I Am the Vine

John 15:4,5 John 14:6

From its lavender background to the images of grapes in the border design and side streamers, this banner suggests one thing: the grapevine. In Jesus’ time, wine-making was a very important part of Hebrew culture. Jesus creates a vivid picture of Himself as the Vine—a source of strength, life and nourishment. He then portrays His followers as Branches—they grow directly from the vine, and cannot live without it. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

In The Beginning

Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-14

Inspired by Michelangelo’s picture of Creation (with God touching the hand of Adam), this banner also symbolizes the story shown throughout the Bible of God’s continuing presence.  Even further, it shows the connection He made across time, touching His creation again by taking human form in Jesus Christ.  “And we beheld His glory,...full of grace and truth.” 

Great High Priest

Exodus 28:1-43; I Chronicles.16:23-29; Luke 2:42-49; John 8: 28,29

Perhaps the most-researched of all the banners, this one portrays the traditional garments of the High Priest of Israel. In the midst of the instructions to Moses for the construction of the tabernacle, God outlines the garments that the priests were to wear. These were to be worn when the High Priest ministered in the most Holy Place, and the sound of the bells attached to his robe would be heard when he entered and left the Holy Place. He wore a breastplate that contained twelve stones, each representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The priestly garments were to be for "glory and beauty", centering in the person of the High Priest, who wore a gold plate on his forehead which bore the words, 'Holiness unto the Lord'. This is a parallel to I Chronicles 16:29 - "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness". The absolute holiness of Jesus had a beauty, directed towards the Father. Everything about these clothes had tremendous significance - white linen (righteousness), while throughout the colors of the High Priest, and the tabernacle itself, was a constant theme of gold, blue, purple and scarlet - these spoke of the coming Messiah - Jesus: His deity, His heavenly origin, His royalty and mediatorship, and His sufferings.

The King Has Come

John 14:1-6; Revelation 1:7.8; Revelation 22:20

This banner creates a picture of the glorious return of Jesus, given in the book of Revelation and elsewhere. When Jesus was near to the time of His death and, soon after, His resurrection, He had told His disciples many times what was coming. He also gave them hope. He told them He would go to prepare a place for them, and return for them later. Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly.

Victorious Sword

Deuteronomy 33:29; Ephesians 6:10-17

The images on this banner, one of the first in this series, is not unlike what a person might have seen being carried before an army in Bible times. Leather armor would provide the soldier with some protection against general long-range attacks. His shield could be used to defend against a more specific attack, especially at close range. Finally, his sword was good both for defense and as a weapon of attack. The soldier's weapons and attire are used throughout the Bible to symbolize tools for battling evil, so we can "be strong in the Lord...."

Behold the Lamb

Isaiah 53: 7; John 1: 29; Isaiah 40: 3

Embodying the last days of Jesus' life, this banner focuses on His innocence and meekness, even with the tortures He faced before His death. Throughout the Old Testament, the lamb is used as a sacrificial exchange for the sins of the people. Hundreds of years before Jesus' birth, many prophets described the coming Messiah as a lamb who would atone for people's sins. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry on earth, a man known as John the Baptist preached, as "the voice of one crying in the wilderness," about the Anointed One. He recognized Jesus as the One who would take away all of our sins!

With His Stripes

Isaiah 53:4-6; Mark 15:22-39; Luke 23:33-49; John 19:17-37

This banner captures the powerful image of Jesus' final hours on the cross. He spoke seven times, showing His final reflections leading to death. His first thought was of being abandoned by God when He placed the sins of all time on Jesus' shoulders. Then He showed His love for His accusers by asking God to forgive them. Crucified between a hardened criminal and one who truly sought forgiveness, He assured one of them he would be with Him in heaven. Sensing His end was near, He committed His spirit to God, feeling His sacrifice was accepted. His considerations then moved to the care of His earthly mother, a responsibility He gave to one of His disciples. Having completed this, He acknowledged His simple human thirst. After a taste of vinegar, He was aware His suffering was over, finished! He died, knowing His mission was complete.

He Is Risen

Mark 15:42-16:7; Matt. 27:57-28:9 John 3:16; Matt. 28:18-20

This banner, in striking 3D, shows the events a few days after Jesus’ death. It begins with three crosses on a hill in the distance; it ends at a borrowed tomb with the cover-stone moved aside, but this is just the beginning of a new story. The butterflies and flowers are symbols of growth and new life surrounding a former place of death. This image is a mirror of the Christian life— God loves us so much He wants all of us to choose eternal life with Him and, as Jesus commanded, to spread the gospel story to every person we know.

He Shall Be Called Mighty God

Jeremiah 32:17-20; Isaiah 9:6, 7; Matthew 11:27; 2 Corinthians 13:14

This banner displays a symbol of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The power and greatness of God is expressed throughout the Old Testament. The birth of the Son was foretold hundreds of years before the event, describing a ruler who would bring peace to His people forever. Jesus spoke of the direct relationship of the Son to the Father. The New Testament church recognized the relationship of the Father to the Son to the Spirit. Christians today know the importance of understanding all aspects of the Trinity; this way we can be filled with what each has to offer believers and non-believers alike.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Exodus 25:10-22;  Deuteronomy 10:1-5; Numbers 17:10; Luke 22:14-20; Mark 14:26-28; Revelation 15:3-5

With an image of one of the best-known religious artifacts in history, the Ark of the Covenant (or Testimony), this banner shows the reverence we have for God’s holiness. Its construction is described in the book of Exodus; its purpose was to represent God’s power and presence on Earth before His people. It was said to contain the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, the rod of Aaron and a container of manna, all symbols of God’s power and provision. Whenever the Israelites migrated, the Ark would go before them and be set up along with an altar to God. It was carried before armies in times of war to show God’s enemies He was with his people. The Ark was such a revered object, only the Levitical priests were allowed to carry it. If anyone not approved by God even touched it, death was the result. Today, we as Christians are expected to conduct our lives with the same reverence toward our God. We “study to show ourselves approved,” always working toward a better relationship with God and our fellow man, which can only be achieved through Jesus Christ. He offered us a new covenant with God, paid for with His death on the cross, to cover every person’s sin for all time, until our final arrival in Heaven, where we can experience God’s presence face to face.

King of Kings

Exodus 28:36-43; 1 Chronicles 16:27-29; 1 Timothy 6:13-16; Revelation 22:12-21

In the book of Exodus, Aaron, the High Priest, is instructed by God to wear a golden crown on his forehead bearing the phrase, “Holiness unto the Lord.” This banner shows what the crown might look like, with Hebrew characters expressing this idea of “worshipping the Lord in...holiness.” We might one day see Jesus, the Great High Priest, wearing such a crown upon His return. The Greek letters Alpha and Omega are also represented here; Jesus identifies Himself as “Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.” We worship Him as being greater than any man, woman or power we know here on Earth, and we eagerly await the return of the King of Kings to take us into his eternal kingdom.

Christmas Trilogy

(Emmanuel, Glory To God, Wise Men Still Seek Him)

Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:2-4,6,7; Numbers 24:7; Micah 5:27; Matthew 1:18-2:23; Luke 2:1-20; 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Designed in a manner reminiscent of old-fashioned layered greeting cards, these banners bring to life the main events in the beginning of the greatest story ever told.  More than a thousand years before Jesus' birth the prophet Isaiah, along with Micah, Balaam, and others, foretold these marvelous events with remarkable accuracy.
It was predicted that a virgin (Mary, mother of Jesus), would bear the Son of God and He would be called Emmanuel, or God With Us. He would have humble beginnings, being born in a stable as a carpenter's son. But His coming was announced to the lowly and the great: shepherds on a hillside were treated to a spectacular scene of angels gathered to sing praises to God for His coming to Earth (the image here inspired by Gustav Dore's illustrations for Milton's Paradise Lost); men of great learning and wealth were led from a far country by a wondrous star to Bethlehem, where they presented the child, Jesus, with gifts fit for a king: gold, a symbol of prosperity and purity; frankincense, a perfume used with sacrificial offerings; and myrrh, a holy oil used for anointing and embalming for burial. All those who heard, great and small, were eager to go and search for the Son of God.
We, as Christians, should seek Jesus with the same desire for closeness with God, that we may be ready for all He has in store for our lives.