The cross which is also a sword is a symbol for the Emperor Constantine and his successors, because he called the ecumenical council which began the process of thinking which resulted in this creed; because he was he first Christian emperor; and because he began the tradition of imperial Christianity. The cross is central here because the doctrine of Christ is central in the Creed. The green triangle and the three symbols with it represent the doctrine of the Trinity formalized in the Nicene Creed. The hand reaching down symbolized God, the Father. The chi rho monogram stands for Christ; chi and rho are the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ, used by Constantine on the shields and helmets of his army. The dove represents The Holy Spirit, and the crowns stand for the rule and glory of God.

The symbolism of the remaining banners will be discussed in the next post.