What are Christian Symbols?

Symbols and Symbolism

There is no other season of the calendar, or of the heart, that contains more symbolism than Christmas. Learning something about the symbolism of the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany seems logical. Many of them have grown out of the same events we recall throughout the year. Church symbolism has a veritable wealth of depth and of rich meanings and moods.

 

What are symbols, anyway? How do we define the word "symbol"? A symbol is defined as a "character, sign, attribute, or emblem." It is something, as an object, that represents something else, something more than what is readily apparent.

 

We are speaking of much more than mere representational art, with which most of us are quite familiar! Symbolism is quite different. Representational art seeks to "show" or "depict" an animal, plant, person or object. The language of symbolism seeks to call to mind an entire thought, idea or concept which far exceeds the mere representation of the object on a given surface. For example: a symbol often used in the church is that of a woolly lamb. The intent of this symbol is to call to mind the Lamb of God, not a fuzzy barnyard creature. The use of a woolly lamb in this way demands a "distinct" picture for use as the symbol. This is why symbols are often "stylized", much like caricatures, always more like an artist's drawing than like a photograph.

 

The idea of the use of a symbol is to lead the person seeing the symbol away from the world of "senses" and into the world of thoughts, ideas, concepts, truths, etc., and the context from which is emanates. If, for example, a photograph of a woolly lamb was used in the church as a symbol, it might tend to lead us more to thoughts of the barnyard lamb or a pasture of lambs on the hillside or of pet animals. In context, this would be fine and an appropriate use. However, in the context of the church, the lamb is intended to lead through these things to a deeper thought or idea, in this case to the Lamb of God who sacrificed Himself on the cross for the sins of the world. When seen in this context, we begin to think of the Innocent Christ being sacrificed for our sake, victorious over sin and evil, over death and the grave.

 

Pushing forward in this same vein might bring to mind thoughts of the sheep and shepherds --- all we know about shepherds --- the stories, the songs, etc. It might bring to mind thoughts of Jesus as Lamb and as Shepherd.

 

Who knows what else might come to mind? This is one of the beauties of our minds - one example of how mind and memory work!! Maybe this is a place we can discuss this a bit in order to help us look for what we associate with things and how and when these associations are made.

 

In his landmark work, Vital Lies, Simple Truths, Daniel Goleman goes a long way toward helping us understand how memory works and how we remember what it is that we do remember. He talks about schemas and lacunas. A schema, simply stated, is a set of associations that we make about a given thing, and a lacuna is a gap or break in memory.

 

Examples of schemas we may have can be seen in a sort of exercise we can do with word associations. This begins with taking a word and listing in rapid-fire fashion all of the words that come to mind. You don't think about what you're writing, and when the words and phrases stop coming quickly and automatically, you quit listing and look at what you have written. If you have others making lists to the same word, it can be interesting to compare them. There will undoubtedly be similarities and differences. I may, for instance, immediately think of "angel" when you say "Christmas" to me, while someone else might say "Jesus", and someone else "Santa Claus", and someone else "December", etc. Try this sometime during the holidays - - - you might be really surprised to discover just what you pay particular attention to and just what it is that distracts you! There's a great board game that's based on this same premise - - - it is called "Scattergories", and it's one of my favorite games.

 

These associations all come out of our various experiences . . . seldom, if ever, will we all associate the same things to the same words or events even if we have the exact same experience. Symbols, when they are understood in the same way by those observing them, add appreciable depth and richness to worship.

 

The use of pictures to convey thoughts and ideas is not new although there are many new applications and a lot of renewed interest in symbolism, especially in the church. All of life is lived with symbols - - - think of all the places we see them, use them, need them and expect them. Someone has said, "A picture is worth a thousand words." We depend on symbols - on "picture words" - in many area of life. We encounter symbolism when we are out driving our cars (remember, for instance, the Scallop shell logo of the Shell Oil Company or the torch in the logo of the Amoco Oil Company?) - - - in the church - - - in our homes - - - in our relationships - - - in music, which is one of the most symbolic languages of all - - - in our work - - - in the shopping malls - - - in the language of computers (the whole operating system known as "Windows" relies on a symbolic language and uses "icons" to active entire computer programs in an instant) - - - in short, everywhere we go, in everything we do. The "Clip Art" industry, for instance, is a multi-billion dollar industry as people rush to buy tools to help them communicate with each other.

 

We depend on symbols in so many ways - - - for guidance when we are traveling, for instance - - - think about things like highway signs - "STOP", "YIELD" , a big white "H" on a blue background, a knife and fork to represent the presence of a restaurant; a tent to represent the provision of camping facilities; a bed to represent the availability of lodging facilities, a picture of a gas pump to indicate a filling station nearby; a wheelchair to set apart parking spaces for the handicapped! Think about what you feel when you see the interlocking circles that represent the Olympic Games! Think about what your wedding ring symbolizes!?

 

So, again the question - - - What is a symbol anyway? How and when does a picture change to a symbol? What has to happen? Who decides? What makes a symbol "work"? In the church we find symbols of preparation, symbols of expectation, symbols of celebration, symbols of revelation (Epiphany), symbols of the church and of the faith. What do the symbols we see say to us? What should an effective symbol do? These are but some of the questions we should ask ourselves about the symbols we use for worship. Also, are the symbols we use artistic? Do they have grace and beauty? What is the message that they speak to us? Do they enhance our worship? Are they appropriate for the season? Are they understood properly? Do the people who come in contact with them "know" the message that is being conveyed?

 

Two things must happen in order for symbols to "work" ...

 

Someone must construct and use a symbol, and there must be someone else to see and understand the meaning that is intended in the use of the symbol. When we see them in the church, there must be understanding of what is being said. There must be insight into the meaning or message of the symbols. We have to be able to "read" them.

 

`What are some of the symbols we see? How do we feel when we see one of them displayed? Do you know why we use a clam shell, or a butterfly, or a shepherd's staff, or a cross with a crown, or any of a myriad of things that we place on our banners and Chrismon trees, etc.? Why a cup and a bunch of grapes, a loaf of bread, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, a lion? Why a wounded lamb? A lion and a lamb together? A single candle in a candlestick? A seven-branched candelabra?

 

Do we know what the use of the Greek letters Chi and Rho signifies? The Christmas Rose? The five-pointed star? The fish? An anchor? A hand pointing downward? A descending dove? An eye in a triangle with a circle? A nimbus (halo)? A chalice and passion cross? A crowing cock? A peacock? A Phoenix? A nine-pointed star? A vine and branches? A rock? A harp or a lute? A lamp? Noah's ark with a rainbow? A dove with an olive branch. An open BIBLE? Interlocking rings?

 

Does where we see a particular display in any way effect how we feel upon seeing it? (I guess I'm thinking about the Anheuser Busch commercials which are so beautiful that they tend to make one forget that they are beer commercials. What do you remember about your childhood Christmases, or your "early-married" or about the Christmases when you were raising your own children, or about Christmas with a special pet, or about lonely Christmases, or about your "best" and "worst" Christmases? Are there any of these memories or experiences that come immediately to mind every time you see a particular thing or hear a particular song, etc.,? The symbolism of the season can serve as a reminder of all of these things if we are attuned to them. What do you remember about your faith when you see the symbols of Christmas?

 

Apparent everywhere are angels, stars, trees, lights, mistletoe, wreaths, poinsettias, holly, nuts, berries, red velvet bows, nativity scenes, candles, snowflakes, Santa Claus, evergreens, Chrismons in our churches, carols, bells, Luminarias, reindeer and so on and on the list goes! Why do we use the things we use as symbols of Christmas? How did ordinary objects come to hold so much meaning for us?

 

Years ago I bought a lighthouse ornament at a Christmas shop on Jekyll Island. I like lighthouses anyway, and am always looking for paintings, post cards, statues and anything else I can get my hands on, so, even though I didn't know what lighthouses and Christmas had in common, I bought the ornament. I have come to attach some deeper significance to the lighthouse as a symbol of Christmas.

 

The Bible is full of passages in which "light" occupies a significant place. In The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:14-16) Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world, and that a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, that no one lights a light and puts it under a bushel, and to let our lights shine before men. We have heard the expression about lighting a candle rather than cursing the darkness. In another place Scripture tells us that the light has shone in the darkness and that the darkness could not comprehend the light.

 

Light --- starlight, candlelight, tree lights --- has played a highly significant part in the symbolism of Christmas. Just as lighthouses exist to save those who would found at sea and be lost, Jesus comes to us bringing light into our single, despairing lives and saves us who found on the sea of life and who would be lost were it not for His presence with us. What better symbols?

 

Wherever light penetrates the darkness, we are safer --- whether it be the light of a coastal house or the light from our headlights as we drive at night, or the light of a candle in our homes when the power supply is interrupted, or the light of knowledge that penetrates the darkness of ignorance.

 

Parables are some of the most powerful symbols we have in the church.. Jesus teaches us through the use of parables . . . stories that have a message that exceeds the obvious. A parable is a type of illustration, used to teach a greater truth. Aesop's Fables provide another example of great symbolism. Think about some of the Fables you know - - - "The Towne Mouse and the Country Mouse" - "The Lion and the Mouse" - "The Wolf and the Kid" - "Androcles" - "The Fox and the Grapes" - "The Ant and the Grasshopper" - "The Fox and the Cat" - "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" - "The Dog in the Manger" - "The Shepherd's Boy" - "The Goose With The Golden Eggs" - "The Boy Who Cried 'Wolf'" - "The Miser and his Gold" - "The Hare and The Tortoise" - all of these and more!! Stories with a moral -- - stories with a lesson beyond the obvious!

 

Preachers use sermon illustrations throughout their preaching. It is always easier to illustrate a great truth with an example that is easily understood than with scholarly dissertation of great philosophical truth. Jesus used the concept liberally in describing the Kingdom of Heaven, beginning many, if not most, of His parables with "The Kingdom of Heaven is like ---". Further, Jesus' use of symbolism includes references to Himself as "the Good Shepherd", the "True Vine", "The Way, the Truth and the Life, "The Light of the World," and others.

 

Abraham Lincoln used a form of parable in his homespun stories and tales. He was a quiet man in most respects, but one who could really "spin a yarn", something he greatly enjoyed doing!!! His wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, was often embarrassed by his storytelling and obvious enjoyment of his own stories, but people listened to Lincoln, and they learned much from him. He was greatly admired for his wisdom, insight and humor.

 

The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer provide yet another excellent example of parables. They each represent greater truth and more important lessons than the "obvious", like the stories of Aseop which have definite "morals" and the parables of Jesus which have definite lessons.

 

In the days of Elizabeth and Cromwell there were people who objected to the use of symbols in the church. They equated them with "idols" and pagan traditions, and as a result of this, pipe organs, stained glass window, art objects, etc., were proudly destroyed in the name of ridding the church of these atrocities. It can, and perhaps should, be noted here that idols are NOT the same thing as symbols. An idol becomes an end in itself, rather than a representation of something greater. The danger disappears completely when the meaning of a symbol is understood by all concerned.

 

Knowing why we do what we do adds to the richness of the season. Christian symbols and Christmas symbols are simple but powerful reminders of a wonderful story of the precious gift of God's only Son to a hurting sinful world. Perhaps at no other season can we see a simple object and immediately recall the love, the mercy and the grace of a loving, nurturing Heavenly Father.

 

Some of the symbols to which we pay particular attention in our everyday lives are found in things like the handshake, nod, wave, smile, greeting card, flowers and other gifts we give to a friend. Our children in schools receive symbols on report cards in the form of grades that symbolize all that they have learned. In the business world, we recognize checks as symbolic of cash in our bank accounts, and we give credit cards as symbols of our ability to pay later for what we take home and use now!

 

Symbols have great value as far as educating and informing. These may, in fact, be the greatest possible uses of symbolism of all. Symbols also have great value to us in our spiritual and devotional lives, reminding us of our Christian faith, creating an atmosphere of worship and giving us visible ways to express our faith.

 

Have you ever taken the time to find out why we use the symbols we use and how they came to be? Perhaps this is the year to do just that! Use this Advent season to increase your awareness of why the things you find to be important symbols of Christmas for you, personally, are special to you and how they came to be used to represent Christmas.