On Anniversary Sunday, Rev. Michelle shared with the children — and the adults — the make-up of the crest of the United Church, explaining how each symbol reflects our history in the tradition of the Christian Church and our Canadian origins.
The oval shape reminds us of the first Christians who used the symbol of a fish to identify themselves to each other. The X is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ and is a traditional symbol for Christ. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; together they symbolize the eternal living God.
Three symbols represent the churches that amalgamated in 1925 to form the United Church of Canada: the open Bible represents the Congregational Churches with their emphasis upon God's truth; the dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and was a distinctive mark of the Methodist Church; the burning bush is the symbol of the Presbyterian Church and symbolizes the indestructibility of the Church.
The Latin words ut omnes unum sint, that surround the symbols on the crest, mean "That all may be one." They are a reminder that we are both a "united" and "uniting" church.
The above explanation of the crest of our national church is taken from the website of the United Church of Canada. To read a fuller explanation, including the spiritual, social and liturgical inheritances from our forming churches, go to: http://www.united-church.ca/ucc/crest/.
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