EMANUEL'S WINDOWS, THE STORIES THEY TELL ...
GOD THE SON
“I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord...”
THE ALPHA OMEGA
First and last letters of the Greek alphabet, the Alpha Omega stands for Jesus Christ, “the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Rev. 22:13 Jesus Christ “the same yesterday and today and forever”. Hebrews 13:8
THE AGNUS DEI (The Lamb of God)
“and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ’Look, here is the Lamb of God!’” John 1:36. And, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
The Agnus Dei is a very old symbol. It speaks of our Lord in his sacrificial character. The Lamb always signifies sacrifice, and in representation it carries the banner of victory. This banner, displaying the Cross of Christ, shows the victory of Christ over the world. When the Lamb is depicted lying down, reference is made to the suffering and burden-bearing Christ on whom was laid the iniquity of us all. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6
The Cross and Orb:
The Cross of Triumph, also known as the Cross of Victory, the Cross of Conquest, is composed of a Latin Cross on a globe, signifying the conquest of our Savior over the sins of the whole world and the triumph of the gospel through all the earth. It is enclosed in the Circle of Eternity.
This symbol is particularly appropriate for use in presenting World Missions.
“And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.’”Mark 16:15.
IHS
“She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”Matthew 1:21
IHS are the first three letters (IOTA, ETA, SIGMA) of the name of Jesus in Greek representing our Lord.
This symbol very often appears at the very center of the Cross. It reminds us that the central teaching of the Cross is that God's suffering love for humanity is revealed in Jesus Christ on the Cross.
THE FISH
“And He said to them, 'Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’”
Matthew 4:19.
The fish was a secret sign used by the early persecuted Christians to identify themselves as believers in Jesus. Early Christians would draw half of a fish when greeting a stranger. If the stranger drew the other half he would be told of the meeting location.
The Greek word "Ichthus" for fish is formed by using the first letter of each of the words in Greek, which stand for "Jesus - Christ - of God- Son - Savior" IX0YC.
THE CHI RHO
“...We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted, the Christ.”John 1:41.
This symbol is derived from the first two letters X (chi) and P (rho) of the Greek word. XPIST0S (pronounced — Christos). The letters abbreviate the name of Christ.