Light is a powerful Scriptural image. In the historic Church, candles have been used as a sign of the presence of God during worship.

The large candle at the center table is the community candle. Its presence symbolizes the presence of the living Christ among us in community. A small candle burns alongside of the community candle.  This is the peace candle, received as a gift from another congregation. Its burning reminds us that we are to extend the peace of Christ beyond the boundaries of our local congregation.

What do the individual candles mean? As we gather for worship, we bring our unique, individual lives, as well as the uniqueness of our respective faith journey, with the Spirit of Christ leading each one personally and bringing us together for worship. The tiny candles that we bring, with each one of us bearing a flame and gathering them together to make one larger light, are symbolic of the unique manifestation of Christ in each one of us. Our personal “flames” sometimes burn powerfully, sometimes evenly and steadily, and sometimes less strongly - even flickering as if seeking the next sustaining spiritual breath. These flames represent us, and they represent Christ in us - separate, yet unified as a worshipping body.

What do the candles mean?