London Bay Stationery

“…the early Christians were a persecuted minority, and the overt use of images related to their beliefs would have attracted the unwelcome attentions of their enemies. The earliest symbols used by Christians were therefore more in the manner of secret signs. Clement of Alexandria sanctioned their use on signet rings; or they were employed as decoration on glassware, lamps and other practical objects which had themselves taken on a new connotation. Although many of them might nowadays be regarded more as signs than as symbols, even the simplest Christian sign was rich in symbolic significance because of its association with the mysteries of Christ and the Incarnation of the Word or Logos.

Among these earliest signs was the Chi Rho monogram…The initial letters of the Greek words ‘Alpha’ and ‘Omega’ were also used, as was the word ‘Icthus’, meaning ‘fish’. It was not long before the fish itself was portrayed, along with birds, animals, and other subjects whose symbolic significance was self-evident to Christians but obscure to the uninitiated. Simple representations of the dove, the phoenix, the peacock the lamb, loaves of bread, and the vine soon abounded, laying the foundation for the figurative and symbolic nature of Christian art.”

The above is from: The Elements of Christian Symbolism by John Baldock

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The Chi Rho symbol is an ancient monogram of Christ. It is comprised of the letter “P” superimposed on an “X”. It’s derived from the first two letters of the Greek word Christos (XPICTOC) and forms an abbreviation for the name of Christ.

This monogram has been used by Christians for at least 1600 years. Constantine had the Chi Rho smbol placed on the shields of his soldiers and it has been used on countless altars, stoles, church pews, and candle stands, among many other items through the centuries.

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The following list shows when the various colors are used:

The four Sundays in Advent–Violet (or Purple)
Christmas–White
Sundays after Christmas–White
Epiphany and the following Sundays–White
(Green by Episcopalians after the Epiphany Octave)
Transfiguration of our Lord–White
Pre-Lenten Sundays–Violet
(or Green by Lutherans)
All Sundays in Lent–Violet
All other days in Lent, Up to Good Friday–Violet
Holy Week, beginning with vespers of Palm Sunday–Violet
Maundy Thursday–Violet
(or White if Holy Communion is celebrated)
Good Friday–Black
Easter and the following Sundays–White
Ascension Day and the following Sunday–White

The above is from Our Christian Symbols by Friedrich Rest.
There are variations of colors used by different denominations.

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Hangings on altar, lectern, and pulpit are to a church what curtains and drapes are to a home. Whenever they appear in churches, the changing colors attract, add variety, and point to the significance of the season or the festival. The same colors of the church year are used also for bookmarks and stoles.

White is the symbol of the Creator, light, joy, purity, innocence, glory and perfection.

Violet denotes mourning and penitence, and is also symbolic of humility, suffering, sympathy, and fasting. Purple equally appropriate, is frequently used instead of violet. Purple is the regal color, referring to the triumphal entry of the King of kings, who was of royal (Davidic) descent, and who is the Ruler of many hearts. Purple is also the color of penitence, refering to the purple garments put on our Lord when they mocked him (John 19:2; Mark 15:17).

Red depicts divine zeal on the day of Pentecost, and refers to the blood of the martyrs of the Church.

Green is the universal color of nature, signifying hope.

Black is the color of grief and sorrow.

To these five colors of the church year we may add gold, since it is used on fringes of the hangings. Gold refers to worth, virtue, the glory of God, and Christian might.

The above is excerpted from Our Christian Symbols by Friedrich Rest.

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The descending dove is the most commonly used symbol for the Holy Spirit. In the story of Jesus’ baptism we read (Mark 1:10) “And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.”

Sometimes too a flame or seven flames will be used to represent the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentacost when “tongues of fire” rested on the followers of Christ and they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3-4).

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We received the following note from one of our long-time customers. It certainly pleases us to know
that our stationery is used to bear witness to Christ:

Thank you so much for your beautiful stationery–So many peoples lives are ministered to by
these precious symbols of Christ. I have such joy in sending them because they represent
Him in such a beautiful way.
Agnes

Filed by Cheryl at 10:29 pm under Symbols, Uncategorized
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“Sometimes the best time to thank someone is when they’re least expecting it,” according to Bart Ratliff, author of a soon to be published book Why Appreciation Wins. That’s why he sends out nearly a dozen thank-you notes a day.

In the January 2009 issue of Spirit magazine (published by Southwest Airlines), Ratliff quotes Maya Angelou who says, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Filed by Cheryl at 1:37 pm under Great Uses for Note Cards
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In the January 2009 issue of Spirit magazine (published by Southwest Airlines), Bart Ratliff, author of a soon to be published book, Why Appreciation Wins, says that people only read 15 percent of e-mail but 98 percent of greeting cards.

The message here is clear. If you want to be sure that whatever sentiment you wish to convey, be it thanks, condolences, congratulations or best wishes, you’ll have a better chance of having it read if you send a card rather than an e-mail.

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“Symbols are part of the language of faith, the means by which faith expresses itself when it interprets the holy, the eternal, the beyond; when it communicates the divine confrontation, claims, and demands. As such, symbolism is a part of the biblical religion from its beginning.”

V.H. Kooy,The Intrepreter’s Dictionary of the Bible

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There are numerous references to the vine in both the Old and New Testaments. Speaking to the disciples, Jesus proclaims, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (Jn 15:5 NIV). By identifying hiself as the vine he claims that participation in the kingdom is possible only for those who “remain in” him. Those disciples who do will bear much fruit.

In the light of this passage, how fitting it is that the ritual of the supper that Jesus institutes on the eve of his death involves drinking the “fruit of the vine” (Mt 26:29; cf. Mk 14:25; Lk 22:18).

The above is from the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery General Editors: Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III.

Filed by Cheryl at 3:46 pm under History of Symbols, Symbols, Uncategorized
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