![]() These are clear indications of the eternal nature of the Godhead.Ĭhrist, as the Alpha and Omega, is the first and last in so many ways. “I am he I am the first, I also am the last” (Isaiah 48:12). “I am the first, and I am the last and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). “I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last I am He” (41:4). Isaiah ascribes this aspect of Jesus’ nature as part of the triune God in several places. As God incarnate, He has no beginning, nor will He have any end with respect to time, being from everlasting to everlasting.Ī second meaning of Jesus as the “Alpha and Omega” is that the phrase identifies Him as the God of the Old Testament. It was Christ, as second Person of the Trinity, who brought about the creation: “Through him all things were made without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3), and His Second Coming will be the beginning of the end of creation as we know it (2 Peter 3:10). It is equivalent to saying He always existed and always will exist. One of the meanings of Jesus being the “Alpha and Omega” is that He was at the beginning of all things and will be at the close. It is seen especially in Revelation 22:13, where Jesus proclaims that He is “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” This statement of eternality could apply only to God. Jesus as the beginning and end of all things is a reference to no one but the true God. Among the Jewish rabbis, it was common to use the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet to denote the whole of anything, from beginning to end. ![]() Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The shepherd’s crook is a reminder of how God cares for us, goes with us wherever we go, seeks us out when lost, and protects us.Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the “Alpha and Omega” in Revelation 1:8 21:6 and 22:13. Shepherd's Crookĭavid described God as his shepherd in Psalm 23, and in the New Testament, Jesus described himself as the Good Shepherd, watching over his flock. The crown may also represent the crown of thorns that Jesus wore on the cross and the crown of glory given to him in heaven. The crown reminds us that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). The loaf also reminds us of the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes and the words he spoke to his disciples in Matthew 4:4: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Crown The loaf of bread represents Jesus’ body, broken for us, and the cup represents his blood, shed for us. These are symbols we use during Holy Week (Maundy Thursday) and when we receive communion. The loaf and cup represent the Last Supper and Jesus breaking bread and serving his disciples. "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” - Acts 2:1-4Īnother connection: John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, described sensing God’s presence in Aldersgate in 1738 and feeling his heart “strangely warmed.” ( source) Bread & Cup The flame is often representative of the Holy Spirit, based on the Pentecost story in Acts 2: There are several types of crosses that have been used throughout history and that appear in our churches today. The cross is a universal symbol for the Christian faith and a reminder of Jesus' death (and resurrection). As such, they are symbols of transformation through faith. They begin as caterpillars, make a cocoon for themselves, and through a process of metamorphosis, emerge as butterflies. It also reminds us of the story of Jesus and the Woman at the Well, when Jesus offered her "living water." Butterflyīutterflies are a symbol of new life. Water is a symbol of baptism and new life (being born of the Spirit). "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.” - Matthew 3:16 Water In the New Testament, a dove descended on Jesus at his baptism: In the Bible, we read about the dove that returned to Noah with an olive branch in its mouth - a sign that the storm had ended and the floodwaters were receding. ![]() The dove is traditionally seen as a sign of peace, especially when carrying an olive branch (another sign of peace, according to the Ancient Greeks) ( source).
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