Brilliant Banners

Posted on 28 March, 2016 by David Stanfield

Then Anglican Parish of Swan Hill recently received a set of four banners from Out of Our Minds Banners ›

Parish member Jan Harper said she first saw banners used in a church in Bendigo and instantly “fell in love with them”. She said the banners will now have the important job of brightening and filling the worship space.

Jan writes…

“The meaning of the colours has been gone into in great depth by the company who makes them (Out of Our Minds Banners ›). The seven colours of the rainbow can be seen to represent the Holy Spirit in seven characteristics, the Lord, Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might, Knowledge, and fear of the Lord, just as the temple lampstand “menorah” does according to Isaiah 11.2 and Revelation 4.5. The seven colours of the rainbow have been linked to the seven branches of the menorah.

I was a little more pragmatic in my choice of banners. I chose the blue one to represent water - river, sea or sky, such as in our gospel story last Sunday with Jesus walking on the water. The green one I chose to represent growth - spiritual growth individually and as a church, for songs about the vine and the branches, and the 23rd Psalm “in pastures green”.

The red, orange and yellow one is to celebrate the Holy Spirit, and will be wonderful at Pentecost or any other time to represent fire. The rainbow banner represents God’s promise of restoration, but the colours are so beautiful they also represent joy, and this banner is ideal for our first hymn on Sunday Joyful, Joyful.”

Jan said she is hoping to see the parish’s older children find creative ways to use the banners both in Sunday services and at their Café Church. She is also looking forward to seeing the banners taken up “in procession and celebration, storytelling and singing, for colourful and expressive worship.”

Posted on 28 March, 2016 by David Stanfield