I admit that I am doing some thinking about how we can apply this symbol and unpack its meaning within this congregation over the coming weeks and months and years. A teaching moment cannot necessarily be planned and when it comes up, it is best to grab it and go. I recall someone asking why I accepted this call nearly 18 years ago. I wish I had something more to answer but the truth was and is that I thought there was a window of opportunity, created by the Spirit, and this congregation was going to put behind it the wounds of the past and address the present and future with hope and courage. I saw myself within this window and I believed then, as now, that it was the Spirit's work in bringing us together. So I like very much the idea of a teaching moment, a window of opportunity, and I pray that this is one for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod as well as for my parish -- reconnection with our Lutheran identity and confession, reinvigorated toward the cause of mercy and mission, and re-established in our life together around the Word and Table of the Lord.
6 comments:
How about printing up several thousand of these and use them as window decals that we put on our cars? I've seen a lot of those "Coexist" blue bumper stickers around that seem to be saying acceptance of all things in the world is the way to go. Why not have this as a teaching point on our vehicles and when people ask, we can tell them it is our non-verbal way of saying we are Lutherans! I love it!!!
Without cluttering it, a little baptismal shell in the area immediately under the cross is needed.
Larry, not sure if I have told you this lately, but you have a very attractive blog site. I see a lot of "blogger" sites and by far, in my opinion, yours has the "cleanest" and "neatest" look.
OK, to your post.
I spoke to Dr. Collver and we discussed briefly the "nomenclature" issue. He said they are working on finalizing some "standards" for what they want to refer to this as.
My recommendation was that they refer to the graphic as an "emblem" rather than a "logo."
"Emblem" would seem, in my view, to have a more meaningful sound to it.
For that matter, they could call it a "symbol" and have fun playing off the classic reference to the Lutheran Confessions as "symbols."
By the way...CPH is working right now with the President's Office to come up with several companion resources, whatever they decide they would like to have.
I like the window decal idea - make it a static cling...
Perhaps it is already too late for this, but I strongly recommend inverting the word "mercy" in the emblem - I agree that this is a better term than logo - so that the combined text more naturally reads "Witness, Mercy, Life Together" as intended. Right now, it looks (to me) like "Mercy, Witness, Life Together" instead.
Also, can someone please clarify what appears on either side of the chalice in the "Life Together" portion of the graphic?
Finally, add my vote in favor of static cling window decals; maybe combined with the LCMS logo somehow and/or the words "Martyria, Diakonia, Koinonia" in red, blue, and green Greek letters, respectively.
aletheist,
The words I believe are positioned w/corresponding colors, to align to the attributes of the Godhead. I would say next to the chalice looks like a vine, ref. John 15.
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