NCPC Sanctuary Banners

You’ve probably noticed the banners hanging in the sanctuary and you may have wondered, “Where did those come from? Why are they there? What do they mean?” The information below has been created to answer those questions.

The banners were created to help distinguish our sanctuary as a place of Christian worship. Many churches have pews and stained glass windows, which contain symbols of our Christian faith and heritage - we sought to do this with banners.

**Many of the banners are Christograms: a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ.

Triquetra

The triquetra has been used by Celtic Christians as a symbol of the holy Trinity since St. Patrick first took the Gospel to Ireland. The image reflects the complexity of the divine nature, being three in one. It is common to represent the triquetra with a circle that goes through the three interconnected loops of the triquetra emphasizing the unity of the whole Godhead. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)

Anchor/ΙΧΘΥΣ

The Anchor traditionally has symbolized the hope and security all Christians have in Christ (Hebrews 6:19).

The Fish is a first century Christian symbol. ΙΧΘΥΣ (pronounced icthus) is the Greek word for fish, and its individual letters form an acrostic:

Ιησοῦς (Jesus)

Χριστός (Christ)

Θεοῦ (God’s)

Υἱός (Son)

Σωτήρ (the Savior)                                                 

Spirit of Pentecost

Before He ascended into heaven to the right hand of the Father, Jesus promised to baptize His disciples with the Spirit. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in tongues of fire, empowering them to fulfill the Great Commission. The Holy Spirit is given to all who place their faith in Christ and empowers believers to fulfill God’s call to make disciples of every nation.

Chi Rho

The Chi Rho symbol is quite ancient. As early as the 2nd century BC, Greek scholars used the symbol as a diacritical mark next to particularly profound passages. For them, the Greek letters Χ (chi) and Ρ (rho) abbreviated the Greek word Χρεστον, which means “good.”  The symbol took on a special meaning for 1st century Christians, as the letters also abbreviate the name Χριστος (Christ).

Communion

The Westminster Shorter Catechism tells us that the outward and ordinary means of grace, whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption, are the Word, the Sacraments, and Prayer. The bread and the wine (or juice) of communion symbolically point to Christ’s body and blood and are tangible evidence of the grace given through Christ’s death on the cross for our sins.

IC XC NIKA

IC XC NIKA is an ancient Christogram, usually placed upon a cross. IC is an abbreviation of the Greek Ιησοῦς (Jesus), XC is an abbreviation of the Greek Χριστός (Christ), and the Greek word Νικα means “conquers.”  Upon the cross of death and shame, Jesus Christ conquered sin and death. “…the Lamb will conquer them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings…” (Revelation 17:14)

Chi Rho

IHS is an ancient Christogram, abbreviating the Greek Ιησοῦς  (Jesus).  As Christianity flourished in the west, Latin speakers found a second meaning for the symbol, an acrostic:

Iesus (Jesus)
Hominum (Men’s)
Salvator (Savior)
Jesus, the Savior, is the light of the world. (John 8:12)

The Word

In his Gospel, John describes Jesus as “The Word” (John 1). In his Revelation, John records Jesus’ own words: “I am the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end.” (Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13) This testimony is profound for the Christian. This means that Jesus is more than a good teacher or a prophet - He is God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. Christians unapologetically worship Jesus Christ, and His Word is the only rule to direct us in faith and practice.

לאוּנמּע/Star of David

There are two aspects to this symbol. The Hebrew word, “Immanuel” and the star of David. The Hebrew word “Immanuel” means “God, with us.”  In Isaiah 7:14, God promises a sign to the people of Israel - a sign of His covenant faithfulness - a child, born of a virgin, the long-awaited Son of David who would rule as king with justice and equity forever. Matthew 1:17 & 23 reveal that Jesus is the Christ and is also Immanuel. When we gather to worship, the words we read, the prayers we pray, and the songs we sing - are all declaring our allegiance to King Jesus, the Messianic Son of David, who is God with us,  to whom all rulers and powers and authorities will one day bow the knee.

Agnus Dei

Agnus Dei, is Latin for “Lamb of God.”  Lambs were sacrificed in the Old Testament for the sins of the people.  Pointing to Jesus, John the Baptist declared in John 1:29, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus is the Lamb of God because He died for the sins of His people. This particular image references the image of Revelation 5, where Jesus, the “Lamb of God,” is alone found worthy to open the scroll and to break its seven seals.