The Trinity Banner: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

Sheer fabrics were used as backgrounds, creating a combined semi-transparent view of the Three in One. Small five-pointed stars (the traditional Christmas star), are scattered throughout the panels, symbolizing the saints now in the heavenly places above us.

The number three is emphasized throughout the entire design. Three primary colors are used: gold symbolizing worth, virtue and the glory of God; white symbolizing light, perfection, purity and joy; and green symbolizing new life and spiritual growth. (Silver has been added as a reflector of the light.)

God the Father as Creator is symbolized by a sun, moon and three stars, one star for each person in the Trinity present at creation. The six-pointed star is known as the creator’s star, with one point for each of the six days of creation.

God the Son as Redeemer is symbolized by a four-pointed cross star with a Greek cross centered in a circle, representing God’s eternal nature. This Greek cross features four arms of equal length for the four corners of the earth to which the redeeming gospel message of salvation was sent.

God the Holy Spirit as Sustainer is symbolized by a descending dove – first seen at Jesus’ baptism – over the waters of baptism. The Spirit sustains the gift of faith in all receivers of God’s grace. A nimbus, which rounds the head of the dove, is a symbol for the Deity, containing three rays of light set in a circle.

Inspiration for this banner initially came from the hymn “We All Believe in One True God” and from Isaiah 6:3. As I began to develop the idea from those sources, that I had scribbled down on a bulletin years back, I also connected it to Herder’s familiar hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy.” In reading more about that hymn and about Reginald Herder, I was fascinated by all the many repeated triplicates throughout the text of the hymn that I hadn’t noticed before, other than the obvious “Holy, Holy, Holy.” One favorite example of this is when I realized that since Julie is included with “All the Saints,” (those of us both on earth and in heaven), all of us together – Saints, Cherubim and Seraphim – are praising God in song.

I also learned that author Reginald Herder cared greatly about words and the powerful meaning they carried when put to song. Julie, too, cared about the words in the songs selected for worship and what the message in the music actually said. The hymn text of “Holy, Holy, Holy” is a Trinitarian Truth Testimony which was lived out in Julie’s life of ministry. It seems altogether fitting to remember her by singing “Holy, Holy, Holy” all together at St. John’s on Trinity Sunday.

Joan D. S. Bode
Artist