Cross and Flame
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The
cross and the flame, the symbols of the United
Methodist Church, are ancient symbols in the
church. They remind us of the opportunity and
obligation for discipleship. Paul's words to Timothy have fresh and contemporary meaning. "I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is within you." (IITimothy 1:6) |
The flame represents the presence of God. The burning bush, the pillar of fire by night, and Exodus 24:17, "Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring flame on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel." The flame Illustrates the presence of God, the flame of the Holy Spirit.
The cross is a sign of suffering, of sacrifice and of service. The cross so high and lifted up -- but so heavy by itself. The cross of discipleship will weigh us down individually, If we try to carry it alone. Putting them side by side is not enough -- where the cross intersects the flame is the point where discipleship meets personal experience with Jesus Christ, in the community of faith, and we experience the joy of serving Him as individulas and in being the church together.
This symbol of the cross and flame came from the 1968 Uniting Conference, the Old Program Council, and the Division of Interpretation. This design was conceived by two men, Ed McCula and Ed Maynard. They prayed and wrestled with the idea for several months. They wanted a symbol of what it meant, in essence, to be a United Methodist. There isn't a more widely recognized symbol of the church anywhere in the world than our United Methodist Cross and Flame - on bulletins, fronts of churches, books, robes, signs, the internet, etc. You find it everywhere in the world and you know immediately that where the cross intersects the flame, there is the essence of what it means to be a United Methodist.
The experience of God's grace flowing over us makes the cross bearable. The cross and flame belong together, the cross (our commitment to serve Him), the flame (the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives). Together, where the cross intersects the flame, It pushes us out into service as a church. Lift high the cross and flame. Amen and Amen
This is taken from a devotion given by Glenn Wagner to the George Livingston Sunday School class, the Memorial United Methodist Men, and the Memorial United Methodist Women. And, in part taken from a sermon from Bishop William Oden at the annual Conference at Lake JUnaluska, NE in June 1994.
John 3:16-17
16. 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.
17. For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world,
but to save the world through him. NIV
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