Christmas Banner Backstory
Peace on Earth
Designed and created by Carolyn Poel, c. 1992-1994
This banner was created at the request of All Nations Church’s Worship Committee. The congregation already had a Pentecost banner, and Carolyn was given the freedom to choose the liturgical theme of this next project. She chose Christmas.
Read on to discover how prayerful reflection and creativity came together in this artistic offering.
A vast, amazing universe
Carolyn recalls thinking about the cosmos, and the rich mystery of Christmas–that the creator of the whole universe became a baby. Instead of using a dense, flat black to represent space, Carolyn chose a soft velvet in a deep, lustrous blue.
A big blue planet
Carolyn imagined viewing Earth from outer space. She sourced a beautiful, watery blue fabric for the earth and painted on swirls of white clouds with fabric paint.
A bright star, and a costly cross
The star was another reference to space and astronomy, but it helps us remember the journey of the Magi (aka “Wise Men”) who followed a star to find Jesus, the newborn King. The dominant lines in the star form a cross, a reminder of Jesus’s sacrificial love for us, and a foreshadowing of his death and resurrection (John 19: 16-18).
A royal trumpet fanfare
Carolyn imagined angels coming from outside our realm, with music. Bright, shiny trumpets seemed just right. They fit with the proclamation of Christ’s birth and with the Bible’s description of Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Words for a war-weary world
Carolyn chose the message that angels announced to the shepherds (Luke 2, 1-18):
“Peace on Earth…”
and she used crisp, capital lettering to capture this weighty and welcome heavenly declaration, which wraps around the earth. She saw that crispness echoed in the fine vertical line of the star, and she loved the contrast with the rounded, earthier elements: the earth, the swirl of the clouds, and the bells of the trumpets. She says that if she could do it over again, she would have embroidered the trumpet bells to add depth and curve.
Logistics and gritty details
In some ways, this is our most fragile banner. (It can never be soaked or washed!) All of the elements were appliqués made by smoothing the fabric over cardboard shapes and carefully hand-stitching the edges into the velvet. The trumpets’ gold fabric was especially hard to handle, and, later, needed mending. At the time, Carolyn was actively painting (her own work) in studio, and this banner was constructed by Carolyn on her own, working nights and weekends.
If you worship with us in person this Christmas,
…stroll up and take a closer look at this beautiful banner, which continues to proclaim the good news of Christ’s birth to all who see it.