Holy Love

This banner was created to depict the intimate, loving relationship that Jesus wants to have with His bride, the church. The Bible tells of Esther, who prepared herself physically and spiritually for one year before going before the king. At that time, Persian law required twelve months of preparation with costly ointments (myrrh) and perfumes (spikenard) before presenting oneself before the king. Just as Esther so painstakingly prepared and adorned herself for the king, so should the Bride, the church, prepare herself for the Groom, Christ. This banner is a portrayal of the adornment of the bride.

Each of the colors used in the banner represents something different. The white satin body of this banner represents the purity of our Holy God. It also stands for the spotless lamb and unblemished garments of the bride. The white roses symbolize the victory we have in Christ, and the calla lilies represent the peace we have in our Lord Jesus. Green is the color of the eternal life that we have through Him. The gold is used for kingliness, and it also represents the fire used to refine gold. The color silver represents the word of God, and also the price of redemption paid by Judas in the form of 30 pieces of silver. Black denotes man's sinful nature and reminds us to keep our garments clean and pure. The color amethyst on the overlays of the side hangings represents the healing of the wounds of the bride. Again, we, the church, are the "Bride of Christ."

The three candles symbolize the Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The center candle represents Jesus, the Light of the World. The flames represent the zeal of the Holy Spirit. The smoke of the candles rises representing our prayers, the prayers of the saints.

Just as the bride beautifies herself for her groom, various embellishments have been added to the banner. The many pearls used on this banner come from Matthew 13: 45-46 where it speaks of Jesus being the "pearl of great price". The candles are decorated with diamonds and gold, the most costly of riches. The tassels depict the way the high priest adorned themselves. Jesus is our high priest.

In Matthew 3:17, God the Father referred to Jesus as His "beloved son." It was the holy love of the Father in heaven for the people that allowed for His son's death to forgive our sins. This intimate relationship between the bride and groom is described throughout the Bible, in Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:8, I Corinthians 6:16 and Ephesians 5:31 where it states that,

"…The two shall become one flesh."