The faith of our heritage in the language of our children.
Ask the "Church Mouse" . . . | Welcome to a new feature in the Monitor, “Ask the Church Mouse.” In this column we will try to any answer questions that you may have about worship and why we do some of the things we do. This month’s questions is: “What is the extra candle with the colored things on it that is standing near the altar or baptismal font?” Fire has long been a sign of God’s presence. The Old Testament is full of examples, such as the burning bush or the pillar of fire. Early Christians viewed the kindling of new fire as a symbol of the presence of their resurrected Lord, the new pillar of fire. The earliest Christians blessed and lit candles every Saturday night. By the fifth or sixth century, the custom had become associated with the celebrations of the Resurrection, and paschal candles had found their way into the liturgy of the Western church. Unlit, the paschal candle represents Christ’s death and burial; lighted, it represents the splendor and glory of Christ’s resurrection. The wick represents Christ’s humanity and the halo of flame represents His divinity. The candle is inscribed with a cross, an alpha and omega to reinforce the point that Christ is present among us and throughout eternity. It stands near the altar during the fifty days of Easter. After Pentecost it is placed near the baptismal font as a reminder that in our baptism, we are crucified and resurrected with Christ. During the year it is lit at each baptism and the baptismal candle is lighted from it representing Christ giving the Holy Spirit to the disciples. It is lit and stands at the head of the casket during funerals, to proclaim the message of Romans 6:3-5. “In our baptism we have already died and been raised with Christ. |
FOR GOD |
SO LOVED |
THE WORLD |
THAT HE |
GAVE HIS |
ONE AND ONLY SON |
THAT |
WHOEVER |
BELIEVES |
IN HIM |
SHALL NOT |
PERISH |
BUT HAVE |
ETERNAL |
LIFE |
JOHN 3:16 |